Everything about Pliny The Younger totally explained
Gaius or
Caius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born
Gaius or
Caius Plinius Caecilius (
61/
63 - ca.
113), better known as
Pliny the Younger, was a
lawyer, a remarkable
writer, an
author, and
natural philosopher of
Ancient Rome. Pliny's uncle,
Pliny the Elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to the eruption of
Vesuvius on August 24th, 79 AD.== Background ==
Born in
Como,
northern Italy, the son either of a Lucius Caecilius or a landowner named Gaius Caecilius (born in Como ca.
30 AD, son of Gaius Caecilius, born in Como ca.
1 AD) and his wife Plinia Marcella (born in
Verona), Pliny the Younger was also a maternal nephew of Pliny the Elder. It seems, however, since Gaius Caecilius was the name of his mother's grandfather, that his father was Lucius Caecilius, perhaps the Lucius Caecilius born ca.
15 BC who was a great-grandson of Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio. He revered his uncle, Pliny the Elder, and provides pencil sketches of how his uncle worked on the
Naturalis Historia.
Pliny's father died at an early age when his son was still young; as a result, Pliny probably lived with his mother. His guardian and preceptor in charge of his education is known to have been
Lucius Verginius Rufus, famed for quelling a revolt against
Nero. After being first tutored at home, Pliny later travelled to
Rome where he furthered his education and was taught
rhetoric by the great teacher and author
Quintilian and
Nicetes Sacerdos of Smyrna. It was at this time that Pliny became closer to his uncle Pliny the Elder, and when the elder Pliny died during the
Vesuvian eruption, the terms of the will passed the estate to the younger Pliny. In the same document he was
adopted by his uncle, changing his name from
Gaius Plinius Caecilius to
Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, a common practice in Roman culture.
Pliny was considered an honest and moderate man and rose through a series of Imperial civil and military offices, the
cursus honorum (see below). He was a friend of the historian
Tacitus and employed the biographer
Suetonius in his staff. Pliny also came into contact with many other well-known men of the period, including the philosophers
Artemidorus and
Euphrates during his time in
Syria.
He married three times, firstly when he was very young, about eighteen, to a stepdaughter of Veccius Proculus, of whom he became a widower at age 37, secondly to the daughter of Pompeia Celerina, at an unknown date and thirdly to Calpurnia, daughter of Calpurnius and granddaughter of Calpurnus Fabatus of
Comum. Letters survive in which Pliny records this latter marriage taking place, as well as his attachment to Calpurnia and his sadness when they were unable to have children.
Pliny is thought to have died suddenly during his appointment in
Bithynia-Pontus, around
112 AD, since no events referred to in his letters date later than that.
Career
Pliny's career began at the age of eighteen and followed a normal route through the
cursus honorum (see
Career summary below).
Pliny was active in the Roman legal system, especially in the sphere of the Roman
centumviral court, which dealt with inheritance cases. Later, he was well-known for prosecuting (and defending) at the trials of a series of provincial governors, including
Baebius Massa, governor of
Baetica,
Marius Priscus, the governor of
Africa,
Gaius Caecilius Classicus, governor of
Baetica and most ironically in light of his later appointment to this province,
Gaius Julius Bassus and
Varenus Rufus, both governors of
Bithynia-Pontus.
Pliny's career is commonly considered as a summary of the main Roman public charges and is the best-documented example from this period, offering proof for many aspects of imperial culture. Effectively, Pliny crossed all the principal fields of the organization of the early Roman Empire. It is no mean achievement for a man to have not only survived the reigns of several disparate emperors, especially the much-detested
Domitian, but also to have risen in rank throughout.
Career summary
Writings
As a literateur, Pliny started writing at the age of fourteen, penning a
tragedy in
Greek. In the course of his life he wrote a quantity of
poetry, most of which was lost despite the great affection he'd for it. Also known as a notable
orator, he professed himself a follower of
Cicero, but his prose was certainly more magniloquent and less direct than
Cicero's. The only oration that now survives is the
Panegyricus Trajani. This was pronounced in the
Senate in
100 and is a description of
Trajan's figure and actions in an adulatory and emphatic form, especially contrasting him with the Emperor
Domitian. It is, however, a relevant document that allows us to know many details about the Emperor's actions in several fields of his administrative power such as taxes, justice, military discipline, and commerce. Pliny defined it as an
essay about the
optimus princeps (the perfect ruler).
