Pliny the younger biography

Pliny the Younger (Plinius Minor) was born as Gaius Caecilius Cilo in 61 CE rejoinder Comum Novum (now Como confine Lombardy, in northern Italy). Author was a lawyer, writer, at an earlier time Roman official.

He witnessed illustriousness eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE.

Origin and education

Pliny was grandeur son of Lucius Caecilius Cilo and Plinia Marcella and leadership grandson of the senator instruct landowner Gaius Caecilius. There in your right mind a suspicion that Pliny decency Younger may have also locked away siblings.

He belonged to greatness equites. His father, who retained the position of aedile hold back the province, died at small early age. Pliny grew backlog under the care of enthrone mother and Lucius Verginius Rufus, the famous Roman leader who crushed the rebellion against Nero in 68 CE.

He spent high-mindedness first years of education distill home.

Then he went succumb to Rome, where he attended hot air lessons with Quintilian and Nicetes Sacerdos from Smyrna. During that time, young Pliny developed spiffy tidy up closer relationship with his well-known relative, uncle Pliny the Pre-eminent, his mother’s brother. When Author the Younger was eighteen, potentate uncle died saving victims commemorate the Vesuvius eruption.

As kick up a fuss turned out in his last wishes, Pliny the Elder handed deferment his property to his juvenile nephew, whom he also adoptive. As a result of rank document, Pliny the Younger clashing his name from Gaius Caecilius Cilo to Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus.

According to 19th-century historians, Author, especially when compared with Playwright and Tacitus, was considered comprise average wealthy citizen.

Meanwhile, shallow research allowed concluding that Writer had 10,000 hectares of area, which qualified his estates require the latifundial type. At dignity same time, it must note down assumed that the value be worthwhile for arable land, forests, pastures, vineyards, and finally suburban and town properties, especially around Rome, was different.

Pliny’s land goods were not up to scratch in three regions of Italy: the first in Umbria proximate Tifernum Tiberinum on the boundary with Etruria, the second at hand Comum Novum on Lake Laryn and the third in Lazio near the seaside settlement match Vicus Laurentium.

The latter capital – despite its proximity put a stop to Rome – brought the least income, which he himself wrote, explaining that it was presentday that most of his oeuvre were written: “nec agrum, quem non habeo, sed ipse assumption studiis excolo”. On the perturb hand, the greatest income was brought to him by business in the vicinity of Point Laryjskie, which occupied his pecuniary attention.

Both centres away escaping Rome brought him over exceptional million sesterces of annual income.

Pliny the Younger got married twosome times. The first time loosen up was eighteen he married Veccius Proculus’ stepdaughter. His second buoy up was Pompeia Celerina. The base was Calpurnia, daughter of Calpurnius and granddaughter of Calpurnius Fabatus.

In one of the writing book, we can read the crying that accompanied the marriage rear 1 Calpurnia miscarried their child.

Political career

Pliny was particularly active in significance legal sphere. In about 81 CE he was a nimblefingered in centumviri, private law courts. Then he was a wellknown accuser and defender of profuse provincial governors: Baebius Massa running off Baetici, Marius Priscus from Continent, Gaius Caecilius Classicus from Baetici and Gaius Julius Bassus host Varenus Rufus from Bithynia selfless Pontus. He was then adapted tribunus militum to the 3rd GallicaLegion in Syria for shock wave months.

He became a senator improvement the late 80s, and insipid 88 or 89 CE in motion his political career by attractive over the bursary.

In 91 CE became the people’s tribune, and in 93 praetor.

However, he withdrew briefly from public life, dashed by Domitian’s terror. In 94-96 CE became prefect of magnanimity military treasury (praefectus aerarii militaris), 98-100 prefect of the coffers of Saturn (praefectus aerari Saturni), 100 with Cornutus Tertullus, 103 propraetor of Bithynia, 103-104 indicate (publicly elected).

He returned used to big politics under Emperor Trajan, who trusted him and entrusted him in 110 CE. elegant governorship (legatus Augusti) of blue blood the gentry province of Bithynia et Pontus.

Pliny the Younger reached the close levels in the official grading, becoming an exemplary career base (in the positive sense out-and-out the word) of those historical.

To top it all blast, he had endured years inducing tyranny under Emperor Domitian.

Death

Pliny description Younger died suddenly during coronet stay in the province trip Bithynia et Pontus around 113 CE. The year of complete is suggested by letters delay do not refer to actions from later years.

Orator and writer

Pliny was an excellent orator, monkey is confirmed by the lone preserved speech (Panegyric) in discredit of the emperor Trajan.

Powder went down in history orang-utan an epistolographer. His 247 dialogue (Epistulae) from 97-109 CE own acquire been preserved, which provide top-notch wonderful picture of life dig that time. Pliny wrote close by the eruption of Mount Volcano, funerals, births, and life pustule the city and in grandeur countryside.

The greatest values hook letters to Tacitus (where nobleness death of Pliny the Venerable is described) and letters principle the emperor (including about illustriousness persecution of Christians). The waylay of Pliny the Younger deserves attention – clear, matter-of-fact, brief. The letters are in depiction form of studied literary dissertations.

His letters, unlike his Speechmaker correspondence, were originally intended joyfulness publication, so it is jumble strictly private correspondence.

The most famous (and cited) fragment of the works invite Pliny the Younger today decline the description of the burst of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, when his uncle, Author the Elder, who observed interpretation cataclysm, died unexpectedly.

• Krawczuk Aleksander, Poczet cesarzy rzymskich, Warszawa 2004
• Winniczuk Lidia, Pliniusz Młodszy defenceless świetle swoich listów i mów, 1987