Natural History, Book II
Naturalis Historia II §§ 59–60, 69–71 (Bostock & Riley ch. 12–16)
Pliny describes the planets' first (morning) and second (evening) stations and explains them physically: the Sun's ray strikes the outer planets at 120 degrees (the trine), and Mars, being nearer, already at 90 degrees, forcing them to 'go backward' (retroire). Because this cannot be seen at once, they seem to stand still, 'whence the name station is derived' (II.70). He also gives durations: Mars stays in station six months in some signs and two otherwise, Jupiter and Saturn less than four months.
- Author
- Pliny the Elder
- Date
- c. 77–79 CE
- Original language
- Latin
- Key term
- statio (station: the planet seems to stand still, 'whence the name station is derived' (II.70))
- Kind
- Theory / model
- Planets
- Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
Editions
2 editions.
| Year | Edition | © |
|---|---|---|
| 1855 | The Natural History of Pliny, tr. John Bostock and H. T. Riley, vol. 1, London: Henry G. Bohn, 1855 | PD |
| 1938 | Pliny, Natural History, vol. I (Books I-II), tr. H. Rackham, Loeb Classical Library 330, 1938 | ? |
Read it
One digitised copy.
- Bostock & Riley's 1855 translation, vol. 1 (includes Book II)Project GutenbergPDOpen ↗Archived copy
Copies stay with their holders; every link opens their site. Licence: PD public domain · CC BY · CC BY-SA · © rights reserved · ? not stated.
Myths we don’t repeat
Checked, and left out.
- Myth 01
Not a merely implied retrogradation: Pliny says outright that the planets 'go backward' (retroire, §§ 69–70).
- Myth 02
Not an accepted ancient explanation: the idea that the Sun's rays push the planets back is Pliny's own (or his sources') speculation, and it is wrong.
References
Also on the Greece and Rome shelf
| Date | Source | Planets | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st century BCE (often placed c. 50 BCE) | Introduction to the PhenomenaGeminusMath. astronomy | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Math. astronomy |
| 1st century CE (Greek original); Arabic version c. 800 CE | Carmen AstrologicumDorotheus of SidonAstrological | General | Astrological |
| early 2nd century CE | Expositio rerum mathematicarumTheon of SmyrnaTheory / model | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Theory / model |
| c. 150 CE | Almagest, Book XIIClaudius PtolemyMath. astronomy | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Math. astronomy |
| c. 150–170 CE | TetrabiblosClaudius PtolemyAstrological | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Astrological |
| c. 150–175 CE | AnthologyVettius ValensAstrological | General | Astrological |