The natural history has been translated into english by h. Discover book depositorys huge selection of gaius plinius secundus books online. 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. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology. The historia naturalis of pliny the elder ad 2379 represents a different approach to the study of animals and another influence on bestiary texts. Lacuscurtius pliny the elders natural history book 36. Pliny studied at rome before serving in the roman military in germany, eventually commanding a. Pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a.
His book natural history naturalis historia is a phenomenal work which covers subjects such as astronomy, zoology, botany, medical drugs and mineralogy. 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. 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. There is no book so bad that some good cannot be got out of it, pliny. Naturalis historia naturalis historia, 1669 edition, title page. Pliny the elder wrote many books, and as a keen student of philosophy and rhetoric he began practising as an advocate. Mapping in pliny historia naturalis books 36 volume 34. Caii plinii secundi naturalis historiae liber alternative. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity heritage library childrens library. I have included in 36 books 20,000 topics acquired by the study of.
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. Sie bedeutet eine grundlage naturwissenschaftlicher lehre bis weit ins 19. I have included in thirtysix53 books 20,000 topics, all worthy of attention, for. Of all the works written by pliny, one only, the historia naturalis has survived to. The complete latin text of book xxxvi of the historia naturalis of c. This page was last edited on 7 february 2019, at 12. Pliny the elder pliny, the elder a wikipedia article about this author is available pliny, the elder. 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. Plini secundi naturalis historiae libri xxxvii, the.
Volume i of the natural history of gaius plinius secundus. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features. The work is divided into 37 books, organised into ten volumes. Pliny the elder pliny, the elder the online books page. Naturalis historia, volume 1 caius plinius secundus full view 1866. 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. Natural history, volume x, books 36 37 loeb classical library no. 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. Pliny the elders most popular book is natural history. 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. 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. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a. He seems to have needed remarkably little sleep just a few hours a night.
Naturalis historia, first edition abebooks passion for books. Translated into english by philemon holland doctor of physicke. Naturalis historia plinius jump to navigation jump to search. The latin title historia naturalis could best be translated as. The historia naturalis is an early encyclopaedia and in it pliny draws on myriad classical sources to document the knowledge of the classical world. 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. As for the nocturnal hours spent writing, these were seen not as a loss of sleep but. Of all the works written by pliny, one only, tlic itistoria.
Naturalis historia est solum gaii plinii secundi scriptoris romani opus hodie servatum. Author of naturalis historia, pliny, historia naturalis, c. Pliny the elder, as imagined by a 19thcentury artist. Caii plinii secundi historiae naturalis libri xxxvii. The eclipse of the moon affords an undoubted argument of the suns. 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. Pliny the elder biography, facts and pictures famous scientists.
Natural history encyclopedic scientific work by pliny. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny, vol i. Although pliny did not distinguish between fact, opinion, and speculation in his 37volume treatise, he can be credited with. While it certainly covers subjects of the physical world, geography, agriculture, anthropology, mathematics, etc. Naturkunde naturalis historia libri xxxvii buch viii.
All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. By his own account pliny sets out 20,000 facts derived from 2000 works to comprise his encyclopedia of knowledge, the historia naturalis. 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. Plinys encyclopaedia demands a very particular approach from its readers. Pliny had worked on naturalis historia for many years, with two assistants.
Natural history, volume x, books 3637 loeb classical library no. Pliny the elder has 280 books on goodreads with 3768 ratings. It included chapters on astronomy, geography, medicine, minerals, human beings, animals, and related historical events. 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. Plini secundi naturalis historiae libri xxxvii, the historie of the vvorld. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. The method of ascertaining the height of the pyramids and all similar edifices was discovered by thales of miletus. The latin library the classics page the classics page. 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 historia naturalis by whalley, joyce irene and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at.
492 432 348 22 1250 174 1210 1113 121 870 1245 1521 217 1501 834 1414 238 714 374 557 978 157 1318 491 1395 321 157 1313 674 1188 289 977 1034 558 1395 204 253 76 314 1365 369 892 683