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Complete Letters
In these letters to his friends and relations, Pliny the Younger, lawyer, author, and natural philosopher, provides a fascinating insight into Roman life in the period 97 to 112 AD. Part autobiography, part social history, they document the career and interests of a senator and leading imperial official whose friends include the historians Tacitus and Suetonius. Pliny's letters cover a wide range of topics, from the contemporary political scene to domestic affairs, the educational system, the rituals and conduct of Roman religion, the treatment of slaves, and the phenomena of nature. He describes in vivid detail the eruption of Vesuvius, which killed his uncle, and the daily routines of a well-to-do Roman in the courts and at leisure, in the city, or enjoying rural pursuits at his country estates.
This is a lively new translation by eminent scholar Peter Walsh, based on the Oxford Classical Text and drawing on the latest scholarship. In his introduction, Walsh considers the political background of the letters, the span of Pliny's career, the range of topics covered in the letters, and Pliny's literary style. Invaluable notes identify the letters' recipients and explain allusions to historical events and terms. A general index is supplemented by two specific indexes on aspects of social life and Pliny's correspondents. This classic will make great reading for those with an interest in classical literature and ancient history.
This is a lively new translation by eminent scholar Peter Walsh, based on the Oxford Classical Text and drawing on the latest scholarship. In his introduction, Walsh considers the political background of the letters, the span of Pliny's career, the range of topics covered in the letters, and Pliny's literary style. Invaluable notes identify the letters' recipients and explain allusions to historical events and terms. A general index is supplemented by two specific indexes on aspects of social life and Pliny's correspondents. This classic will make great reading for those with an interest in classical literature and ancient history.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 109
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About the author
Pliny the Younger
786 books72 followersGaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, born Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo (61 AD – ca. 112 AD), better known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author, and magistrate 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 24 August 79 AD.
"You would have heard the wails of women, the shrieks of infants, shouts of men; some were seeking parents with their voices, others children, others spouses, and by their voices they were recognizing them; some were pitying their own misfortune, others the misfortune of their families; there were those who - due to the fear of death - were praying for death; many raised their hands toward the gods, more were concluding that there were no gods anywhere, and that this was the perpetual and final night for the world."
-Pliny the Younger, Letters, 16.20.14-15
"You would have heard the wails of women, the shrieks of infants, shouts of men; some were seeking parents with their voices, others children, others spouses, and by their voices they were recognizing them; some were pitying their own misfortune, others the misfortune of their families; there were those who - due to the fear of death - were praying for death; many raised their hands toward the gods, more were concluding that there were no gods anywhere, and that this was the perpetual and final night for the world."
-Pliny the Younger, Letters, 16.20.14-15
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January 6, 2017
While attending the Roman races, Cornelius Tacitus (56-120) was engaged by a young man in a very wide-ranging conversation. Duly impressed, the ardent youth asked him his name and Tacitus replied that he already knew him from his readings. "Then you must be either Tacitus or Pliny," exclaimed the very excited youth.
Pliny (61-113) was absolutely delighted when his friend recounted this incident even though he considered himself a notch below his illustrious contemporary who bequeathed us the "The Annals of Imperial Rome," "Histories," and "Germania."
Living in an age that worshipped both the written and spoken word, Pliny considered that there were but three avenues to immortality; military triumph, poetry or history. Honing his skills, he hosted readings of poetry and speeches in both Latin and Greek that lasted for two days. It should come as no surprise that the Roman capital script that calligraphers celebrate to this day as pure perfection, first appeared on Trajan's Column in 117 during this age of the glorified word.
In search of that immortality, Pliny would publish nine books of his letters during his lifetime, ensuring his fame as one of the first contemporary autobiographers. The most famous tenth book would be published posthumously
Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder (23-79), died while attempting to rescue a friend during the eruption of Vesuvius. In his will, the author of "Natural Histories" and Roman fleet commander adopted his nephew and bequeathed him the vast estates that would guarantee his rise to the top of the Empire.
