1 Table of Contents: Lucretius, De Rerum Natura (Book I)
1. Front Matter and Edition Context
This Open Educational Resource (OER) module provides a structural guide to Book I of Titus Lucretius Carus’s De Rerum Natura. The framework of this Table of Contents adheres strictly to the 1923 Berlin edition, T. Lucreti Cari De Rerum Natura Libri Sex, edited by Hermann Diels and published by Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. The capitula (chapter headings) presented here are reconstructed from the rubricated titles preserved in the manuscript tradition, providing students with insight into the Epicurean doctrinal divisions understood by early medieval scribes.
Historical depth is integrated through the inclusion of metadata from the 1515 Aldine edition by Aldus Manutius. In contemporary reflections on the materiality of the text, David Attenborough characterizes his 1515 Aldine copy as one of his “most precious books,” noting the “smell of printers’ ink” and the “elegant italic script typeface” that defined these early portable books.
OER Accessibility & Copyright: In keeping with the mission of Open Educational Resources, this module utilizes public domain materials. The 1515 Aldine edition, as digitized by Simon Fraser University, is marked by no known copyright restrictions in Canada. The 1923 Diels edition is likewise in the public domain, allowing for the unrestricted use, modification, and distribution of this structural metadata by scholars and students alike.
2. Book I: Chapter-by-Chapter Structure
Chapter 1: Prooemium (Hymn to Venus)
- English title: Invocation to Venus and the Plea for Peace
- Line Range: 1–43
Chapter 2: [TO MAKAPION KAI AΦΘAPTON]
- English title: The Nature of the Gods (Interpolation)
- Line Range: 44–49
Chapter 3: [Transitus]
- English title: Address to Memmius and the Matter of the Poem
- Line Range: 50–61
Chapter 4: LAVS INVENTORIS
- English title: Praise of the Inventor (Epicurus)
- Line Range: 62–83
Chapter 5: EXEMPLVM RELIGIONIS
- English title: The Example of Religion (Sacrifice of Iphianassa)
- Line Range: 84–101
Chapter 6: [Sine Titulo]
- English title: The Terrors of the Mind and the Task of the Poet
- Line Range: 102–106
Chapter 7: FINIS DOLORIS
- English title: The End of Suffering
- Line Range: 107–111
Chapter 8: DE ANIMA
- English title: On the Nature of the Soul and Ennius’ Vision
- Line Range: 112–148
Chapter 9: NIHIL DE NIHILO GIGNI
- English title: First Principle: Nothing is Created from Nothing
- Line Range: 149–214
Chapter 10: NIHIL AD NIHILVM INTERIRE
- English title: Second Principle: Nothing is Reduced to Nothing
- Line Range: 215–264
Chapter 11: CORPORA QVAE NON VIDEANTVR
- English title: On Invisible Bodies
- Line Range: 265–276
Chapter 12: DE VENTO
- English title: The Power of the Wind
- Line Range: 277–297
Chapter 13: DE ODORE, CALORE, FRIGORE, VOCE
- English title: On Odor, Heat, Cold, and Voice
- Line Range: 298–304
Chapter 14: VESTES VVESCI ET ARESCI
- English title: Garments Becoming Wet and Dry
- Line Range: 305–310
Chapter 15: DE ANVLO IN DIGITO ET CETERIS
- English title: On the Ring, the Stone, and the Plow
- Line Range: 311–333
Chapter 16: DE INANI
- English title: On the Existence of the Void
- Line Range: 334–369
Chapter 17: DE PISCIBVS IN AQVA
- English title: On Fish in the Water (Refutation of the Plenum)
- Line Range: 370–417
Chapter 18: CORPVS ET INANE ESSE NATVRAM RERVM
- English title: Matter and Void: The Dual Nature of the Universe
- Line Range: 418–429
Chapter 19: TERTIAM NATVRAM NVLLAM ESSE RERVM
- English title: There is No Third Nature Beyond Matter and Void
- Line Range: 430–497
Chapter 20: SOLIDVM ESSE
- English title: On the Solidity of Primary Bodies
- Line Range: 498–550
Chapter 21: CONTRA EIΣ AΠEIPON THN TOMHN
- English title: Against Infinite Divisibility
- Line Range: 551–564
Chapter 22: DE MOLLI NATVRA, AQVA, AERE ET CETERIS
- English title: On Soft Nature: Water, Air, and Earth
- Line Range: 565–634
Chapter 23: CONTRA HERACLITVM
- English title: Refutation of Heraclitus and the Fire-Monists
- Line Range: 635–704
Chapter 24: NEQVE IGNEM NEQVE AERA NEQVE VMOREM PRINCIPIA ESSE
- English title: Refutation of Single-Element and Dual-Element Theories
- Line Range: 705–715
Chapter 25: CONTRA EMPEDOCLEN
- English title: Refutation of Empedocles and the Fourfold Elements
- Line Range: 716–739
3. Bibliography and Apparatus Sources
| Source Type | Description |
| Modern Critical Edition | Diels, Hermann (1923). T. Lucreti Cari De Rerum Natura Libri Sex. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung. Public Domain. |
| Historical Primary Source | Aldine Edition (1515). De rerum natura. Venice: Aldus Manutius. Octavo format, italic script. Digitized by SFU Library. |
| Manuscript Family (O) | Codex Oblongus (Leiden, Vossianus Lat. Fol. 30). 9th-century Carolingian minuscule from the school of Alcuin at Fulda. |
| Manuscript Family (Q) | Codex Quadratus (Leiden, Vossianus Lat. Qu. 94). 9th-century manuscript from the monastery of St. Bertin. |
| Textual Reconstruction | Diels’ reconstruction of the archetypus insularis, a 7th-century Insular script intermediary between the 4th-century prototype and the Carolingian copies. |