Epistulae
However, the largest body of Pliny's work which survives is his
Letters (
Epistulae), a series of personal missives directed to his friends and associates. These letters are a unique testimony of
Roman administrative history and everyday life in the
1st century. The style is very different from that in the
Panegyricus and some commentators affirm that Pliny was the initiator of a new particular genre: the letter written for publication. This genre offers a different type of record than the more usual
history; one which dispenses with objectivity but is no less valuable for it. Especially noteworthy among the letters are two in which he describes the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in August of AD 79 during which his uncle Pliny the Elder died (6.16; 6.20), and one in which he asks the Emperor for instructions regarding official policy concerning
Christians (10.96). Pliny's attention to detail in the letters about Vesuvius is so keen that
vulcanologists today describe that type of eruption as a
Plinian. In his letter he relates the first warning of the eruption:
On the 24th of August, about one in the afternoon, my mother
desired him to observe a cloud which appeared of a very unusual
size and shape. He had just taken a turn in the sun and, after
bathing himself in cold water, and making a light luncheon, gone
back to his books: he immediately arose and went out upon a rising
ground from whence he might get a better sight of this very
uncommon appearance. A cloud, from which mountain was
uncertain, at this distance (but it was found afterwards to come
from Mount Vesuvius), was ascending, the appearance of which I
cannot give you a more exact description of than by likening it to
that of a pine tree, for it shot up to a great height in the form of a
very tall trunk, which spread itself out at the top into a sort of
branches; occasioned, I imagine, either by a sudden gust of air that
impelled it, the force of which decreased as it advanced upwards,
or the cloud itself being pressed back again by its own weight,
expanded in the manner I've mentioned; it appeared sometimes
bright and sometimes dark and spotted, according as it was either
more or less impregnated with earth and cinders. This
phenomenon seemed to a man of such learning and research as my
uncle extraordinary and worth further looking into.
The letters about Vesuvius were written to the historian Tacitus, a long-time friend of Pliny's. Other major literary figures of the late first century A. D. appear in the collection as friends of Pliny's, e. g., the poet Martial and the biographer Suetonius. But the most famous literary figure to appear in his letters is his uncle, Pliny the Elder. His nephew provides details of how his uncle worked tirelessly to finish his magnum opus, the Naturalis Historiae. Since Pliny the Younger was heir to to his uncle's estate, he inherited his uncle's large library, and benefited by the acquisition.
The Epistulae are usually treated as two halves: those in Books 1 to 9, which Pliny prepared for publication, and those in Book 10, all of which were written to or by the Emperor Trajan during Pliny's governorship of Bithynia-Pontus. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication.
Books 1-9
As already mentioned above, highlights of these books include Pliny's description of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the death of his uncle and mentor, Pliny the Elder. The first letter (1.1), directed to Gaius Septicius Clarus, is also notable for giving Pliny's reasons for collecting his letters. Those which give details of Pliny's life at his country villas are important documents in the history of garden design. They are the world's oldest sources of the information on how gardens were used in the ancient world and the considerations which went into their design.
The content of this section of the letters evolves over time. Pliny's career as a young man is very fully described in the earlier letters, which include tributes to notable figures such as Marcus Valerius Martialis, Pliny's protege (3.21). Advice is offered to friends, references are given, political support is discussed and Pliny comments on many other aspects of Roman life, using established literary style. However, by the last two books the subject matter is more contemplative.
Chronologically, it's suggested that Books 1 to 3 were written between 97 and 102, Books 4 to 7 were composed between 103 and 107 and Books 8 and 9 cover 108 and 109. These books were probably intermittently published between 99 and 109.
Book 10
As already mentioned, the letters of Book 10 are addressed to or from the Emperor Trajan in their entirety, and it's generally assumed that we've received them verbatim. As such, they offer a unique insight into the administrative functions of a Roman province of the time, as well as the machinations of the Roman system of patronage and wider cultural mores of Rome itself. In addition, the corruption and apathy which occurred at various levels of the provinicial system can be seen clearly. Of especial significance is X.96
, which is the earliest external account of Christian worship and reasons for the execution of Christians.
The letter regarding Christians deserves mention because its contents were, in the view of many historians, to become the standard policy toward Christians for the rest of the pagan era. Taken together, Pliny's letter and Trajan's response constituted a fairly loose policy toward Christians. Christians were not to be sought out, but executed if brought before a magistrate by a reputable means of accusation (no anonymous charges were permitted) and they were to be given the opportunity to recant. While some persecutions represent a departure from this policy, many historians have concluded that these precedents were nominal for the Empire across time.
Fortunately, Trajan's replies to Pliny's queries and requests were also collected for publication, making the anthology even more valuable. The letters thus allow us a wonderful glimpse of the personalities of both Pliny and Trajan.
Stylistically, Book 10 is much simpler than its precursors because it wasn't intended for publication by Pliny. It is generally assumed that this book was published after Pliny's death, and Suetonius, as a member of Pliny's staff, has been suggested as one possible editor.
Manuscripts
In France Giovanni Giocondo discovered a manuscript of Pliny the Younger's letters containing his correspondence with Trajan. He published it in Paris dedicating the work to Louis XII. Two Italian editions of Pliny's Epistles were published by Giocondo, one printed in Bologna in 1498 and one from the press of Aldus Manutius in 1508.
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