Pline l’Ancien a-t-il cru à ses mythes ?

Abstract

Book VII of Pliny the Elder’ s Natural History, devoted to man, ends on a curious catalogue of inventors and inventions. It is on the treatment of myth in that inventory that we intend to ponder. After presenting this passage, we further examine the cultural tradition which Pliny belongs to : he takes up as his own the question of the origins and of the protos euretes in particular. We then query the identity of the inventors – is it mythical or real ? –, the nature of the inventions and the sources -are they defined or not ? We show how Pliny proceeds to a rationalisation and a romanisation of the issue, passing from the protos euretes to the primus romanus. We are then led on to tackle Pliny’ s relationship to information – in particular through the instance of the legendary beasts – and, to a larger extent, the relationship of the historian to myth.

Keywords

• Pliny the Elder
• myth
• encyclopedia
• inventions
• inventors
• paradoxography