Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived. Pliny the elder has 280 books on goodreads with 3761 ratings. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Internet archive bookreader pliny s natural history.
Its author is roman philosopher and scholar gaius plinius secundus, commonly known as pliny the elder ad 2379. You are doing quite right to get together materials for a history of the dacian war. Buy natural history penguin classics reprint by pliny the elder, john healey, john healey isbn. Volume 9, books 3335, natural history loeb classical. Buy plinys natural history in thirtyseven books on. Concentrating on plinys accounts of foreign lands and peoples, monsters, and barbarians, trevor murphy demonstrates the political significance of this reference book as a. Drawn entirely by zelinsky and derived from pliny the elders celebrated natural history, this book tells the tale of lion and stoatthe two greatest artists who ever livedwho compete for immortality. The older man, gaius plinius secundus, is called pliny the elder. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book, so that the text of all the books is quite good already. No wonder, then, that an encyclopedia of natural history dating from the early roman empire was extraordinarily popular, not only in its own time but during and well after the renaissance. He wrote a number of books, but the natural history is the only one that survives. Pliny the elders sister, plinia, married a man named caecilius, from the northern italian town of. Pliny devised a summarium, or list of contents, at the beginning of the work that was later interpreted by modern printers as a table of contents. We find in the books written by pliny the elder and vitruvius, where.
Its an encyclopedia of what passed for scientific information in that time. Questia read the fulltext online edition of natural history of pliny vol. Pliny in his natural history described pozzolana too, but also. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of. The world, and this whatever other name men have chosen to designate the sky whose vaulted roof encircles the universe is fitly believed to be a deity, eternal, immeasurable, a being that never began. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover all ancient knowledge. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output. Natural history, encyclopaedic scientific work of dubious accuracy by pliny the elder, completed in 77 ce as naturae historiae and conventionally known as naturalis historia.
Pliny the elders natural history trevor murphy oxford. In addition, however, it provides valuable insight into the extraordinary complex of ideas and beliefs current in plinys era, many of which have resonances for other eras and cultures. This is a fascinating book, yet is only a selection and a small one at that of plinys great work. Upon this occasion we must not omit to mention the admiration that is lavished upon this plant by the gauls. Internet archive bookreader plinys natural history. The natural history by pliny the elder free at loyal books. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read plinys natural history. In 37 books, pliny the eldernot to be confused with his nephew, pliny the youngercovers botany, zoology, astronomy, geology, geography, mineralogy, and how each of these interact with roman life. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans perspective on the world around them. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny volume 2 of 6, by pliny the elder this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the united states and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Naturalis historia natural history pliny natural history is the most common title for this work in english. Pliny devised a summarium, or list of contents, at the beginning of the work that was later interpreted by modern.
Natural history pliny currently redirects to naturalis historia, the result of a recent page move. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. Unusually, the entire remarkable work it contains over a million words has survived intact it is one of the most substantial ancient works available to modern readers.
This is a fascinating book, yet is only a selection and a small one at that of pliny s great work. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection. Pliny the elders natural history, from firstcentury rome, is the most important surviving encyclopedia of the ancient world. He served as cavalry officer in germany and governor procurator in spain, and at the. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. Pliny the elder, roman savant and author of the celebrated natural history, an encyclopedic work of uneven accuracy that was an authority on scientific matters up to the middle ages. The biodiversity heritage library works collaboratively to make biodiversity literature openly available to the world as part of a global biodiversity community. Both pliny the elder and vitruvius report some discussion on the building of the temple and on the technologies used during the work.
My ideal natural history would therefore be for penguin to publish all thirtyseven volumes, yet with copious footnotes so as to learn the accuracy of what pliny says and understand those things that he may have taken for granted. As one of the largest and most comprehensive surviving works from the roman empire, pliny the elders natural history offers a rare glimpse into the scholarship of the ancient world. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the elder. Then again, i like to flatter myself you are right, for it is my wish that people should think my last book is always the most perfect, and for that reason i even now prefer in comparison with the book i sent you the speech which i lately published, and which i shall send on to you as soon as i find a trustworthy messenger. In thirtyseven books internet archive bookreader pliny s natural history. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6, by pliny the elder this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the united states and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. This volume has margins with some fews cuts, the quality of the images are very high, and the volume has not any watermark of the sponsor. As a detailed study of the human animal, described by its author as the raison detre of nature, book seven of the elder plinys natural history is crucial to the understanding of the work as a whole. More information about this seller contact this seller 16. Life born into the municipal aristocracy of comum, pliny plihnee the elder followed an equestrian career. The elder pliny on the human animal mary beagon oxford.
During its history, the temple of artemis was completely rebuilt several times before its final destruction 2,3. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Naturalis historia is an early encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder it is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover all ancient knowledge.
We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. The only translation of plinys natural history which has hitherto appeared in the. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. The digital loeb classical library extends the founding mission of james loeb with an interconnected, fully searchable, perpetually growing virtual library of all that is important in greek and latin literature. Upon this occasion we must not omit to mention the. A marshy soil was selected for its site, in order that it might not suffer from earthquakes, or the chasms which they produce. Read more about the sites features pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled. This book is available with additional data at biodiversity heritage library. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Publication date 1938 topics natural history publisher. Plinius secundus nouocomensis equestribus militiis industrie functus by. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i.
In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. American museum of natural history handbook series no. This topic is currently marked as dormantthe last message is more than 90 days old. In sum there are in this book of histories and observations four. Pliny the elder naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans.
It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to pliny. As a guide to the cultural meanings of everyday things in ancient rome it is unparalleled. Pliny himself died while investigating the volcanic eruption that destroyed pompeii in ad 79, and the natural curiosity that brought about his death is also very much evident in the natural history a book that proved highly influential right up until the renaissance and that his nephew, pliny the younger, described as full of variety as. For what subject is more fresh or affords more abundant materials and scope, or, in a word, is more fitted for poetic treatment. Book i summarizes the entire contents of the work, listing the authors and sometimes the titles of the books many of which are now lost from which pliny derived. Pliny the elder, the natural history john bostock, m. The world, and this whatever other name men have chosen to designate the sky whose vaulted roof encircles the universe is fitly believed to be a deity, eternal, immeasurable, a being that never began to exist and never will perish.
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