-Pliny's History

A forerunner of modern encyclopedias, Natural History is a compilation of classical knowledge including geography, sciences, and the arts. It is distinguished by the content that has survived to modernity, as most classical writings have either been lost or remain only in fragments. Pliny created this work by reading and excerpting all of the written sources that he could access, preserving otherwise lost works and recording imaginary places. This includes the Basilisk Country, a barren area in Africa inhabited by large venomous serpents with deadly gazes, and Hyperborea, an idyllic land in the unspecified north of Europe. The description of Hyperborea as having the sun rise and set only once per year indicates that it was located in the Arctic circle, where the sun shines throughout the day during the summer.