ars et natura: Pliny’s micronarratives reflecting on art in the context of the Naturalis Historia (B01)

• Subject Area: Greek and Latin Philology
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 405662736

The project is concerned with the 'natural history' (Naturalis Historia) of Pliny the Elder. He treats the arts both as an integral part of nature among metals, stones and soils as well as in micronarratives (anecdotes etc.) reflecting on art. The approach of the CRC allows for viewing both aspects in their relatedness to each other: The micronarratives will be explored as figures of reflection that help us recognize the interdependencies between discourses of natural history and aesthetics. This will show that not only the history of knowledge concerning nature is at issue but also the place of the arts in nature as well as that of the Naturalis Historia in the field of literature. The project contributes to the research agenda of the CRC by integrating specialist texts into the aesthetic discourse in an innovative manner.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1391: Different Aesthetics
• Applicant Institution: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
• Project Head: Professorin Dr. Anja Wolkenhauer