His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying, which was like working to him. The letters of pliny the younger on the eruption of vesuvius, and more on. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. 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. Rhodi, coi, sami, chii, lesbi, xlxliii hellespontus, mysia, phrygia, galatia et iunctae gentes, bithynia. Table of contents of the others and of authorities. Pliny the elder was a roman natural philosopher who lived during the 1st century. Pliny the elder 43 followers 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 commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian. Pliny, the beer has now become one of our flagship brews. 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. Dec 10, 2018 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. 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. Cheers to the scholar, historian, officer, writer, and roman naturalist pliny the elder. Natural history 1938 by pliny the elder, translated by h.
He is best known for his work pliny s natural history which was in latin and explored the natural world. I now will briefly consider three of birdriddles, which encode specialized knowledge and may be associated with isidores etymologiae in addition to other classical sources, especially plinys historia naturalis. I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book. Pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. 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. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder. Each subsequent book is introduced by a scene evoking its content. See all books authored by pliny the elder, including naturalis historia, and ashen sky. Pliny himself defines his scope as the natural world, or life. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output.
His greatest and only surviving work, the natural history, has been called one of the most influential books ever written in latin. Pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. 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. Topics included are the mathematics and metrology of the. Pliny as procurator of hispania tarraconensis pliny the younger mentions that his uncle was procurator of hispania tarraconensis in a letter to baebius macer epistulae, book 3, letter 5, in which he lists pliny the elder s books in chronological order. The homepage for plinys natural history the historia naturalis of c.
Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h. Books 33 through 35 deal with ancient greece painting and sculpture and the artists who created those works. Mathematical and metrological survey of the universe. 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. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Pliny the elder, historia naturalis, in latin pliny the. 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 commander of the early roman empire, and personal friend of the emperor vespasian. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of t. Read, highlight, and take notes, across web, tablet, and phone. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author.
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. Pliny the elder project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. 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. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes. Pliny the elder books list of books by author pliny the elder. 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. 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. Pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a.
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. Pliny the elder wrote the worlds first encyclopedia. The first historiated initial, introducing the preface, shows pliny, crowned with laurels, seated in a landscape with a book in his hand. Pliny the elder died in 79 ce, while attempting the rescue, by ship, of a friend and his family, in stabiae, from the eruption of mount vesuvius, which already had destroyed the cities of pompeii and herculaneum. Publication date 184749 topics natural history publisher london printed for the club by g. Pomponius secundus, in two books, a person by whom he had been. Jun 12, 2014 because of his parents connections in rome, the city where he would complete his education, pliny was able to obtain a military command, leaving the comforts of rome in 47 ce to do battle in germany, serving as an officer cadet on the rhine, and eventually rising to function as the prefect of the auxiliary infantry and later commander of a cavalry wing.
Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of roman knowledge. Pliny the elder was immortalized by his nephew, pliny the younger, who wrote about his uncle succumbing to ash and smoke during the eruption of mt. Most of the exeter book birdriddles rely on some form of esotericism and references to specific information. The book on painting, for instance, begins with an initial showing painters at work and an assistant grinding colour pigments on a stone f. I reproduce below the teubner text of mayhoff 1897, followed by my own translation. An ominous appearance in the heavens, that was seen once only. The works subject area is thus not limited to what is today understood by natural history.
The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy. A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. Aufidius bassus little is known about the life and lost works of aufidius bassus. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans. Pliny the elder skip to main search results amazon prime. Pliny the elder biography facts, childhood, family life. Pliny the elder miniature by andrea da firenze from an edition of natural history by pliny the elder, c.
This, however, is not tlie fault of pliny, lait the result of imperfect tradition. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. Delphi complete works of pliny the elder illustrated delphi ancient classics book 53. Natural history, book 7 by pliny 17 editions published between 2005 and 2016 in english and held by 1,245 worldcat member libraries worldwide. 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. Pliny the elders natural history is published in many volumes covering a number of topics, which he differentiates by books. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Pliny whose full name was gaius plinius secundus, was born at comum in the region north of the po river and was educated in rome.
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