Pliny the Younger Biography

In the next section of the course, we will be reading letters both in English and Latin. We are going to focus on one particular author: Pliny the Younger. We will be reading several of Pliny's letters in both Latin and English.

For now, please download and begin reading some of Pliny's Letters. This collection is comprehensive, so you do not need to read it in its entirety. However, it is well worth reading several letters from different sections of the collection. For now, let's learn a bit more about Pliny the Younger.

Pliny the Younger

Gaius Caecilius Secundus was born in 62 CE in northern Italy. His father died while Pliny was very young. Raised by his mother, Pliny was adopted by his maternal uncle, known as Pliny the Elder. As was the custom of Romans, he assumed his uncle's name and is known as Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus: Pliny the Younger.

Pliny received a classical Roman education with its emphasis on rhetoric. Among his teachers was Quintilian, one of the most influential authors of his age. When Pliny was seventeen, his uncle, Pliny the Elder, died while attempting to rescue Pompeians fleeing the eruption of the volcano Mt. Vesuvius. The younger Pliny inherited his uncle's considerable estate. Added to the inheritance from his father, Pliny's wealth was abundant and allowed him to pursue a political career.

In the following years, Pliny set out on his public career following the course of other Romans and climbing the political ladder (cursus honorum). Among other positions, he served as quaestor, tribune of the people, praetor, prefect of the treasury, and, at the age of 38, consul. As a result of his political offices, he became a member of the Roman Senate. During the course of his career, Pliny gained skills as an accountant, a rare talent in ancient Rome. In fulfilling his various political positions, Pliny traveled extensively throughout the empire. His success in the political arena is impressive when one recalls the turmoil of the times and the turnover in the emperorship. A Roman had to have exceptional talent and interpersonal skills to survive the varying personalities of the succession of emperors.

During these years, Pliny put his training in rhetoric to good use. He pleaded a number of cases in the courts, with a focus on cases involving inheritance. He was also active in the trials of several provincial governors who were accused of corruption while carrying out their provincial duties. Pliny's last known political appointment was as the emperor Trajan's personal ambassador in Bithynia-Pontus. While serving in this capacity, Pliny wrote numerous letters to Trajan seeking his advice on problems he was addressing. Pliny's letters and Trajan's responses survive and give us an insight into the governing of a province.

Pliny was married three times. Little is known of his first two wives. We do know more about his third wife, Calpurnia, to whom he was devoted. We learn of this devotion through his letters. Pliny had no children. It is assumed that he died in 115 CE since there are no letters or other evidence of his activities after this date.

Pliny's Description of the Eruption - Correspondence and Location

In this module, we will be focusing on a series of letters written by Pliny. In these two letters (Book VI, Letters 16 and 20), Pliny describes the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE and the actions of his uncle, Pliny the Elder.

Tacitus

Pliny the Younger’s letters about the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius are addressed to his friend, the historian Tacitus. Tacitus (c. 56–c. 120 CE) is best known for his Annals and Histories, which examined the lives of emperors and the history of the Roman Empire in the first century CE. The letters he exchanged with Pliny are one of the main sources of the little we know about his personal life.

The Bay of Naples

The Bay of Naples is located on the west coast of the Italian peninsula. Mt. Vesuvius is clearly visible from most places in the bay, as it is located near the center of the land around the bay. Misenum is located at the northern end of the Bay of Naples and was where the Roman navy was stationed, which is why Pliny the Elder was there as admiral. The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE famously covered the towns of Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae. Stabiae, mentioned in Pliny’s letters, was south of Vesuvius and in the direct path of the ash and cinder from the eruption.

Pompeii and other cities around the Bay (or Gulf) of Naples were affected by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Neapolis = Naples.
The black cloud represents the general distribution of ash and cinder. Modern coastlines are shown. Note the distance from Misenum (where Pliny was stationed) to Pompeii and the other affected cities.

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