Pliny the Elder: The Natural History Book VII (with Book VIII 1-34) (Latin Texts)

Pliny the Elder's Natural History is a vast encyclopedia, surveying natural phenomena from cosmology, biology, medicine to magic. Direct observation, informed speculation and common knowledge are combined to present a key snapshot of ancient thought and the Romans' perspective on the world around them. Book VII of The Natural History provides a detailed examination of the human animal and is crucial to understanding the work as a whole. In Pliny's eyes, mankind 'for whose sake nature was created' represents the basis for which the natural world was founded and structured. As a result, the book provides valuable insight into the extraordinary complex of ideas and beliefs which were current in Pliny's era. This edition provides the full Latin text accompanied by commentary notes that provide linguistic help and explanations, plus vocabulary lists of Latin and Greek terms, and a list of all proper names. The in-depth introduction provides valuable details about the historical, scientific and literary context, as well as an overview of the work's legacy and reception.