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Pliny the elder : historia naturalis

Pliny the Elder : themes and contexts

Pliny's Naturalis Historia is a sophisticated encyclopaedia of the riches of the ancient world. The contributors to the present volume represent and join a new generation of critics who have begun to examine the dominant motifs which give shape to the work.Pliny's Naturalis Historia - a brilliant and sophisticated encyclopaedia of the scientific, artistic, philosophical, botanical and zoological riches of the ancient world - has had a long career in the footnotes of historical studies. This is a phenomenon born of the sense that the work was there to consult, or to `use', as a resource to aid investigation of specific technical issues or passages, of Quellenforschung, or of delimited topic areas. The contributors to the present volume both represent and join a new generation of critics who have begun to try to `read' this monumental text, and - by examining the dominant motifs which give shape and order to the work - to construct frameworks within which we may understand and interpret Pliny's overarching agenda.

Online EBSCO Academic Comprehensive Collection

Pliny the Elder : themes and contexts

Pliny's Naturalis Historia - a brilliant and sophisticated encyclopaedia of the scientific, artistic, philosophical, botanical and zoological riches of the ancient world - has had a long career in the footnotes of historical studies. This is a phenomenon born of the sense that the work was there to consult, or to `use', as a resource to aid investigation of specific technical issues or passages, of Quellenforschung, or of delimited topic areas. The contributors to the present volume both represent and join a new generation of critics who have begun to try to `read' this monumental text, and - by examining the dominant motifs which give shape and order to the work - to construct frameworks within which we may understand and interpret Pliny's overarching agenda.