Home›Sources›Naturalis Historia (Natural History)SourcesNaturalis Historia (Natural History)Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "Naturalis Historia (Natural History)." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/naturalis-historia-natural-history.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). Naturalis Historia (Natural History). Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/naturalis-historia-natural-historyCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-naturalis-historia-natural-history, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {Naturalis Historia (Natural History)}, year = {2026}, url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/naturalis-historia-natural-history}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXNaturalis Historia is Pliny the Elder's own first-century encyclopedic primary text, completed shortly before his death in 79 CE during the eruption of Vesuvius that killed him, an origin this atlas records honestly rather than assigning a false single publication year to a work with no modern edition of its own. As a primary text it is authoritative for what Pliny himself reported the Romans believed or practiced about a given plant, stone or phenomenon, not for whether his report was itself accurate, since Pliny compiled from earlier sources of very mixed reliability and said so himself in places. Use it to establish what this specific ancient source records; a claim about the accuracy of a specific natural or medical claim in it needs an independent modern check.FactsClaims Backed By This Source (178 claims)Comments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)FactsAssessmentReliability TierWell-attested1Pliny the Elder's first-century primary encyclopedic text, authoritative for what Pliny himself reported the Romans believed or practiced about a given plant or phenomenon, not for whether his own admittedly mixed sources were themselves accurate.NotesWell-attestedCompleted shortly before the author's death in 79 CE. No precise publication year established for the work as a whole; year left unset.CitationAuthorWell-attestedPliny the ElderURLWell-attestedhttps://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0138Source TypeWell-attestedprimary-textClaims Backed By This Source (178 claims)This source backs 178 claims across the atlas. As facts: 110 well-attested. As cited relationships: 4 holds. Plus 64 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.Disposition By TopicGemstones, 55 claims: 30 well-attested, 25 general references.Mythical Creatures, 48 claims: 36 well-attested, 3 holds, 9 general references.Plants, 32 claims: 10 well-attested, 1 holds, 21 general references.Articles, 20 claims: 18 well-attested, 2 general references.Metals, 6 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 general references.Sources, 6 claims: 6 well-attested.Animals & Totems, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 general references.Subcategories, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 2 general references.Categories, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.Historical Figures, 1 claims: 1 general references.Well-attested110Animals & TotemsLizardOwlArticlesA Foot-Long Snake That Became a MonsterA Sacred Herb with Actual Classical AttestationA Serpent Born from Medusa's BloodAchillea, and a Genuine StypticAncient lapidary and modern crystal loreBorage for CourageElectrum, Gold and Silver CombinedHerodotus Reports What He Was ToldSalamanders, the Beings of FireThe Amphisbaena's Long Afterlife as an AmuletThe Bitter Resin of the Incense RoadsThe Cool Fruit of the Flood-LandsThe Kitchen, and the Other LaurelsThe Shriek, the Anaesthetic, and a Plain WarningThe Spice, the Anointing Oil, and a Fabulous BirdWhere the Fire Came FromCategoriesGemstonesGemstonesAmberAmethystBlack ObsidianBloodstoneBlue SapphireClear QuartzCoralDiamondEmeraldGarnetJasperJetLapis LazuliOnyxOpalPeridotRed CoralRed SpinelRubySardiusSeaWater PearlWhite BerylYellow BerylYellow TopazMetalsElectrumMythical CreaturesAmphisbaenaBasiliskCockatriceGriffinManticorePhoenixShowing 1 to 50 of 63 entities carrying this claim. NextHolds4Mythical CreaturesAmphisbaenaPlantsCypressGeneral References64Animals & TotemsLizardOwlArticlesA Serpent Born from Medusa's BloodThe Amphisbaena's Long Afterlife as an AmuletCategoriesGemstonesGemstonesAmberAmethystBlack ObsidianBloodstoneBlue SapphireClear QuartzCoralDiamondEmeraldGarnetJasperJetLapis LazuliMoon StoneOnyxOpalPeridotRed CoralRed SpinelRubySardiusSeaWater PearlWhite BerylYellow BerylYellow TopazHistorical FiguresPliny the ElderMetalsElectrumMythical CreaturesAmphisbaenaBasiliskCockatriceGriffinManticorePhoenixSalamanderPlantsBay LaurelBorageCabbageCedarCinnamonCypressDaturaFrankincenseHazelHollyLavenderShowing 1 to 50 of 61 entities carrying this claim. NextComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year