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What information does Book I of Pliny the Elder’s Natural History provide?
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Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder.
Book I of the Natural History serves as a comprehensive summary of the entire 37-volume work.12
Within this book, Pliny the Elder provides a detailed list of the authors he consulted to compile his research. Additionally, he often includes the titles of the specific books from which he derived his material, many of which have since been lost to history. This practice of citing sources was a novel feature of his work, as he drew upon more than 100 different authorities to assemble his encyclopaedic treatise.12