A treatise on winds — their origins, directions, seasonal patterns, and effects. Theophrastus examines the meteorological causes of different winds and their practical significance for agriculture, navigation, and daily life.
Start ReadingThe origins and general nature of winds. Theophrastus examines what causes winds to blow and their fundamental physical properties.
The compass directions of named winds and the traditional Greek wind-rose — Boreas, Notus, Zephyrus, Eurus, and their subdivisions.
Seasonal wind patterns. Theophrastus examines why different winds prevail at different times of year, including the etesian winds of summer.
Local and regional winds. Theophrastus describes winds specific to particular geographies — mountain winds, sea breezes, and valley drafts.
The relationship between winds and weather. Theophrastus examines how different winds bring rain, drought, heat, or cold.
Wind strength and violence. Theophrastus examines what causes storms, gales, and hurricanes, and why some winds are naturally more violent than others.
The effects of winds on agriculture and navigation — which winds favour crops, which damage them, and how sailors read the wind.
The effects of winds on health and the human body. Theophrastus examines how exposure to different winds affects bodily temperament.
The behaviour of winds in confined spaces — tunnels, valleys, narrow straits — and how terrain shapes airflow.
Concluding observations on the regularity and predictability of wind patterns, and their significance for natural philosophy.