The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself. You will ask how that can possibly be in the midst of rome. The letters of pliny the younger is a deserved classic an intimate glimpse of the daily life of an upperclass roman citizen in the late first century a. The letters of the younger pliny are a good source to look into during this period of roman history to see the dangers and excitement in which these people lived there certainly was a lot of it. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and. The letters of pliny the younger kindle edition by pliny. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value.
The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. Correspondence with trajan from bithynia, 1990 warminster. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. The silver latin of pliny is mercifully easy to read. The comments at the bottom of the letters have been added from various sources. Omne hoc tempus inter pugillares ac libellos incundissima quiete transmisi.
And perhaps pliny, who had been in office continuously for nine years, simply wanted to live a bit more quietly. Pliny s letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. A historical and social commentary oxford 1966 3637, with the summary of results at 41. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. I have spent these several days past among my papers with the most pleasing tranquillity imaginable. While this book does contain a lot of first hand information about life in imperial rome especially the legal system and the elaborate network of favors, obligations, and patronage in the senatorial class its not especially readable, being a collection of letters written by pliny and, near the end, by the emperor trajan to pliny. I got pliny the youngers letter to trajan from the notes to eusebius ecclesiastical history, book iii, ch. The blog posts about the vesuvius eruption are on hold while i complete my book, pliny and the destruction of vesuvius routledge, 2021. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. A collection of letters from about 1900 years ago might be dusty, out of date and a mere curiosity, but the letters of pliny are far from this. These posts are part of a book project that intends to understand the scholarly and popular reception of.
We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Pliny s dates are pinned to the eruption of mount vesuvius in ad 79 and a statement of his nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth in ad 23 or 24 pliny was the son of an equestrian gaius plinius celer and his wife marcella. One coming from sicily has told me that some friends of his, whether greeks or latins i know not, as though. Epistulae x letters 10, also known as the correspondence with trajan is a book of letters by the roman lawyer and author pliny the younger to the emperor trajan between 109 and 111 ce. They thus lack the spontaneity of ciceros impulsive utterances, but to most modern readers who are not special students of roman history they are even more interesting. The table below is a summary based on modern names for topics. The letters of pliny the younger gaius plinius caecilius secundus are presented here in the english translation by j. Pliny devised a summarium, or list of contents, at the beginning of the work that was later interpreted by modern printers as a table of contents. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Arranged by the author this collected correspondence offers a glimpse into the daily life of a roman patrician.
This was the disaster that buried pompeii, herculaneum, and other sites. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Pliny the younger author of the letters of the younger pliny. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the letters of pliny the younger study guide and get instant access to the following critical essays. For an index with links to all the letters on this site arranged by book and letter number, click here. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. I am no latinist and know little of ancient rome, so it was a delight to find such an approachable translation. Pliny the younger, letters and panegyricus, with an english translation by betty radice, 1969 cambridge mass. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 c. His letters are arranged in ten books, of which the tenth consists entirely of letters to and from the emperor trajan. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him.
It would be more arrogant to assume that people will remember you even if you do not record your deeds on your tomb. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. Pliny the younger was governor of pontus and bithynia from 1111 ce. Pliny book 1 pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1 latin text pliny book 1, letter 6 english translation pliny book 1, letter 6 latin text pliny book 1, letter 9 english translation. The original source is pliny the younger, epistles 10. We also learn about pliny s life when not in town, and as a governor of. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9 book, the 10 book and the 8 book, known as. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restric. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder pliny s sister.
He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. Pliny book 9, letter 6 english translation pliny book 9, letter 6 latin text pliny book 9, letter 19 english translation pliny book 9, letter 19 latin text slaves. To a certain extent, the letters are comparable to the building erected by rich. Pliny s uncle, pliny the elder, helped raise and educate him and they were both witnesses to. I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. However, only the first half of this book is without significant typos. Pliny the younger, panegyricus loeb classical library. Book 9, letter 6 pliny cannot understand why so many romans waste their time going to the chariotraces.
Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. This post begins a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. There were races, spectacles of the kind by which i am not interested even in the slightest. In 103, he published three books, containing a part of his correspondence.
Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. The younger pliny synonyms, the younger pliny antonyms. Letter 96 is the most famous of the collection, and it contains the earliest external account of christian worship, and details what was to become the standard roman policy toward christians. Short biographies of the elder and younger pliny, setting the context for the vesuvian letters. Definitely recommended to those who are interested in looking into our ancient past. Book 9, letter 19 pliny justifies the boastful tombstone of his friend, verginius rufus. Gaius plinius caecilius secundus, born gaius caecilius or gaius caecilius cilo 61 ad ca. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. The collection includes his wellknown letters about the eruption of vesuvius 6.
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