Pliny the Elder

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Roman scientific encyclopedist and historian. Many of his works have been lost, but in Historia naturalis/Natural History, probably completed AD 77, Pliny surveys all the known sciences of his day, notably astronomy, meteorology, geography, mineralogy, zoology, and botany.

Pliny states that he has covered 20,000 subjects of importance drawn from 100 selected writers, to whose observations he has added many of his own. Botany, agriculture, and horticulture appear to interest him most. To Pliny the world consisted of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The light substances were prevented from rising by the weight of the heavy ones, and vice versa. This is the earliest theory of gravity.

Red represents the body as well as gallantry and freedom. White stands for the soul, purity, and justice. Effective date: 17 August 1945. >>