Vasily Mikhaylovich Severgin as Translator of Pliny the Elder: On the History of the Reception of Ancient Heritage in the Context of Russian Natural History in the 18th Century

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the reception of the ancient heritage in European culture and its importance for the development of Russian natural science in XVIII century. For this purpose the author turns to the well-known Russian scientist and teacher Vasily Mikhajlovich Severgin (1765-1826), who was the author of the first Russian translation in Russian of the encyclopedic "Natural History" (Naturalis Historia) by Roman scientist Pliny the Elder (24-79 A.D.), many years was teaching at the Mining college (modern Saint-Petersburg Mining University, which celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2023) and is the most important Russian scientist in the field of natural history. It is on the study of the importance of Pliny the Elder and the history of his interpretation and translation for the development of European and especially Russian science in the 18th century that the main attention of the author of the article is directed. The article also covers the peculiarities of science and educational institutions in Russia and Europe in the 18th century; the biography of Severgin; the specifics of ancient Greek and ancient Roman science; the concept of "natural history" and the importance of encyclopedia as a scientific genre for the culture and science of the Enlightenment.