Pliny the Elder on Science and Technology

This Is The First Major Re-assessment Of Pliny The Scientist Since Bailey's Publication In The Late 1920s. Modern Experiments, Simulating The Techniques Described By Pliny, And An In-depth Study Of His Development Of A Technical Language, Confirm His Unique Contribution To Our Knowledge Of Science In Early Imperial Rome. Pliny Does Not, In General, Understand The Principles Underlying The Phenomena He Observes But Makes A Significant Input - Especially In The Fields Of Crystallography, Chemistry, And Physics As Well As Of The Earth Sciences - From Which Beginnings Those Scientific Disciplines Were To Evolve Many Centuries Later.--jacket. Pliny's Life And Career -- Pliny The Writer -- The 'natural History' --pliny's Sources -- 'mirabilia' -- Pliny And Research -- Language And Style -- Science In Antiquity -- The 'natural History' And Technical Literature -- Science In The 'natural History' -- Chemistry - Appendix A: Niello -- Appendix B: Dyes And Dyeing - Physics - Appendix: From Observer To Horizon - Earth Sciences - Minerals -- Appendix A: Amber -- Appendix B: Hydrocarbons -- Appendix C: Meteorites -- Minerals As Pigments -- Gems And Precious Stones -- Metals -- Technology -- Pliny And The Environment -- The 'natural History' In The Middle Ages And After. John F. Healy. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes.