Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century ad, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first waterclock, or the use of asses milk. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Pliny read and dictated in a sedan chair as he moved about urban areas. It is asserted that the dogs keep running when they drink at the nile, for fear of becoming a prey to the voracity of the crocodile. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book, so that the text of all the books is quite good already. He is best known for his work plinys natural history which was in. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page. Philemon hollands english translation of 1605 has influenced literature ever since. This extraordinary work was originally composed and.
Pliny the elder quotes top 116 from roman naturalist page. Pliny the elder students britannica kids homework help. D naxus, a delo xviii, cum oppido, quam strongylen, deinde dian, mox dionysiada a vinearum fertilitate, alii siciliam minorem aut callipolim appellarunt. Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century ad, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first waterclock, or the use of asses milk to remove wrinkles. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Natural history pliny wikimili, the free encyclopedia wikimili, the free encyclopedia. Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. Feb 12, 2019 contents of pliny s natural history divided into thirtyseven books preface. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. 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. 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. No one else seems to publish all of pliny s natural history any longer, but only excerptsunless, of course, you have several hundred dollars to spare for a very dear edition.
The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author. Syros, quam circuitu patere xx prodiderunt vetere, mucianus clx, olearos, paros cum oppido, ab delo xxxviii, marmore nobilis, quam primo platean, postea minoida vocarunt. Hese books, containing the history of nature, which a few days since i brought. Book xviii, on agriculture, is especially important for agricultural techniques such as crop rotation, farm management. This edition can be found on the internet archive, with the exception of books 3337, which are available on this website. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Utf8 start of this project gutenberg ebook natural history of pliny, vol 1 produced by turgut dincer, brian wilcox. The greeks have decided that twothirds of an ounce of leaven is enough for every two halfpecks of flour. If you want to read pliny the elder, the loeb classics are the only way to do so in this day and age.
This is in the form of a covering letter from pliny, to accompany the gift of his treatise on natural history to his friend vespasian caesar i. Latin authors volume 5 of natural history in ten volumes, cayo plinio cecilio segundo volume 5 of natural history. Author pliny the elder country ancient rome subject natural history, ethnography, art, sculpture, mining, mineralogy genre encyclopaedia, popular science the natural history is a work by pliny the elder. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy.
Pliny is one of the chief sources of modern knowledge of roman gardens, early botanical writings, and the introduction into italy of new horticultural and agricultural species. Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. The natural history was one of the first ancient european texts to be printed, in venice in 1469. A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. Pliny the elder was a roman natural philosopher who lived during the 1st century.
Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. 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. Book i, in fact, is a summary of the remaining 36 books, listing the authors and sometimes the titles of the books many of which are now lost from which pliny derived his material. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. Natural history, encyclopaedic scientific work of dubious accuracy by pliny the. Contents of plinys natural history divided into thirtyseven books preface. The manufacture of papyrus and the various grades of. Natural history natural history introduction plinys preface book i book ii vol 2 prefatory note introduction book iii book iv book v book vi book vii index of people geographical index vol 3 preface introduction book viii book ix book x book xi index vol 4 introduction book xii book xiii book xiv book xv book xvi index of persons vol 5 introduction book xvii book xviii book xix index. In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of t. Books 1719 loeb classical library volume 5 of natural history, harris rackham the loeb classical library. Naturalis historia is a book about the whole of the natural world in latin by pliny the elder, a roman author and naval commander who died in 79 ad.
During the middle ages pliny the elders natural history was one of the main sources of available scientific knowledge. American museum of natural history handbook series no. Pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. His views on geography, zoology, botany, medicine, mineralogy and astronomy continued to exercise considerable influence for centuries to come. Pliny the elder natural history, book xviii, chapter 6. 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. Pliny the elder biography facts, childhood, family life. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived.
Pliny s natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. 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. 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. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h.
Pliny was an energetic man, hugely desirous of literary immortality, who wrote his books in the interstices of a full career as a soldier and an administrator. A novel feature of the natural history is the care taken by pliny in naming his sources, more than 100 of which are mentioned. No one else seems to publish all of plinys natural history any longer, but only excerptsunless, of course, you have several hundred dollars to spare for a very dear edition. 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.
Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the elder. He is best known for his work pliny s natural history which was in latin and explored the natural world. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. Download pdf pliny s natural history vol 2 free online. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. Pliny, the elder h rackham pliny, the elder, gaius plinius secundus ad 2379, a roman of equestrian rank of transpadane gaul n. Page 431 the name which these stones bear, originates, it is said, in the peculiar tint of their brilliancy, which, after closely approaching the colour of wine, passes off into a violet without being fully pronounced. These selections from the natural history are fascinating. Book xviii, on agriculture, is especially important for agricultural techniques. Book vii of the natural history provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is.
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