AD 60

De materia medica

Dioscorides composes De materia medica

Dioscorides sometimes told his readers how to detect a fraudulent drug preparation — not merely which substance to buy.

Nothing actually happened in the year 50

There is no identifiable event in that single year. The National Library of Medicine dates Dioscorides's composition of the work to approximately 50 to 70 CE, and 50 is only where that window opens.

About 60 is a midpoint, not a documented publication year. The work was assembled over time, and no manuscript of this period has a release date.

827 entries across five books

What Dioscorides produced was a five-book Greek treatise, now conventionally known by its Latin title, dealing with the preparation, properties and testing of drugs.

It covered plants, animal products and minerals. One scholarly reference counts roughly 827 entries — more than 600 plants, 35 animal products and 90 minerals.

A typical entry gave names, origin and physical characteristics, preparation instructions, medicinal uses, possible harmful effects, and sometimes tests for fraudulent preparations.

Almost everything about the author comes from his own preface

Dioscorides said he examined plants directly where he could, questioned people during his travels, and consulted earlier written authorities. In the preface he criticized recent writers for disorder, speculation and insufficient attention to practical experience.

The place of composition is not securely known. He was associated with Anazarbus in Cilicia, and nearly everything else claimed about his life derives from that dedicatory preface and later testimony — including the familiar claim that he was a Roman army physician, which is an inference from his remark that he lived a "soldier-like" life.

Sources

Researched 23 Aug 2026 5 sources not yet audited Date disputed

How this was checked

Researched from the web into a fact sheet and rewritten from that sheet. This article has not yet had an independent model audit. How the pipeline works →

Date disputed. Sources disagree; the research places it at ~0060.

What the sources leave uncertain

The listed year 50 is only the beginning of a commonly cited 50–70 CE composition window; about 60 is a midpoint, not a documented publication year.
The author’s birthplace is reasonably attested, but his movements and place of writing are not securely known.
The familiar claim that Dioscorides served as a Roman army physician is an inference from his statement that he lived a “soldier-like” life, not an established fact.
Counts vary because manuscripts were modified and because ancient drug varieties do not map cleanly onto modern species or substances.