Natural History (Pliny)
The Natural History ( Historia naturalis occasionally; German: " natural science " or " Natural History" ) is an encyclopedia in Latin of the Roman historian Gaius Plinius Secundus and writer. It is built around 77 AD and describes issues that one would associate nowadays especially the natural sciences, but also medicine, geography, art, and other topics. It is the oldest surviving complete systematic encyclopedia.
The Naturalis historia includes 37 books with a total of 2493 chapters. After bibliography total nearly 500 authors have been processed.
Selbstzeugnisse
Pliny used in his preface to the Greek expression τῆς ὲγκυκλἰου παιδείας ( tes enkykliou paideias ), which later became the word encyclopaedia was:
"I now intend to touch everything what the Greeks called τῆς ὲγκυκλἰου παιδείας, which is either unknown or not yet researched safe."
The scope of his work Pliny states:
" Twenty thousand curious objects collected by reading about two thousand books, among which only a few of their difficult content are used because of the scholars of hundreds of the best writers, I have summarized in 36 books, but added thereto much of which either our ancestors knew nothing or what life has determined until later. "
Structure
The complete work has Pliny divided into 2493 chapters, which he then systematically divided into 37 books. Pliny did not name the sciences described by him. The following list follows the table of contents in the arrangement Sciences renames but with today's (2007) common names. In ( ), the number of treated objects (keywords ) specified ( na = not specified ) according to the table of contents of each book.
- 20-27: plant kingdom 20: Remedies From the horticultural crops ( 1606 )
- 21: Nature of flowers and garland plants ( 730)
- 22: The importance of plant (906 )
- 23: Remedies from the planted trees ( 1418 )
- 24: remedies from wild-growing trees ( 1176 )
- 25: Texture of naturally growing plants ( 1292 )
- 26: The other remedies ( 1019)
- 27: The other plant species ( 602)
- 28: Remedies From the living beings ( 1682)
- 29: Remedies from the animals (621 )
- 30: The other remedies from the animals ( 854 )
- 31-32: remedies from aquatic animals (1914 )
- 33: Texture of metal ( 288 )
- 34: The copper- iron-containing, lead-containing metals ( 915 )
- 35: painting, sculpture, pottery, diversity of the earth ( 956)
- 36: Texture of stones ( 434 )
- 37: Precious Stones (1300)
The total number of treated objects (keywords ) is about 40,000.
Editions and translations
Even in 1469 the Latin first edition Historiae naturalis libri XXXVII in Venice by John and Wendelin von Speyer, also de Spira was called, hung up. Overall, published 1469-1799 222 and 281 full selection issues of Natural History. In the 19th century was followed by eight more, of which the most recent (2007) critical edition of the Karl Mayhoff is: C. Plini Secundi Naturalis historiae libri XXXVII: post Ludovici Iani obitum recognovit et scripturae discrepantia adiecta edidit Carolus Mayhoff. Stuttgart from 1892 to 1909. 6 volumes (reprint Stuttgart 1967-1970 ).
The first German -language (partial) translation of Books 7 to 11 was made by Henry of Eppendorff and 1543 prepared in Strasbourg under the title Natural History Fünff books; However, they found only little attention. Quite different is the translation of the theologian Johann Heyden, published 1565 in Frankfurt am Main and 200 woodcuts by Jost Amman contained ( Caij Plinij Secundi, Des fürtrefflichen high scholars Old Philosophical books and Schrifften of nature, art and self- creates the creatures or Geschöpffe God ).
The most recent (2007 ) edition with the text of Mayhoff and German translation is: C. Plinius Secundus the Elder: . Naturkunde: Latin- German. Edited and translated by Roderick King ... - Darmstadt 1973-2004 (32 volumes).