The theological and eschatological dialogue De sera numinis vindicta (“On the Slowness of the Divinity to Punish”) by Plutarch of Chaeronea (first–second century CE) contains precise references to scientific and technical notions of his time, primarily within analogies and symbolic images. Assuming that understanding these symbolic elements requires an examination of the terminology and concepts that inspired them across scientific and broader cultural contexts, this article analyses one passage to gain insights into early imperial zoology, ink usage, colour classification, and metallurgical terminology. After introducing selected medical, zoological, and metallurgical references within the dialogue, the article focuses on a symbolic sentence describing “ill-will” and “envy” as a “rusty” (or “poisonous” or “violet-like,” ἰώδης) and “suppurated” (or “hidden” or “treacherous,” ὕπουλος) fluid emitted by envious souls, compared to the manner in which “cuttlefish” (σηπίαι) emit their ink. While clarifying the meaning and chromatic implications of this image, the article explores zoological knowledge of cuttlefish, ancient sources on cephalopod ink usage, and documented associations of these inks with the colours and corrosions of bronze and iron. Personal observations of the natural colours of three cephalopod inks are also presented alongside those of corroded copper and iron powders.

中文翻译：

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生锈、化脓和像 Sēpía 墨水一样排出：普鲁塔克的 De Sera num. 26， 565b–d 中的科学知识、动物知识和颜色分类


Chaeronea 的普鲁塔克（Plutarch of Chaeronea，公元 1 至 2 世纪）的神学和末世论对话 De sera numinis vindicta（《论神性的缓慢惩罚》）包含对他那个时代的科学和技术概念的精确引用，主要是在类比和象征性图像中。假设理解这些象征元素需要在科学和更广泛的文化背景下研究激发它们的术语和概念，本文分析了一段话，以深入了解早期帝国动物学、墨水使用、颜色分类和冶金术语。在介绍了对话中选定的医学、动物学和冶金学参考资料之后，文章重点介绍了一个象征性的句子，将“恶意”和“嫉妒”描述为“生锈的”（或“有毒的”或“紫罗兰状”，ἰώδης）和“化脓的”（或“隐藏的”或“背叛的”，ὕπουλος）的液体，与“墨鱼”（σηπίαι）喷出墨水的方式相比。在阐明这张图像的含义和色彩含义的同时，文章探讨了墨鱼的动物学知识、头足类墨水使用的古代来源，以及这些墨水与青铜和铁的颜色和腐蚀的关联记录。此外，还介绍了对三种头足类墨水自然颜色的个人观察，以及腐蚀的铜粉和铁粉的观察。