Pliny names the lake Asphaltites for its bitumen and places Essenes on the west shore (Natural History 5.71–73).
Pliny’s naming is about the asphalt product.
Pliny’s west-shore Essenes are another thin bridge to that setting.
Genesis’ slime pits, Josephus’ asphalt lake, Pliny’s Asphaltites, and Strabo’s pitch all point at the same physical strangeness Suddi names when he speaks of tar, resin, or pitch toward the south.
Older texts (Genesis, Josephus, Pliny, Strabo) also tie this shore to slime pits, bitumen, and Sodom’s destruction.
Pliny also places Essenes on the west shore of the asphalt lake.
For example, Pliny the Elder in "Natural History" says: "In Cyprus, where copper was first discovered, it is also procured from another stone which is called chalcus.
The word translates to "mountain copper," supporting Pliny's idea of exhaustion if it was a regional alloy naturally occurring.
BC: ; Pliny
In Natural History (Book IX), Pliny mentions aquatic humanoids, which some interpret as early references to mermaids.
Pliny mentions "nereids" (sea nymphs) with human-like appearances, but he emphasizes that their bodies are partially fish-like.
Sea-Nymph Sightings: Pliny recounts stories from sailors and locals who claimed to have seen nereids.
Captured Specimens: He notes that in some instances, humanoid sea creatures were allegedly caught and displayed, though Pliny expresses skepticism about the authenticity of such reports.
Mythical Context: Pliny blends mythology with supposed eyewitness accounts, making it difficult to separate myth from what people of his time believed were real creatures.
Pliny's writings often reflect a combination of curiosity and skepticism.
Apparently, they failed to notice that many authors of classical literature, such as Proclus, Diodorus, Plutarch, Posidonius, Strabo, and Pliny, all made references to Atlantis.
Archaeologists have uncovered an ancient Roman villa near the Bay of Naples, Italy, which some speculate might belong to Pliny the Elder.
Pliny, a Roman philosopher, naval commander, and naturalist, perished during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
Pliny’s stepson, Pliny the Younger, provided a detailed account of his adoptive father's death while attempting to rescue friends from the volcanic eruption.
The villa's location aligns with descriptions in these letters, but it remains uncertain if it belonged to Pliny the Elder.
Plato, four hundred years before our Saviour’s time, gives a particular account of the great island of Atlantis, "an island that was larger than Libya (Africa) and Asia." Strabo and Pliny both mention a like mysterious island.
355.) Pliny says, "Letters were always in use." Strabo says, "The inhabitants of Spain possessed records written before the Deluge." (Jackson's "Chronicles of Antiquity," vol.
Pliny the Elder, a Roman author from the 1st century CE, also comments on the decay of Babylon in his Natural History.
Pliny’s account emphasizes the contrast between Babylon’s former glory and its desolation.
1Stjurar, from this is derived the word Sturii in Pliny.
The Romans gave it to the inhabitants of the banks of the Waal, which river bears the name Patabus in the “Tabula Pentingeriana.” The name Batavi does not appear earlier than Tacitus and Pliny, and is interpolated in Cæsar’s “Bello Gallico,” iv.
Pliny the Elder, in his work Natural History, refers to orichalcum, describing it as a metal that was once in high demand but had since become scarce.
David Gilman Romano and the team noted ancient literary rumors of human sacrifice in Plato, Pausanias, and Pliny.
These texts and sources include works by classical authors such as Herodotus, Strabo, and Pliny the Elder, who provide descriptions of the Nile Delta's extensive network of waterways.
Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History (Book V), also mentioned the Nile's distributaries, providing a Roman perspective on the geography of Egypt:
Pliny's work is an encyclopedic compilation of knowledge from his time, and his references to the Nile Delta underline the classical understanding of the region's geography.
Pliny the Elder's Natural History: Available at LacusCurtius
The only commentaries the early western world had about the existence of the Essenes came from classical writers such as Josephus, Philo, and Pliny the Elder.
They are known primarily through ancient writers: Philo of Alexandria, Josephus, and Pliny the Elder for the Essenes, and almost exclusively Philo for the Therapeutae.
In his "Natural History," written in the 1st century CE, Pliny the Elder briefly mentions Menes in the context of notable ancient kings:
Pliny attributes to Menes the introduction of writing in Egypt.
Pliny the Elder recounted that cinnamon was transported around the Arabian peninsula on rudderless, oarless rafts using the winter trade winds .
Despite Pliny's skepticism, this myth persisted in Byzantium until 1310 .
Pliny reported that a Roman pound (327 grams or 11.5 ounces) of cassia and cinnamon (serichatum) could cost up to 1,500 denarii, the equivalent of fifty months' wages .
Herodotus, Ovid, and Pliny the Elder wrote about the phoenix, describing its life cycle and symbolic meanings.
Herodotus, Ovid, and Pliny the Elder are three prominent ancient writers who described the phoenix and its life cycle.
Pliny the Elder, a Roman author and natural philosopher, wrote about the phoenix in his Natural History (Book X, Chapter 2).
Pliny’s description draws from earlier accounts but adds his own observations and interpretations.
Pliny also mentions that the young phoenix embalms its predecessor in an egg made of myrrh and flies with it to Heliopolis, where it places the egg on the altar of the sun god.
Pliny's account, while incorporating elements of natural history, also underscores the mystical and religious significance of the phoenix.
Pliny the Elder describes the phoenix as a remarkable and unique bird native to Arabia.
According to Pliny, the phoenix is celebrated for its extraordinary life cycle, which spans several centuries—typically believed to be 500 years.
Pliny notes that only one phoenix exists at any given time.
Pliny also mentions a particular aspect of the phoenix's life cycle involving the transportation of the remains of the old bird.
Pliny’s account is not only a natural history observation but also a reflection on the mythical and symbolic significance of the phoenix.
One of these occasions, according to Pliny, was during the consulship of Manius Acilius and Gaius Porcius.