Pliny the Elder on Science and TechnologyThe Elder Pliny's Natural History greatly influenced the content and character of subsequent technical literature. He has received little attention since the 1920s and this book is an overdue reassessment of Pliny's ideas and his text. Pliny had to adapt Latin and Greek to his scientific theories and this has rendered parts of his text ambiguous. Healy includes a detailed study of the technical language and also modern experiments simulating Pliny's techniques. |
Contents
Plinys Life and Career | 1 |
Pliny the Writer | 31 |
The Natural History | 36 |
Plinys Sources | 42 |
Mirabilia | 63 |
Pliny and Research | 71 |
Language and Style | 79 |
Science in Antiquity | 100 |
Earth Sciences | 173 |
Minerals | 190 |
Amber | 250 |
Hydrocarbons | 254 |
Meteorites | 257 |
Minerals as Pigments | 259 |
Metals | 271 |
Technology | 347 |
The Natural History and Technical Literature | 106 |
Science in The Natural History | 113 |
Chemistry | 115 |
Niello | 137 |
Dyes and Dyeing | 138 |
Physics | 142 |
APPENDIX From Observer to Horizon | 171 |
Pliny and the Environment | 371 |
The Natural History in the Middle Ages | 380 |
| 393 | |
| 412 | |
| 431 | |
Common terms and phrases
Africa alloy amber ancient world antimony aqua Aristotle arsenic atque autem bronze cadmea called carbon cent century cinnabar colour copper crystal describes Dioscorides earth Eichholz eius electrum elsewhere etiam example fire fluorspar furnace further Gallia Gallia Belgica gemstones Geology glass gold Greek Greek and Roman haematite heat Hispania Hispania Tarraconensis ibid iron J. F. Healy kind known lapis Laurium lead limonite London Lucretius marble melt mercury metal Metallurgy mineral Mineralogy Mining mirrors modo Natural History observes occurs ore-mineral oxide Pline Pliny 37 Pliny the Elder Pliny's produced properties quae quam quarries quod quoque refers rerum rocks Rome salt silver smelting sources stone Strabo substance sulphide sulphur sunt surface tantum Technology temperature term Theophrastus tion Tylecote variety Varro veins vero vinegar Vitruvius vocant Whitten-Brooks writes Younger Pliny Zehnacker