Home / Topics / Pliny Quotes

Pliny Quotes

Browse 3 quotes about Pliny.

Pliny Quotes

“As the great Roman naturalist Pliny wrote, the proof of wealth is "to possess something that might absolutely be destroyed in a moment.”

Wealth Rich Possession Destroy Roman Pliny Posses

Book:Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures

Source: Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures

“In one of his later volumes, Earth, book XXXV, Pliny tells the story of a goldsmith who brought an unusual dinner plate to the court of Emperor Tiberius. The plate was a stunner, made from a new metal, very light, shiny, almost as bright as silver. The goldsmith claimed he’d extracted it from plain clay, using a secret technique, the formula known only to himself and the gods. Tiberius, though, was a little concerned. The emperor was one of Rome’s great generals, a warmonger who conquered most of what is now Europe and amassed a fortune of gold and silver along the way. He was also a financial expert who knew the value of his treasure would seriously decline if people suddenly had access to a shiny new metal rarer than gold. “Therefore,” recounts Pliny, “instead of giving the goldsmith the regard expected, he ordered him to be beheaded.” This shiny new metal was aluminum, and that beheading marked its loss to the world for nearly two millennia. It next reappeared during the early 1800s but was still rare enough to be considered the most valuable metal in the world. Napoléon III himself threw a banquet for the king of Siam where the honored guests were given aluminum utensils, while the others had to make do with gold.”

Gold Scarcity Aluminum Relative Value Pliny Abudance Tiberius

Book:Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

Source: Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

“In many ways, turnips are the unsung heroes of the root crop universe. They don't have the ad budget potatoes have, or the glamorous appearance of carrots, but they shouldn't be underestimated. They're high in vitamins and minerals, low in sugar, and taste delicious roasted, caramelized, or mashed with a pound of butter. Pliny the Elder considered the turnip the most important vegetable of his day, because "its utility surpasses that of any other plant's." Say what you want about Pliny the Elder... he was a man who knew his vegetables.”

Root Turnips Vegetable Nutritious Pliny

Book:The Garden of Small Beginnings

Source: The Garden of Small Beginnings