Intermediate Latin: The Marvelous World of Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder wrote an encyclopedic account of nature in the 1st century CE. Through this text, the Naturalis Historia, we may glimpse the wondrous and strange animals, plants, and minerals that populated the early Roman imperial world and how Pliny imagined they pertained to Roman imperial subjects. In this course, we will read widely throughout the Naturalis Historia. Our primarily objective will be to read diverse excerpts of Pliny's text in its original Latin. We will also consider what relationship exists between the Naturalis Historia and Roman imperialism, how Pliny composed his text, and why this early example of the history of science remains important for understanding the ancient world today.