Source edition
Aristotle. Aristotelis Opera, Volume 6. Bekker, Immanuel, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1837.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a doxographical and paradoxographical compilation that comprehensively collects "marvellous things" reported from various parts of the known world, encompassing strange behaviors of flora and fauna, peculiar natural phenomena, and mythohistorical anecdotes. Composed of 178 short, disjointed chapters, it lacks a central narrative or characters, presenting instead a sequence of received reports and hearsay. The geographic scope of these marvels extends from the Greek mainland to Italy, Sicily, Asia Minor, and as far as India and the Celtic lands. The earlier sections focus on the bizarre physiological traits and survival tactics of animals, as well as anomalies related to fire and geothermal activity. The middle part transitions to geological wonders, such as growing metals, self-purifying or oath-testing springs, and local myths connected to heroes like Heracles. In the latter half, the text details the unusual customs of various tribes, the supernatural properties of specific stones and rivers that can induce madness or heal, and lethal venoms. Rather than drawing systematic scientific conclusions, the work serves as a record of the endless variety and inexplicable order of the natural world.
Contents
178 chunks
Cited by chapter.section
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- §151.1-151.3
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