The Elder Pliny on the Human Animal

Pliny the Elder's fascination with the world around him resulted in his death in the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, but his Natural History was to remain influential for centuries after his death. Central to Pliny's thought was the relationship between man and nature, highlighted in his study of the human race in Book 7, where he ponders topics as diverse as monstrous races, sex changes, breech births and near-death experiences. This volume provides the first detailed commentary on this key book, together with a translation and introduction, and highlights its interest and importance as a cultural record of early imperial Rome.

Contents/contributors
- 1. Introduction
- A The author: Pliny's career and its problems
- B The Flavian background
- C The intellectual background
- D The nature of the Natural History
- E HN 7: themes and approaches
- 2. Translation
- 3. Commentary