Pliny the Elder, the Roman naturalist of the first century CE, wrote the Natural History, an encyclopedia of what his age knew and believed.
On Account of Menes I note that Pliny credits Menes with bringing writing to Egypt.
On Orichalcum I note that Pliny refers to orichalcum as a metal once in high demand that had since become scarce.
Where Was Atlantis lists Pliny among the classical authors who referred to Atlantis, and Popular History of America 1881 says that Strabo and Pliny both mention a mysterious island like Plato's.
On 5 New Archaeological Discoveries of 2024 a Roman villa near the Bay of Naples is suggested as his, and the summary recalls that he died in the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, as his stepson Pliny the Younger recorded.
For every page I tagged with Pliny, see the Pliny tag archive.
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.
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.
Classical authors such as Herodotus, Strabo and Pliny the Elder describe the delta's network of waterways.
Pliny the Elder also describes the Nile and its mouths in Book V of his Natural History, giving a Roman view of the geography of Egypt.
Pliny the Elder, Natural History: 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 .
Three ancient writers described the phoenix, its life cycle and its meaning: Herodotus, Ovid and Pliny the Elder.
Pliny the Elder was a Roman author and natural philosopher.
Pliny writes as a natural historian, yet his account also shows the bird's sacred and religious meaning.
Pliny calls the phoenix a remarkable, unique bird from Arabia.
Pliny notes that only one phoenix lives at any time.
Pliny also describes how the old bird's remains are carried away.
Pliny records the phoenix as natural history.
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.