Beginning at the Bar at eighteen, Pliny the Younger would eventually serve as a Senator and on the Centumviral Court that specialized in inheritance cases. He would also appear in several historic cases tried before the Senate. It is from this rarefied environment that his collected letters and anecdotes give us precious insights into the everyday workings of upper class Rome in the civilized age of Trajan. Even in translation, Pliny's letters to his wide variety of imposing friends flow evenly and unblemished with a natural ease and eloquence we seldom see today.
In his youth, Pliny sought to emulate and acquire the support of elder statesmen he admired and then in later life, he generously encouraged the advancement of promising youths throughout the civil service and military. He gives advice suggesting tutors and proper spouses, also giving generously from his estates to his home town, promising civil servants and needy friends.
Finally, he is appointed Trajan's representative to the province of Bithynia and Pontus where he deals with everything from building aqueducts and dams, to complicated issues of citizenship and the cases of soldiers who are discovered to be escaped slaves.
It is this posthumous collection of letters to Trajan seeking advice and the Emperor's thoughtful responses that insures Pliny's immortality. If one only multiplies Pliny's requests tenfold, Trajan must have been a very busy man giving thoughtful consideration to hundreds of requests pouring in to him from throughout the empire, constantly referring to the imperial archives in his search for legal precedence.
The most important of these letters is, of course, the famous request to the Emperor for a review of Pliny's handling of the growing Christian problem that is vexing Bithynia.
Tacitus was the first Roman historian to record that Jesus was crucified by Pontus Pilate. One can imagine these two friends discussing this "pernicious superstition," as Tacitus described it, that would eventually engulf their empire.
On his way to Bithynia, Pliny stops in Ephesus and one can also wonder if someone there might have mentioned to him that the mother of that curious Christus had lived there until her death some seventy years beforehand.
Pliny died on the job in September, 113. I was truly saddened when I turned the page and there was not just one more letter from this exceptional man. He had become a personal friend.
Pliny (61-113) was absolutely delighted when his friend recounted this incident even though he considered himself a notch below his illustrious contemporary who bequeathed us the "The Annals of Imperial Rome," "Histories," and "Germania."
Living in an age that worshipped both the written and spoken word, Pliny considered that there were but three avenues to immortality; military triumph, poetry or history. Honing his skills, he hosted readings of poetry and speeches in both Latin and Greek that lasted for two days. It should come as no surprise that the Roman capital script that calligraphers celebrate to this day as pure perfection, first appeared on Trajan's Column in 117 during this age of the glorified word.
In search of that immortality, Pliny would publish nine books of his letters during his lifetime, ensuring his fame as one of the first contemporary autobiographers. The most famous tenth book would be published posthumously
Pliny's uncle, Pliny the Elder (23-79), died while attempting to rescue a friend during the eruption of Vesuvius. In his will, the author of "Natural Histories" and Roman fleet commander adopted his nephew and bequeathed him the vast estates that would guarantee his rise to the top of the Empire.
Beginning at the Bar at eighteen, Pliny the Younger would eventually serve as a Senator and on the Centumviral Court that specialized in inheritance cases. He would also appear in several historic cases tried before the Senate. It is from this rarefied environment that his collected letters and anecdotes give us precious insights into the everyday workings of upper class Rome in the civilized age of Trajan. Even in translation, Pliny's letters to his wide variety of imposing friends flow evenly and unblemished with a natural ease and eloquence we seldom see today.
In his youth, Pliny sought to emulate and acquire the support of elder statesmen he admired and then in later life, he generously encouraged the advancement of promising youths throughout the civil service and military. He gives advice suggesting tutors and proper spouses, also giving generously from his estates to his home town, promising civil servants and needy friends.
Finally, he is appointed Trajan's representative to the province of Bithynia and Pontus where he deals with everything from building aqueducts and dams, to complicated issues of citizenship and the cases of soldiers who are discovered to be escaped slaves.
It is this posthumous collection of letters to Trajan seeking advice and the Emperor's thoughtful responses that insures Pliny's immortality. If one only multiplies Pliny's requests tenfold, Trajan must have been a very busy man giving thoughtful consideration to hundreds of requests pouring in to him from throughout the empire, constantly referring to the imperial archives in his search for legal precedence.
