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Loeb Classical Library edition of Natural History
Natural History, Volume IV: Books 12-16
Pliny the Elder (23 79 CE) produced in his Natural History a vast compendium of Roman knowledge. Topics included are the mathematics and metrology of the universe; world geography and ethnography; human anthropology and physiology; zoology; botany, agriculture, and horticulture; medicine; minerals, fine arts, and gemstones.
- GenresClassics
576 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1945
79 people want to read
About the author
Pliny the Elder
1,176 books117 followersGaius 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. Spending most of his spare time studying, writing or investigating natural and geographic phenomena in the field, he wrote an encyclopedic work, Naturalis Historia, which became a model for all such works written subsequently. Pliny the Younger, his nephew, wrote of him in a letter to the historian Tacitus:
"For my part I deem those blessed to whom, by favour of the gods, it has been granted either to do what is worth writing of, or to write what is worth reading; above measure blessed those on whom both gifts have been conferred. In the latter number will be my uncle, by virtue of his own and of your compositions."
Pliny the Younger is referring to the fact that Tacitus relied on his uncle's now missing work on the History of the German Wars. Pliny the Elder died on August 25, 79 AD, while attempting the rescue by ship of a friend and his family from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that had just destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The prevailing wind would not allow his ship to leave the shore. His companions attributed his collapse and death to toxic fumes; but they were unaffected by the fumes, suggesting natural causes.
"For my part I deem those blessed to whom, by favour of the gods, it has been granted either to do what is worth writing of, or to write what is worth reading; above measure blessed those on whom both gifts have been conferred. In the latter number will be my uncle, by virtue of his own and of your compositions."
Pliny the Younger is referring to the fact that Tacitus relied on his uncle's now missing work on the History of the German Wars. Pliny the Elder died on August 25, 79 AD, while attempting the rescue by ship of a friend and his family from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that had just destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. The prevailing wind would not allow his ship to leave the shore. His companions attributed his collapse and death to toxic fumes; but they were unaffected by the fumes, suggesting natural causes.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 13, 2024
I was motivated to read Pliny the Elder when I dove into Italo Calvino’s Why Read the Classics? Calvino, one of the greatest nerds in human history, of course read all thirty-seven volumes, which I shall not do.
This is one of the largest writings to survive from antiquity, and it is the only work by Pliny the Elder we have today. His son, in The Letters of Pliny the Younger, gives us an interesting vignette on how his father was killed on a boat in the Bay of Naples while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The authorial voice in this Victorian English translation is quite enjoyable. It reminded me of English translations of Herodotus.
Although it’s called The Natural History, or Natural Histories, it is essentially the Roman version of an encyclopedia. The entire work covers astronomy, mathematics, geography, ethnography, anthropology, human physiology, zoology, botany, agriculture, horticulture, pharmacology, mining, mineralogy, sculpture, painting, and precious stones. I.e., Pliny the Elder was also one of the greatest nerds in human history.
The section I read – which I downloaded for free from archive.org – is concerned with trees, forestry, and agriculture. Reading it made me think about how “knowledge” in the Roman era sounds to us today and how our “knowledge” may sound to people living 2100 years hence.
My wife and I keep a vegetable garden. In the sections on agriculture, I was surprised at the things the Romans knew (“Hey, we still do that the same way!”), the superstitious junk that passed as knowledge in many areas, and things that are completely meaningless to us which were considered common knowledge in their day (“The method of preparing ptisan is universally known”). I’m sure we’ll sound the same to future generations.
As I say, there’s no way I will read The Natural History in its entirety. But I have dipped a toe in and found the waters fine, so I will take a look one day at the ethnographic and anthropological parts, which are contained mainly in Books III through XII. This should remind me even more forcefully of Herodotus’ Histories, one of my favorite books from antiquity.
This is one of the largest writings to survive from antiquity, and it is the only work by Pliny the Elder we have today. His son, in The Letters of Pliny the Younger, gives us an interesting vignette on how his father was killed on a boat in the Bay of Naples while observing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The authorial voice in this Victorian English translation is quite enjoyable. It reminded me of English translations of Herodotus.
Although it’s called The Natural History, or Natural Histories, it is essentially the Roman version of an encyclopedia. The entire work covers astronomy, mathematics, geography, ethnography, anthropology, human physiology, zoology, botany, agriculture, horticulture, pharmacology, mining, mineralogy, sculpture, painting, and precious stones. I.e., Pliny the Elder was also one of the greatest nerds in human history.
The section I read – which I downloaded for free from archive.org – is concerned with trees, forestry, and agriculture. Reading it made me think about how “knowledge” in the Roman era sounds to us today and how our “knowledge” may sound to people living 2100 years hence.
My wife and I keep a vegetable garden. In the sections on agriculture, I was surprised at the things the Romans knew (“Hey, we still do that the same way!”), the superstitious junk that passed as knowledge in many areas, and things that are completely meaningless to us which were considered common knowledge in their day (“The method of preparing ptisan is universally known”). I’m sure we’ll sound the same to future generations.
As I say, there’s no way I will read The Natural History in its entirety. But I have dipped a toe in and found the waters fine, so I will take a look one day at the ethnographic and anthropological parts, which are contained mainly in Books III through XII. This should remind me even more forcefully of Herodotus’ Histories, one of my favorite books from antiquity.
September 3, 2023
I call this the "Tolkien" section of the Natural History - I would say that Pliny shares the Professor's obsession with trees! TREES! So. Many. Trees. Other plants and herbs and spices and such, too, but . . . trees. Lots of trees. Ends with a discussion of mistletoe, including, of course, its significance to those pesky Druids . . .
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews