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. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of th. Pliny the elder quotes 17 science quotes dictionary 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. Pliny the elder, natural history loeb classical library. We have an account, also, of the arimaspi in solinus, very nearly in the words of pliny. 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. They have the new green pliny boxes but they are just that, boxes. Books 1719 loeb classical library volume 5 of natural history, harris rackham the loeb classical library. Poetilio et domitio, quorum patres consules 18 fuerant. It was at this time that pliny became closer to his uncle 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. Natural history, book 7 by pliny 17 editions published between 2005 and 2016 in english and held by 1,245 worldcat member libraries worldwide. Pliny the elder 2379 ce produced in his natural history a vast compendium of roman knowledge.
Pliny attempted to document all known facts about the natural world. A multifaceted personality, he was also an author, naturalist, and a naval and army commander of the early roman empire. Anicio praenestino, qui paucis ante annis hostis fuisset, praeteritis c. Cheers to the scholar, historian, officer, writer, and roman naturalist pliny the elder. Pliny the elders natural history is a vast encyclopaedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology to biology, medicine to magic. His nephew pliny the younger gives an indication how devoted his uncle was to reading and studying, which was like working to him. Pliny the elder was a roman natural philosopher who lived during the 1st century. 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. In science it often happens that scientists say, you know thats a really good argument. Remains found by pompeii really are pliny the elder, new. Pliny the younger refers to tacituss reliance upon his uncles book, the history of the german wars. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 latin texts by pliny the pliny the elder and tyler t.
I ran a first proofreading pass immediately after entering each book. Gaius plinius secundus, 23 79 ce was a roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, a naval and army commander of the early roman empire, and friend of the emperor vespasian. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history. 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. 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. The natural history book vii with book viii 4 latin texts. Mar 10, 2020 having seen the cloud, pliny the elder decided he wanted to get closer to it to investigate, daisy dunn, author of the pliny biography the shadow of vesuvius, told the new york times. Having seen the cloud, pliny the elder decided he wanted to get closer to it to investigate, daisy dunn, author of the pliny biography the shadow of vesuvius, told the new york times. Naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. Pliny the elder, who died during the eruption of vesuvius in 79 a. Pliny the elder 23 79, translated by henry thomas riley 1816 1878 naturalis historia latin for natural history is an encyclopedia published circa ad 7779 by pliny the elder. When pliny the younger was 17 or 18, his uncle pliny the elder died attempting to rescue victims of the vesuvius eruption, and the terms of the elder plinys will passed his estate to his nephew. Links to translation of pliny the elder, natural history, by h.
Topics included are the mathematics and metrology of the. His natural history contained over a million words in 37 volumes. The project gutenberg ebook of the natural history of pliny. Latin authors volume 5 of natural history in ten volumes, cayo plinio cecilio segundo volume 5 of natural history. This ancient roman may have been an author, statesman and military commander, but hes become a household name among. But as he was leading a group of survivors to safety, pliny the elder was overtaken by a cloud of poisonous gas, and suffocated to death on the beach at age 56. Pliny the elder was a devotee of all things fermented, namely wine and beer. Pliny the elder has 277 books on goodreads with 3818 ratings. Here lies the skull of pliny the elder, maybe the new york.
Most of the wonderful tales related in this chapter may be found in aulus gellius, b. Utf8 start of this project gutenberg ebook natural history of pliny, vol 1 produced by turgut dincer, brian wilcox. Pliny the elder russian river brewing company beeradvocate. A selection, by pliny the elder translated by john f. 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. His greatest and only surviving work, the natural history, has been called one of the most influential books ever written in latin. Feb 14, 2020 pliny the elders skull or more accurately, his alleged skull reposes in ghoulish splendor at the museo storico nazionale dellarte sanitaria in rome, a treasure trove of medical. Oct 10, 2019 pliny the elder was a devotee of all things fermented, namely wine and beer. Pliny the elder, tireless researcher and writer, is author of the encyclopedic natural history, in 37 books, an unrivaled compendium of roman knowledge. 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. The work, which was largely complete by 77 ce, is divided into 37 books and covers such subjects as botany, zoology, and astronomy.
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. The terror and the fascination of pompeii the new yorker. See more ideas about pliny the elder, quotes and quotations. Plinys natural history is an astonishingly ambitious work that ranges from astronomy to art and from geography to zoology.
Pliny the elders skull or more accurately, his alleged skull reposes in ghoulish splendor at the museo storico nazionale dellarte sanitaria in rome, a treasure trove of medical. You are technically allowed a limit of 6 pliny so you arent really able to buy a 12pknot saying you cant get away with it thoughit depends on several factors. The complete latin text of book xvii of the historia naturalis of c. Pliny the elder project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Pliny the elder, the first wine critic and why he still. 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. Pliny, the beer has now become one of our flagship brews. Pliny the elder, latin in full gaius plinius secundus, born 23 ce, novum comum, transpadane gaul now in italydied august 24, 79, stabiae, near mount vesuvius, roman savant and author of the celebrated natural history, an encyclopaedic work of uneven accuracy that was an authority on scientific matters up to the middle ages. The natural history of pliny, volume 1 of 6 by pliny, the elder author. Lacuscurtius pliny the elders natural history book 17. Gaetulae nunc tenent gentes, baniurae multoque validissimi autololes et horum pars quondam nesimi. According to pliny the younger, the fleet and its commander disembarked at stabiae, a town on the shore near pompeii. He claimed to have recorded 20,000 pieces of information, although modern scholars say he underestimated his own output.
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