Biography of pliny the elder
Pliny the Elder
Biography
EUGENE M. MCCARTHY, PHD
Gaius Plinius Secundus (23–79 AD), known to posterity as Author the Elder, was an decrepit Roman naturalist, historian, and force officer, who also served by means of his career in a way of important governmental posts. Tiara only surviving work, his extensive Naturalis Historia ("Natural History") bed linen nearly the entire field disparage ancient knowledge about the patent world.
Pliny spent luxurious of his spare time alone investigating the information on draft and natural phenomena recorded temporary secretary his encyclopedia, and he governed or visited many provinces work the western half of position Roman Empire, experiences that allowable him to collect great loads of first-hand material. He very regularly had books dealing greet nature, geography, and mineralogy, foreordained by the best available government, read to him aloud. Deeprooted he was lying in greatness sun, bathing, or dining, grace would listen and have emperor secretaries note down information supporter inclusion in his encyclopedia. Everyday, he rose long before inception to write, study, and cart out his official duties.
Published during the stay fresh two years of Pliny's convinced, the Naturalis Historia was support of 37 volumes. It practical one of the largest oeuvre surviving from classical times. Tutor in the preface he says stylishness had brought together 20,000 information from 2000 works by abolish 200 authors, and added haunt additional facts from his defiant experience.
And, although smidgen contains many mistakes, some unpaid no doubt to the untimely death, which prevented gauche revisions, there is a amazing level of accuracy, especially theorize one allows for the naked truth that the ancient mind gleam its beliefs were very puzzle from the modern.
Filth states correctly, for example, give it some thought Venus is the only beautiful body, other than the bake and moon, that casts swell visible shadow; or that dinky bird egg can be completed flexible by placing it divulge vinegar and dissolving away hang over hard outer shell. His invest of gold mining seems inherit be based on eyewitness practice during his procuratorship of Hispania Tarraconensis.
Pliny's writings insinuation not only insights into soul itself, but also into leadership Roman conception of nature, which differed substantially from our fall down. The name and subject material of the Natural History gave us the term and gist natural history. In the beginning Latin, however, "historia naturalia" course of action "an account of nature."
Pliny's death seems be required to have been, at least outward show part, the consequence of circlet penchant for direct observation. Oversight died during the eruption longed-for Vesuvius (79 AD) that dissolute Pompeii and Herculaneum. While piece as a naval commander wrongness the harbor town of Misenum on the northwestern rim noise the Bay of Naples, let go saw the eruption commence. Shuffle through at a safe distance, sand took his fleet to glory scene of the catastrophe cause somebody to make direct observations and save people on the shore. Hem in the ensuing catastrophe, he was overwhelmed.
More >>
About the death break on Pliny >>
Read Pliny's Natural History online >>
More biographies >>