Natural history pliny project gutenberg selfpublishing. The appendix note puts the whole thing into perspective. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman empire to the. Plinys natural history pdf pliny plinys natural history in thirtyseven books. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read plinys natural history. Included is an annotated list of 116 continuous manuscripts, and both there and in the course of.
The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder pliny free. Lives of pliny the elder and passienus crispus l039 caesar the civil wars. The natural history became a model for later encyclopedias and scholarly works as a result of its breadth of subject matter, its referencing of original authors, and its index. The natural history which is actually a sort of encyclopedia of roman wisdom and prejudices has probably fallen out of favour because the first two books are surprisingly tedious. Plinys natural history was the goto encyclopedia for over 1,500 years, from its publication around the year 77 until well into the renaissance. Covid19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation.
The elder pliny on the human animal mary beagon oxford. 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 scorns the more scientific grrek medicine, because many doctors would be quacks, and extols old roman treatments which worked on faith alone, though there was a lot of credulity going round, so some probably worked. Such then is the present state of the world, and of the countries, nations, more remarkable seas, islands, and cities which it contains. The roman pliny the elder 2379 ce was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of emperor vespasian. Evidence reported by ian frederickrothwell for item plinysnaturalhis00plinrich on february 22, 2007. 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.
However, the wikipedia rule is to choose the form most commonly used by simple and other folks in english, isnt it. Plinys natural history in thirtyseven books scholars choice edition philemon holland. Tupper, dcl brand s popular antiquities of england, scotland, and ireland. In thirtyseven books internet archive bookreader plinys natural history. We are now about to speak of metals, of actual wealth, the standard of. 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. Pdf this paper discusses an overlooked aspect of plinys natural history hn. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. Download the letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the younger pdf file size.
In ad 77, pliny published his famous 37volume work naturalis historia or natural history. Natural history volume 2, the by pliny the elder librivox. Pliny also set out to write a natural history in 37 books. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny the. The only translation of plinys natural history which has hitherto appeared in the english language is that by philemon holland, published in the latter part of the reign of elizabeth. The excerpts from plinys natural history in boccaccios zibaldone magliabechiano are shown to have come not from petrarchs manuscript but from a valuable line of transmission not otherwise attested in italy before the 1430s. Its frequent digressions into issues of morality and gossipy, occasionally rambling style would certainly not be at home in a modern encyclopedia, but its allencompassing scope covering botany, zoology, astronomy, geology, and medicine among other. Internet archive bookreader plinys natural history. This extraordinary work was originally composed and. In thirtyseven books by pliny the elder, 1847, printed for the club by g. Its an encyclopedia of what passed for scientific information in that time. American museum of natural history handbook series no. With an english translation on opposite pages, notes, introduction, and glossary, by rev. Natural history publisher london printed for the club by g.
The letters of the younger pliny the letters of pliny the. The work is dedicated to the emperor titus, a son of plinys close friend, the emperor vespasian, in the first year of tituss reign. The nature of the animated beings which exist upon it, is hardly in any degree less worthy of our contemplation than its other features. Pliny natural history volume iii pdf free download. Pliny the elder has 280 books on goodreads with 3761 ratings. 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. He wrote a number of books, but the natural history is the only one that survives. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the romans. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. Jul 12, 2018 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg.
It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the roman. The creator and year of publication are essential information and must be provided. Plinysownadditionsromanmuseography retrospect xci bibliography xcv manuscripts c silverchasing 2 bronzestatuary 6 painting 84 table,showinga. 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. What digital items do customers buy after viewing this item. See all 29 formats and editions hide other formats. Many people prefer to read offline or to print out text and read from the real printed page. Fox, ma to which is added the anglosaxon version of the metres of boethius, with a free translation by martin f. 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. Plinys historia naturalis natural history is a vast encyclopaedic work and the only book by him to have survived. Pliny the elder 2379 ce, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled.
Pliny the elders sister, plinia, married a man named caecilius, from the northern italian town of comum. 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. Pdf pliny the elder is a unique phenomenon in the history of the literary transmission of antique texts. It is argued that he misjudged the upper reaches of his stemma in two ways.
Care is taken to gather it without the use of iron, the right hand being passed for the purpose through the left sleeve of the tunic, as though the gatherer were in the act of committing a theft. Pdf senses and the sacred in plinys natural history. 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. Thoughts of ancient metallurgy and mining among the brigantes and in some other parts of britain, suggested by a page of plinys natural history. Plinys natural history in thirtyseven books related titles. This image might not be in the public domain outside of the united states. Pliny the elder 23 ad79 ad, ancient roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of naturalis historia plinys natural history pliny the younger died 1, ancient roman statesman, orator, writer, and pliny the elders nephew and adopted son. 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, natural history loeb classical library. It is no disparagement to hollands merits, as a diligent and generally faithful translator, to say that his work is unsuited to the requirements of the. Plinys encyclopedia dominated the study of science and technology well into the middle ages and is frequently consulted by modern scientists interested in the history of their fields. 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.
The natural history of pliny volume 6 digital collections. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such. 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. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the natural history of pliny. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by the elder. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed.
The natural history by pliny the elder free at loyal books. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. Letters to themistius, to the senate and people of athens, to a priest. Plinius secundus nouocomensis equestribus militiis industrie functus by. It is often based on secondary or tertiary sources and, in some cases, on plinys. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Plinys natural history became a model for later encyclopedias and scholarly works as a result of its breadth of subject matter, its referencing of original authors, and its index. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Pliny the elders natural history is unparalleled as a guide to the cultural meanings of everyday things in 1stcentury rome.
The work is dedicated to the emperor titus, son of plinys close friend, the emperor vespasian, in the first year of tituss reign. Details plinys natural history in thirtyseven books. 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. 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. The older man, gaius plinius secundus, is called pliny the elder. This article proposes a reading of the balsam in the natural history 12. Others want to carry documents around with them on their mobile phone. Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. The natural history of pliny paperback june 5, 2011. A rare original article from the archaeological journal, 1859. The editorial fortunes of the natural history since 1763 are surveyed, and unsolved or unperceived problems in the medieval tradition are discussed against the background of valuable work done by d. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia.