Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Of all the works written by pliny, one only, the historia naturalis has survived to. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with.
By his own account pliny sets out 20,000 facts derived from 2000 works to comprise his encyclopedia of knowledge, the historia naturalis. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Pliny the elder pliny, the elder the online books page. I have included in thirtysix53 books 20,000 topics, all worthy of attention, for. Pliny the elder born gaius plinius secundus, ad 2379 was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of emperor vespasian spending most of his spare time studying, writing, and investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, pliny wrote the encyclopedic naturalis historia natural history, which. Caii plinii secundi naturalis historiae liber alternative. Naturalis historia, volume 1 caius plinius secundus full view 1866. Pliny the elder has 280 books on goodreads with 3768 ratings. Pliny the elder, as imagined by a 19thcentury artist. Naturalis historia est solum gaii plinii secundi scriptoris romani opus hodie servatum. The latin title historia naturalis could best be translated as.
Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. Naturalis historia, first edition abebooks passion for books. Natural history, volume x, books 3637 loeb classical library no. The historia naturalis of pliny the elder ad 2379 represents a different approach to the study of animals and another influence on bestiary texts.
Plini secundi naturalis historiae libri xxxvii, the. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. I have included in 36 books 20,000 topics acquired by the study of. Gaius plinius secundus 23 ad august 25, 79 ad, better known as pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army. It included chapters on astronomy, geography, medicine, minerals, human beings, animals, and related historical events. Pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a. The complete latin text of book xxxvi of the historia naturalis of c. His book natural history naturalis historia is a phenomenal work which covers subjects such as astronomy, zoology, botany, medical drugs and mineralogy. His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying, which was like working to him the only time he took from his work was for his bath, and by bath i mean his actual immersion, for while. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. Naturalis historia comprised 37 books, which included a volume which detailed the correct way in which to launch a spear off the back of a horse.
Author of naturalis historia, pliny, historia naturalis, c. Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. Caii plinii secundi historiae naturalis libri xxxvii. 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. The historia naturalis is an early encyclopaedia and in it pliny draws on myriad classical sources to document the knowledge of the classical world. 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. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. Natural history, listing the contents of other 36 books, together with the sources pliny consulted. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a. The natural history there is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny the elder used to say, and he read everything that he could obtain. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Lacuscurtius pliny the elders natural history book 36. The natural history has been translated into english by h.
We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Translated into english by philemon holland doctor of physicke. While it certainly covers subjects of the physical world, geography, agriculture, anthropology, mathematics, etc. Pliny the elder wrote many books, and as a keen student of philosophy and rhetoric he began practising as an advocate. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Pliny the elder gaius plinius secondus, called pliny the elder to distinguish him from his nephew, known as pliny the younger, was born in 23 ce in como northern italy. Gaius plinius secundus ad 23 august 25, ad 79, better known as pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic.
Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features. University of reading 2011 page 3 beginning of book 10, on the nature of birds, including the ostrich, the phoenix and the eagle, from the university of readings copy of the 1472 edition of plinys historia naturalis, with a detail of the illuminated initial. Fishes which come on land the proper time for catching fish ib 36 classification of fishes according to the shape of the body. Pliny the elder biography, facts and pictures famous scientists.
Sie bedeutet eine grundlage naturwissenschaftlicher lehre bis weit ins 19. Discover book depositorys huge selection of gaius plinius secundus books online. Plinys encyclopaedia demands a very particular approach from its readers. As for the nocturnal hours spent writing, these were seen not as a loss of sleep but. Naturalis historia plinius jump to navigation jump to search. Of all the works written by pliny, one only, tlic itistoria. As for the nocturnal hours spent writing, these were seen not as a loss of sleep but as an addition to life, for as he. Plini secundi naturalis historiae libri xxxvii, the historie of the vvorld. This page was last edited on 7 february 2019, at 12. There is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny. 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. Mapping in pliny historia naturalis books 36 volume 34. He seems to have needed remarkably little sleep just a few hours a night.
The method of ascertaining the height of the pyramids and all similar edifices was discovered by thales of miletus. Pliny had worked on naturalis historia for many years, with two assistants. Pliny the elder historia naturalis by whalley, joyce irene and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Pliny studied at rome before serving in the roman military in germany, eventually commanding a. The work is divided into 37 books, organised into ten volumes. The latin library the classics page the classics page. Pliny the elder pliny, the elder a wikipedia article about this author is available pliny, the elder. Naturkunde naturalis historia libri xxxvii buch viii. Natural history, volume x, books 36 37 loeb classical library no. It aims to show that the naturalis historia, considered by some scholars simply as the oldest. The eclipse of the moon affords an undoubted argument of the suns.
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