Abstract
The story of the “seven sisters”, the brightest star visible to the naked eye and forming the Pleiades constellation, has always fascinated cultures, more or less close to us, for the mythological stories related to them and for the influence they have had in the construction of temples of the ancient world (to name a few examples, the temple of Asklepios at Epidaurus and that of Bacchus in Athens), oriented according to their rise or their set. As their importance in the Roman world? In this regard, this article will be highlight, through the eighteenth book of Pliny the Elder dedicated to farm work, the ratio siderum of this constellation and its relationship with the light and the sacred, especially in relation to the cereal growing.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
The legend says that, near Enna, Ceres fertilized the land, to bring life to the playfulness of his gifts. Ceres, sister of Jupiter, was venerated as a goddess who had taught men to till the fields and make them lush. Ceres was the Mother Earth who had a lovely daughter named Persephone. The Romans explained the turning of the seasons with the following story: Ceres was the sister of Jupiter, and Proserpine was her daughter. Proserpine was kidnapped by Pluto, god of the underworld, to be his bride. By the time, Ceres followed her daughter, she was gone into the earth. Making matters worse, Ceres learned that Pluto had been given Jupiter’s approval to be the husband of her daughter. Ceres was so angry that she went to live in the world of men, disguised as an old woman, and stopped all the plants and crops from growing, causing a famine. Jupiter and the other gods tried to get her to change her mind but she was adamant. Jupiter eventually realized that he had to get Proserpine back from the underworld, and sent for her. Unfortunately, Pluto secretly gave his food before she left, and once one had eaten in the underworld one could not forever leave. Proserpine was therefore forced to return to the underworld for four months every year. She comes out in spring and spends the time until autumn with Ceres, but has to go back to the underworld in the winter. Her parting from Ceres every fall is why plants lose their leaves, seeds lie dormant under the ground, dormant under the ground, and nothing grows until spring when Proserpine is reunited with her mother.
- 2.
Cattabiani (2010), p. 446; Ovid., Fas., II, 527–529.
- 3.
Cattabiani (2010), p. 447; Festo, 152, L.
- 4.
Virg., Georg., I, 204 ff.
- 5.
Spes ardua, immensa, misceri posse caelestem divinitatem inperitiae rusticae, sed temptanda tam grandi vitae emolumento. Prius tamen sideralis difficultas, quam sensere etiam periti, subicienda contemplationi est, quo deinde laetior mens discedat a caelo et facta sentiat, quae futura praenosci non possint. It is an arduous attempt, and almost beyond all hope of success, to make an endeavour to introduce the divine science of the heavens to the uninformed mind of the rustic; still, however, with a view to such vast practical results as must be derived from this kind of knowledge, I shall make the attempt. There are some astronomical difficulties, however, which have been experienced by the learned even, that ought to be first submitted for consideration, in order that the mind may feel some encouragement on abandoning the study of the heavens, and may be acquainted with facts at least, even though it is still unable to see into futurity [Plin. N.H. XVIII, 56, 206].
- 6.
See Plin. N.H. II, 63, 154.
- 7.
In detail, Pliny means, taking the words of Virgil, that the Pleiades, in the sky of Rome, fade away in the morning. Their sunset, or their disappearance in the heavenly vision, is placed at the beginning of November.
- 8.
“Forty nights and days they are hidden and appear again as the year moves round, when first you sharpen your sickle” (Hes. WD, 383–386).
- 9.
See Plin. N.H. XVIII, 56, 202–203; Virg., Georg., I, 219–221; Colum., II, 8, 4.
- 10.
Crown arose 4–15 of October and it was connected to the rains. See Colum., XI, 2, 73.
- 11.
“The true method to be adopted, however, is not to sow until the leaves begin to fall. Some persons are of opinion that this takes place at the setting of the Vergiliæ, or the third day before the ides of November” (Plin. N.H. XVIII, 60, 225).
- 12.
See Plin. N.H. XVIII, 65, 240–242; Colum., II, 11, 5.
- 13.
An old Italian proverb states: “Giugno lucciolaio festa nel granaio”. In other words, if in June there will be many fireflies, harvest will be plentiful.
- 14.
- 15.
See Ridpath (1994), p. 11.
- 16.
See Mulas-Sanna (2013), p. 22.
- 17.
See Droy (2004), pp. 57–58.
- 18.
See Droy (2004), p. 57.
- 19.
See Gaspani (2009), pp. 32–39.
- 20.
See Gaspani (2008), pp. 32–37; id. 2009, pp. 32–39.
- 21.
Hom. Il. 18, 483–486.
References
Aveni, A.: Possible astronomical orientations in ancient Mesoamerica. In: Aveni, A. (ed.) Archaeoastronom in Pre-Columbian America, pp. 163–190. Texas (1975)
Aveni, A.: Astronomy in ancient Mesoamerica. In: Krupp, E.C. (ed.) Search of Ancient Astronomies, pp. 165–202 (1977)
Aveni, A.: Skywatchers of ancient Mexico. Austin (1980)
Cattabiani, A.: Florario. Miti, leggende e simboli di fiori e piante. Milano (2010)
Coe, M.: Native astronomy in Mesoamerica. In: Aveni, A. (ed.) Archaeoastronom in Pre-Columbian America, pp. 3–31. Texas (1975)
Droy, V.: La prima mappa stellare europea. Una misteriosa meccanica celeste incifrata nel disco di Nebra, in Archeomisteri 17, pp. 50–58 (2004)
Esiodo—Le opere e i giorni, Milano (1979)
Gaspani, A.: Il Disco di Nebra a 10 anni dalla scoperta, in Coelum XII, nr. 121, pp. 32–37 (2008)
Gaspani, A.: Il disco di Nebra, in I Sentieri dei Celti, Anno III, nr. 5, pp. 32–39 (2009)
Mulas, A., Sanna, M.: In terra come in cielo. I nuraghi e le Pleiadi, Condaghes (2013)
Plinio il Vecchio—Naturalis Historia, libro II, Torino (2010)
Plinio il Vecchio—Naturalis Historia, libro XVIII, Torino (2010)
Ridpath, I.: Mitologia delle costellazioni, Padova (1994)
Virgilio—Georgiche, Milano (2007)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Bonacci, L. (2017). Ratio Siderum in Pliny the Elder: Pleiades, Light and Wheat. In: Orlando, A. (eds) The Light, The Stones and The Sacred. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, vol 48. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54487-8_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54487-8_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-54486-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-54487-8
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)