Sources
On Stones (Peri Lithon)
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On Stones (Peri Lithon), Theophrastus' fourth century BC Greek treatise, is the earliest surviving systematic ancient work on minerals and a key witness to ancient gem nomenclature. Its strength is that it is the primary ancient text itself. Its limit is that no single publication year applies to a work transmitted from antiquity, which this record states plainly rather than leaving silent, and a claim about its content should be checked against a modern critical edition or translation for textual reliability.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Theophrastus' On Stones (Peri Lithon), a fourth century BC Greek treatise, the top tier reflecting that it is the earliest surviving systematic ancient work on minerals and a key witness to ancient gem nomenclature. Its limit is the ordinary one for a work transmitted from antiquity: no single publication year applies, and a claim about its content should be checked against a modern critical edition or translation for textual reliability. NotesPublicationYear left NULL: a fourth-century BC Greek text with no meaningful single publication date. The earliest surviving systematic treatise on minerals, and a key witness for ancient gem nomenclature.
Citation
AuthorTheophrastus
Source Typeprimary-text
Claims Backed By This Source (10 claims)
This source backs 10 claims across the atlas. As facts: 7 well-attested. Plus 3 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Sources, 5 claims: 5 well-attested.
- Gemstones, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Categories, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
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