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Pliny the Elder's History Pliny the Elder’s History: Recording the past in the Naturalis Historia by Arnoldus van Roessel B.A, The University of Victoria, 2016 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies © Arnoldus van Roessel, 2018 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee Pliny the Elder’s History: Recording the past in the Naturalis Historia by Arnoldus van Roessel B.A, The University of Victoria, 2016 Supervisory Committee Dr. Gregory D. Rowe, (Department of Greek and Roman Studies) Supervisor Dr. Cedric A. Littlewood, (Department of Greek and Roman Studies) Department Member iii Abstract Pliny’s Naturalis Historia is remarkable for its references to its sources throughout the text. There is little space between citations in the text, and Pliny provides much information in indirect statements. As a result, scholarship previously treated the work as a compilation. Pliny appeared to echo his sources, and so he provided a treasury of literary fragments which scholars attempted to extract. More recent scholarship has observed that Pliny’s use of the auctores is more involved than mere repetition. He criticizes, questions, compares, contrasts, and denies their statements. Similarly, recent scholarship, notably Doody, has demonstrated that identifying the Naturalis Historia as an encyclopedia is anachronistic, but both Doody and Naas make only passing remarks about the text being a historia. I argue in this thesis that the Naturalis Historia is a Roman historia and that Pliny’s references to his sources function within this historical project. Pliny’s moral exempla, attempts to perpetuate mos maiorum, and self-professed obligation to the past all reflect the Roman historiographic project of his work. According to this perspective, the Naturalis Historia re-envisions Roman history intellectually. Thereby, Pliny’s work tries to preserve and disseminate knowledge, encourage intellectual pursuits, and hopes for their persistence in posterity. iv Table of Contents Supervisory Committee.................................................................................................................. ii Abstract.......................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents........................................................................................................................... iv Note on Editions and Translations.................................................................................................. v Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... vi Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: That Dirty Word, “Encyclopedia”................................................................................. 7 Cato’s libri ad filium........................................................................................................... 7 Varro’s Disciplinarum libri.............................................................................................. 10 Celsus’ Artes..................................................................................................................... 12 The Roman “encyclopedia” and enkuklios paideia.......................................................... 13 The Naturalis Historia and enkuklios paideia.................................................................. 16 Chapter 2: Imperialistic Geography and Ethnography................................................................. 26 Geography, the Periplus, and the Hours in a Day............................................................ 26 Ethnography...................................................................................................................... 35 An Imperial Catalog.......................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 3: A Useful Text.............................................................................................................. 47 The Roman Reference....................................................................................................... 47 Reading Sequentially vs. Selectively................................................................................ 52 Chapter 4: Naturalis Historia as Historia..................................................................................... 58 Attacks on Luxuria............................................................................................................ 58 Defining Historia.............................................................................................................. 63 What is in a title? Pliny’s Historia.................................................................................... 66 Intellectual History............................................................................................................ 74 The Difference between a Quaestio and a Historia...........................................................80 Chapter 5: The Obligation to Ancestry and Posterity................................................................... 84 Pliny and his Sources........................................................................................................ 84 Pliny’s Language of Reference......................................................................................... 90 For Those to Come............................................................................................................ 99 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................. 107 Bibliography................................................................................................................................109 v Note on Abbreviations, Editions, and Translations All abbreviations follow the Oxford Classical Dictionary. All Latin and Greek translations in this thesis are my own. When quoting Latin and Greek texts, I have used the following editions unless otherwise noted: Anderson, J. Cornelii Taciti Opera Minora. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1900. Fisher, C. Cornelii Taciti Annalium. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1906. Mayhoff, C., ed. C. Plini Secundi Naturalis historiae libri XXXVII, 2 vols. Stuttgart: B.G. Teubner, 1967. Ogilvie, R., C., R. Conway, C. Walters, S. Johnson, A. McDonald, P. Walsh, and J. Briscoe. Titi Livi Ab Urbe Condita, 6 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1919-2016. Rackham, H., W.H.S. Jones and D.E. Eicholz, eds. Pliny: Natural History. With an English Translation, 10 vols. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1938-62. Reynolds, L.D. C. Sallusti Crispi. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. ———. Seneca Epistulae: Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1965. Niese, B. Flavii Iosephi Opera, 7 vols. Berlin: Weidmann, 1887-1895. vi Acknowledgments I wish to acknowledge my supervisor Dr. Gregory Rowe who has guided and supported me during the entire time of this project and my university career. His enthusiasm for and criticisms of my work have been invaluable. I thank Dr. Cedric Littlewood who supervised my undergraduate honors thesis, helped me immensely to develop my Latin reading skills over the last few years, and encouraged my work on Pliny. I owe much to their mentorships. Furthermore, I wish to extend thanks to the entire faculty of the department of Greek and Roman Studies. Dr. Bowman, Dr. Holmberg, Dr. Burke, Dr. Nugent, Dr. Sinner, Dr. Romney, and Dr. Kron have all regularly shown enthusiasm and provided recommendations for my work. I must also thank my peer graduate students. Lee, Neil, Alyssa, Sandra, Devon, and David have continuously tolerated my rants about Pliny. Such a supportive environment countered any self- doubts about my work. I must thank the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Social Studies and Humanities Research Council who provided me with funding to complete this degree. I extend warm thanks to my parents, Harry and Gerry van Roessel, for their continuous love and support in my education, as well as for enduring my childhood. My friends, Stephen, Keith, Allan, and Todd, have helped me maintain my sense of humor. Although my work significantly reduced our time together on Discord and caused Mel to disappear from our campaign, I savored every moment I chatted with them. Lastly, I extend the greatest loving thanks to my fiancée, Paige Peterson, who has given me endless encouragement, shown extreme patience in my many hours stolen in work, and prevented me from losing myself in my research. She has been the crucial pillar of my mental health this past year and I owe her more than words can express. 1 Introduction “sed prodenda quia sunt prodita” “But they must be given forth since they have been given forth.” - Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia 2.85 In 77 CE Pliny sent his Naturalis Historia to Titus. It was a catalog of the natural world, listing its lands, animals, plants, stones, and their medicinal properties. It was, at least Pliny claims, the first work with such a comprehensive approach.1 It is unique among
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