page_title: Encyclopedia
section_title: Ancient times
hierarchical_section_title: Encyclopedia / History / Ancient times
context_page_description: An encyclopedia or encyclopaedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge either from all branches or from a particular field or discipline.
  Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are often arranged alphabetically by article name and sometimes by thematic categories. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most dictionaries. Generally speaking, unlike dictionary entries—which focus on linguistic information about words, such as their etymology, meaning, pronunciation, use, and grammatical forms—encyclopedia articles focus on factual information concerning the subject named in the article's title.
  Encyclopedias have existed for around 2,000 years and have evolved considerably during that time as regards to language, size, intent, cultural perspective, authorship, readership, and the technologies available for their production and distribution. As a valued source of reliable information compiled by experts, printed versions found a prominent place in libraries, schools and other educational institutions.
context_section_description: One of the earliest encyclopedic works to have survived to modern times is the Naturalis Historiae of Pliny the Elder, a Roman statesman living in the first century AD. He compiled a work of 37 chapters covering natural history, architecture, medicine, geography, geology, and other aspects of the world around him. He stated in the preface that he had compiled 20,000 facts from 2000 works by over 200 authors, and added many others from his own experience. The work was published around AD 77–79, although Pliny probably never finished editing the work before his death in the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.
caption: Naturalis Historiae, 1669 edition, title page
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