The Natural History of Pliny VOL. II

Enter the Roman mind at work on the living world - curious credulous and astonishingly observant. This is Rome observing nature. In Volume II of The Natural History of Pliny translated by John Bostock and H. T. Riley an ancient natural history text becomes a sweeping classical science encyclopaedia ranging across plants animals and minerals and the hidden causes believed to animate them. Composed in the first century The Pliny the Elder Natural History embodies a first century Roman worldview where early Roman natural philosophy practical lore and wonder at creation are woven together into a single vast inquiry into the history of the natural world.At once a roman natural philosophy book a work of ancient biology and zoology and a vivid portrait of ancient Rome's natural world this volume rewards browsing as much as scholarly study. It remains an indispensable reference for classics students a rich resource for historians of science and essential reading for readers of Aristotle and other classical thinkers who want to see how their ideas echoed through Roman thought. Its pages preserve the questions observations and stories that shaped how Europe understood nature for nearly two millennia.Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike.