A Guide to the Geography of Pliny the Elder

The first thorough English commentary on the geographical books of the Natural History of Pliny the Elder.

Duane W. Roller (Edited by)

9781108481809, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 28 July 2022

500 pages
23.4 x 15.8 x 3.2 cm, 0.84 kg

'… an outstanding addition to Roller's distinguished body of work … Highly recommended.' S. M. Burstein, Choice

This is the first thorough English commentary on the geographical books of Pliny the Elder, written in the AD 70s. Pliny's account is the longest in Latin, and represents the geographical knowledge of that era, when the Roman Empire was the dominant force in the Mediterranean world. The work serves both cultural and ideological functions: much of it is topographical, but it also demonstrates the political need to express a geographical basis for the importance of the Roman state. In five books, Pliny covers the entire world as it was known in his era and includes some of the first information on the extremities of the inhabited region, including Scandinavia and the Baltic, eastern Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. The commentary provides a detailed analysis of all the points Pliny raises: his sources, toponyms, and understanding of the place of the earth in the cosmos.

Part I. Pliny's List of Sources
Part II. Cosmology
Part III. Southern Europe
Part IV. The Greek Peninsula and Interior Europe
Part V. Africa and Western Asia
Part VI. The Remainder of Asia.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]