Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Austria, Lower" to "Bacon" / Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27478

Title

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Austria, Lower" to "Bacon" / Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 1

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This volume from the Eleventh Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica offers authoritative entries on the history of Lower Austria and the early life of Francis Bacon. Featuring contributions from distinguished scholars, it presents concise, factual overviews of historical events, biographical sketches, and scientific concepts with a tone of academic rigor and encyclopedic precision.

Summary up to 500 words

Volume III of the Eleventh Edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica, spanning entries from 'Austria, Lower' to 'Bacon,' presents a rich tapestry of historical, religious, and scientific knowledge compiled by distinguished scholars. The volume opens with detailed contributor lists, highlighting experts like Algernon Charles Swinburne on literature and Albert Frederick Pollard on English history. A significant portion is dedicated to the ancient Near East, featuring a comprehensive article on Babylonian and Assyrian religion. This text traces the evolution of the pantheon from the pre-Khammurabic age, explaining how the god Marduk absorbed attributes of lesser deities to become the supreme deity of Babylon, while Assur held a similar position in the north. The article details the political interplay between the two powers, noting how Assyrian kings maintained Babylonian religious traditions, even performing the ceremonial 'taking of the hand of Bel.' The volume also includes extensive plates depicting ancient artifacts, such as the Stele of Victory of Naram-sin, reliefs from Nimrud and Nineveh, and the Code of Hammurabi, offering visual context to the textual descriptions. Another major focus is the entry on Roger Bacon, a thirteenth-century friar and systematic thinker. The text corrects popular misconceptions regarding his mechanical discoveries, clarifying that while he described methods for constructing telescopes and burning-glasses, he did not necessarily possess these instruments or invent spectacles. Instead, Bacon is portrayed as a keen, modern thinker ahead of his time, whose work in optics, experimental science, and alchemy laid groundwork for future scientific inquiry. The entry emphasizes his role in distinguishing between argument and experience as methods of knowledge, advocating for the verification of conclusions through direct experiment. The volume concludes with etymological entries, such as the origin of the word 'bacon,' derived from a Teutonic word for the back or buttock of a pig. Through its rigorous scholarship and diverse range of topics, this volume serves as an authoritative resource on the arts, sciences, literature, and general information of its era.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27478.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg27478.epub

Download EPUB

Downloaded at

2026-07-04 06:12 UTC

Categories

• Encyclopedias and dictionaries