The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 1 (of 6)

CONTENTS.

OF THE FIRST VOLUME.


BOOK I.
DEDICATION.
Page

C. Plinius Secundus to his friend Titus Vespasian

1
BOOK II.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE WORLD AND THE ELEMENTS.

Chap.
1.

Whether the world be finite, and whether there be more than one world

13
2.

Of the form of the world

16
3.

Of its nature; whence the name is derived

ib.
4.

Of the elements and the planets

18
5.

Of God

20
6.

Of the nature of the stars; of the motion of the planets

25
7.

Of the eclipses of the moon and the sun

34
8.

Of the magnitude of the stars

35
9.

An account of the observations that have been made on the heavens by different individuals

36
10.

On the recurrence of the eclipses of the sun and the moon

38
11.

Of the motion of the moon

40
12.

Of the motions of the planets and the general laws of their aspects

ib.
13.

Why the same stars appear at some times more lofty and at other times more near

42
14.

Why the same stars have different motions

47
15.

General laws of the planets

48
16.

The reason why the stars are of different colours

49
17.

Of the motion of the sun and the cause of the irregularity of the days

50
18.

Why thunder is ascribed to Jupiter

51
19.

Of the distances of the stars

52
20.

Of the harmony of the stars

ib.
21.

Of the dimensions of the world

53
22.

Of the stars which appear suddenly, or of comets

55
23.

Their nature, situation, and species

56
24.

The doctrine of Hipparchus about the stars

59
25.

Examples from history of celestial prodigies; Faces, Lampades, and Bolides

ib.
26.

Trabes Cælestes; Chasma Cæli

60
27.

Of the colours of the sky and of celestial flame

ib.
28.

Of celestial coronæ

61
29.

Of sudden circles

62
30.

Of unusually long eclipses of the sun

ib.
31.

Many suns

ib.
32.

Many moons

63
33.

Daylight in the night

ib.
34.

Burning shields

ib.
35.

An ominous appearance in the heavens, that was seen once only

ib.
36.

Of stars which move about in various directions

64
37.

Of the stars which are named Castor and Pollux

ib.
38.

Of the air, and on the cause of the showers of stones

65
39.

Of the stated seasons

66
40.

Of the rising of the dog-star

67
41.

Of the regular influence of the different seasons

ib.
42.

Of uncertain states of the weather

69
43.

Of thunder and lightning

ib.
44.

The origin of winds

70
45.

Various observations respecting winds

71
46.

The different kinds of winds

73
47.

The periods of the winds

75
48.

Nature of the winds

77
49.

Ecnephias and Typhon

79
50.

Tornadoes; blasting winds; whirlwinds, and other wonderful kinds of tempests

80
51.

Of thunder; in what countries it does not fall, and for what reason

ib.
52.

Of the different kinds of lightning and their wonderful effects

81
53.

The Etrurian and the Roman observations on these points

82
54.

Of conjuring up thunder

83
55.

General laws of lightning

84
56.

Objects which are never struck

86
57.

Showers of milk, blood, flesh, iron, wool, and baked tiles

87
58.

Rattling of arms and the sound of trumpets heard in the sky

88
59.

Of stones that have fallen from the clouds. The opinion of Anaxagoras respecting them

ib.
60.

The rainbow

89
61.

The nature of hail, snow, hoar, mist, dew; the forms of clouds

90
62.

The peculiarities of the weather in different places

91
63.

Nature of the earth

ib.
64.

Of the form of the earth

94
65.

Whether there be antipodes?

ib.
66.

How the water is connected with the earth. Of the navigation of the sea and the rivers

97
67.

Whether the ocean surrounds the earth

98
68.

What part of the earth is inhabited

100
69.

That the earth is in the middle of the world

102
70.

Of the obliquity of the zones

ib.
71.

Of the inequality of climates

ib.
72.

In what places eclipses are invisible, and why this is the case

104
73.

What regulates the daylight on the earth

105
74.

Remarks on dials, as connected with this subject

106
75.

When and where there are no shadows

107
76.

Where this takes place twice in the year and where the shadows fall in opposite directions

108
77.

Where the days are the longest and where the shortest

ib.
78.

Of the first dial

109
79.

Of the mode in which the days are computed

110
80.

Of the difference of nations as depending on the nature of the world

ib.
81.

Of earthquakes

111
82.

Of clefts of the earth

112
83.

Signs of an approaching earthquake

114
84.

Preservatives against future earthquakes

ib.
85.

Prodigies of the earth which have occurred once only

115
86.

Wonderful circumstances attending earthquakes

116
87.

In what places the sea has receded

ib.
88.

The mode in which islands rise up

117
89.

What islands have been formed, and at what periods

118
90.

Lands which have been separated by the sea

119
91.

Islands which have been united to the main land

ib.
92.

Lands which have been totally changed into seas

ib.
93.

Lands which have been swallowed up

120
94.

Cities which have been absorbed by the sea

ib.
95.

Of vents in the earth

121
96.

Of certain lands which are always shaking, and of floating islands

122
97.

Places in which it never rains

123
98.

The wonders of various countries collected together

ib.
99.

Concerning the cause of the flowing and ebbing of the sea

124
100.

