In Our Time: History

Pliny's Natural History


Listen Later

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Pliny's Natural History.Some time in the first century AD, the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder published his Naturalis Historia, or Natural History, an enormous reference work which attempted to bring together knowledge on every subject under the sun. The Natural History contains information on zoology, astronomy, geography, minerals and mining and - unusually for a work of this period - a detailed treatise on the history of classical art. It's a fascinating snapshot of the state of human knowledge almost two millennia ago.Pliny's 37-volume magnum opus is one of the most extensive works of classical scholarship to survive in its entirety, and was being consulted by scholars as late as the Renaissance. It had a significant influence on intellectual history, and has provided the template for every subsequent encyclopaedia.With:Serafina CuomoReader in Roman History at Birkbeck, University of LondonAude DoodyLecturer in Classics at University College, DublinLiba TaubReader in the History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge UniversityProducer: Thomas Morris.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

In Our Time: HistoryBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

1,800 ratings


More shows like In Our Time: History

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,401 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,834 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,708 Listeners

History Extra podcast by Immediate Media

History Extra podcast

3,204 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

509 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,791 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,077 Listeners

The Forum by BBC World Service

The Forum

275 Listeners

Witness History by BBC World Service

Witness History

957 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,950 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,041 Listeners

In Our Time: Culture by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Culture

591 Listeners

In Our Time: Science by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Science

707 Listeners

In Our Time: Religion by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Religion

279 Listeners

In Our Time: Philosophy by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: Philosophy

860 Listeners

The History Hour by BBC World Service

The History Hour

588 Listeners

Dan Snow's History Hit by History Hit

Dan Snow's History Hit

4,630 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

811 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,981 Listeners

The Ancients by History Hit

The Ancients

2,941 Listeners

The Rest Is History by Goalhanger

The Rest Is History

12,517 Listeners

Gone Medieval by History Hit

Gone Medieval

1,715 Listeners

Not Just the Tudors by History Hit

Not Just the Tudors

1,937 Listeners

Empire by Goalhanger

Empire

2,009 Listeners