author
the Elder Pliny
23–79
A restless Roman scholar, officer, and administrator, he is best remembered for turning an enormous range of ancient knowledge into one ambitious work. His Natural History tried to capture the whole world in words—and remained influential for centuries.
7 Audiobooks
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 5 (of 6)
by the Elder Pliny
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 1 (of 6)
by the Elder Pliny
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 6 (of 6)
by the Elder Pliny
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 3 (of 6)
by the Elder Pliny
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 2 (of 6)
by the Elder Pliny
The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 4 (of 6)
by the Elder Pliny
About the author
Born as Gaius Plinius Secundus in northern Italy, Pliny the Elder served the Roman Empire in both military and administrative posts. Alongside public service, he devoted his spare time to study, note-taking, and writing, building a reputation as one of antiquity’s great compilers of knowledge.
His most famous work, the Natural History (Naturalis Historia), spans 37 books and gathers material on subjects including astronomy, geography, animals, plants, medicine, metals, and art. Rather than a narrow specialist, he comes across as an energetic observer with a huge appetite for facts, stories, and curiosities from across the known world.
Pliny died in 79 CE during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, after going toward the disaster area near the Bay of Naples. That dramatic end helped fix his legend, but his lasting importance comes from the scale of his curiosity and from creating one of the ancient world’s most remarkable encyclopedic works.