Where the tides rise and fall in an unusual manner

127
101.

Wonders of the sea

128
102.

The power of the moon over the land and the sea

ib.
103.

The power of the sun

129
104.

Why the sea is salt

ib.
105.

Where the sea is the deepest

130
106.

The wonders of fountains and rivers

131
107.

The wonders of fire and water united

138
108.

Of Maltha

138
109.

Of naphtha

139
110.

Places which are always burning

ib.
111.

Wonders of fire alone

141
112.

The dimensions of the earth

143
113.

The harmonical proportion of the universe

147
BOOK III.

AN ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, NATIONS, SEAS, TOWNS, HAVENS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, DISTANCES, AND PEOPLES WHO NOW EXIST OR FORMERLY EXISTED.

 

Introduction

151
1.

The boundaries and gulfs of Europe first set forth in a general way

153
2.

Of Spain generally

ib.
3.

Of Bætica

154
4.

Of Nearer Spain

164
5.

Of the province of Gallia Narbonensis

174
6.

Of Italy

180
7.

Of the ninth region of Italy

184
8.

The seventh region of Italy

186
9.

The first region of Italy; the Tiber; Rome

191
10.

The third region of Italy

207
11.

Sixty-four islands, among which are the Baleares

210
12.

Corsica

213
13.

Sardinia

215
14.

Sicily

216
15.

Magna Græcia, beginning at Locri

222
16.

The second region of Italy

225
17.

The fourth region of Italy

231
18.

The fifth region of Italy

235
19.

The sixth region of Italy

237
20.

The eighth region of Italy; the Padus

241
21.

The eleventh region of Italy; Italia Transpadana

246
22.

The tenth region of Italy

248
23.

Istria, its people and locality

251
24.

The Alps, and the Alpine nations

254
25.

Liburnia and Illyricum

257
26.

Dalmatia

259
27.

The Norici

262
28.

Pannonia

263
29.

Mœsia

264
30.

Islands of the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic

265
BOOK IV.

AN ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, NATIONS, SEAS, TOWNS, HAVENS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, DISTANCES, AND PEOPLES WHO NOW EXIST OR FORMERLY EXISTED.

1.

Epirus

271
2.

Acarnania

273
3.

Ætolia

275
4.

Locris and Phocis

276
5.

The Peloponnesus

278
6.

Achaia

280
7.

Messenia

282
8.

Laconia

283
9.

Argolis

284
10.

Arcadia

285
11.

Attica

288
12.

Bœotia

290
13.

Doris

293
14.

Phthiotis

293
15.

Thessaly Proper

294
16.

Magnesia

296
17.

Macedonia

297
18.

Thrace; the Ægean Sea

302
19.

The islands which lie before the lands already mentioned

310
20.

Crete

313
21.

Eubœa

316
22.

The Cyclades

317
23.

The Sporades

320
24.

The Hellespont.—The lake Mæotis

326
25.

Dacia, Sarmatia

329
26.

Scythia

330
27.

The islands of the Euxine. The islands of the northern ocean

338
28.

Germany

345
29.

Ninety-six islands of the Gallic ocean

349
30.

Britannia

350
31.

Gallia Belgica

353
32.

Gallia Lugdunensis

355
33.

Gallia Aquitanica

357
34.

Nearer Spain, its coast along the Gallic ocean

360
35.

Lusitania

363
36.

The islands in the Atlantic ocean

367
37.

The general measurement of Europe

369
BOOK V.

AN ACCOUNT OF COUNTRIES, NATIONS, SEAS, TOWNS, HAVENS, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS, DISTANCES, AND PEOPLES WHO NOW EXIST OR FORMERLY EXISTED.

1.

The two Mauritanias

374
2.

Numidia

387
3.

Africa

388
4.

The Syrtes

391
5.

Cyrenaica

395
6.

Libya Mareotis

401
7.

The islands in the vicinity of Africa

402
8.

Countries on the other side of Africa

403
9.

Egypt and Thebais

406
10.

The River Nile

410
11.

The cities of Egypt

416
12.

The coasts of Arabia, situate on the Egyptian Sea

422
13.

Syria

423
14.

Idumæa, Palæstina, and Samaria

424
15.

Judæa

427
16.

Decapolis

431
17.

Phœnice

433
18.

Syria Antiochia

436
19.

The remaining parts of Syria

438
20.

The Euphrates

441
21.

Syria upon the Euphrates

443
22.

Cilicia and the adjoining nations

446
23.

Isauria and the Homonades

450
24.

Pisidia

451
25.

Lycaonia

ib.
26.

Pamphylia

452
27.

Mount Taurus

453
28.

Lycia

455
29.

Caria

458
30.

Lydia

465
31.

Ionia

466
32.

Æolis

472
33.

Troas and the adjoining nations

476
34.

The islands which lie in front of Asia

479
35.

Cyprus

480
36.

Rhodes

483
37.

Samos

485
38.

Chios

486
39.

Lesbos

487
40.

The Hellespont and Mysia

488
41.

Phrygia

490
42.

Galatia and the adjoining nations

491
43.

Bithynia

493
44.

The islands of the Propontis

496