The most important of these letters is, of course, the famous request to the Emperor for a review of Pliny's handling of the growing Christian problem that is vexing Bithynia.
Tacitus was the first Roman historian to record that Jesus was crucified by Pontus Pilate. One can imagine these two friends discussing this "pernicious superstition," as Tacitus described it, that would eventually engulf their empire.
On his way to Bithynia, Pliny stops in Ephesus and one can also wonder if someone there might have mentioned to him that the mother of that curious Christus had lived there until her death some seventy years beforehand.
Pliny died on the job in September, 113. I was truly saddened when I turned the page and there was not just one more letter from this exceptional man. He had become a personal friend.
June 8, 2020
A letter deserves a letter in reply, and therefore –
Dear Pliny the Younger:
I wanted to thank you for your letters, and to apologize for the 1,907-year delay in replying. Normally, I am more prompt in my correspondence practices. Hoping that the fact that I have been alive for only 58 of those 1,907 years will be considered a mitigating circumstance.
I know that you came from an illustrious family – your uncle, Pliny the Elder, was the most renowned Roman scientist of his time – and that you built a long and successful career as lawyer, judge, priest, senator, and consul. And having read your letters – as collected by a Londinium-based publisher called Penguin, in a volume titled The Letters of Pliny the Younger -- I must say that I found them to provide uniquely helpful insights into everyday life in the Roman Empire back in what people in my time call the 1st century A.D.
Most of the Roman authors that I have read – Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, Tacitus, Petronius, Suetonius, Cassius Dio, Marcus Aurelius – deal with life-changing historical events, or with major philosophical topics of their time. Your letters, by contrast, often had a nice everyday quality to them. While you did deal in a powerful and moving manner with big events – and with one big event in particular – I particularly enjoyed those passages of your letters where you spoke with your friends about the mundane, the ordinary, the quotidian.
I thought, for instance, that it was very kind of you to write to your friend Silius Proculus when he asked you to look over some of his poetry, and to assure him that “it is a splendid work and ought not to remain unpublished, to judge from the passages I have heard you read” (p. 101).
Similarly, as my work as a university professor involves writing many letters of recommendation, I appreciated the zest and verve with which you recommended one Cornelius Minicianus for a military tribunate, apologizing to your friend Pompeius Falco for your pertinacity on young Minicianus’ behalf, but providing repeated assurances that Minicianus is “remarkable…for his justice on the bench, courage at the bar, and loyalty in friendship” (p. 200). Throughout the letters, I got a strong sense that you would be a good friend to have.
It was also interesting to read your correspondence with the Emperor Trajan. Obviously, as provincial governor of Bithynia-Pontusis in northwestern Asia Minor, you were anxious to carry out your duties in a manner that would be pleasing to the emperor, as when you asked him if too many invitations were being issued for the dedication of public buildings. Trajan’s replies are always careful and judicious, and sometimes – as when he writes that “I made you my choice so that you could use your good judgement in exercising a moderating influence on the behaviour of the people in your province, and could make your own decisions about what is necessary for their peace and security” (p. 300) – it seems as if he may be finding your constant correspondence a bit wearying, and may want to say to you, Dude! Fac officium tuum! (“Dude! Do your job!”)
But what really brought me to The Letters of Pliny the Younger was the set of letters in which you described the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24 in the year 79 A.D. – a catastrophe that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum on Italy’s west coast. You see, I was traveling with my wife and two grandchildren, from our own home country beyond the Pillars of Hercules, because we wanted to see the ruins of Pompeii, as meticulously excavated by archaeologists since your time.
And Pompeii, I know, was personal to you, because your uncle, Pliny the Elder – the greatest scientist that the Roman Empire ever produced – went toward Pompeii while everyone else was running away from it, so that he could save whomever he could and gather whatever scientific information he could. He gave his life trying to save others. All of these factors, taken together, give your writings about Pompeii singular power.
As you witnessed and survived the eruption of Vesuvius, you provide the best single eyewitness recounting of the disaster that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. From your observation point at Misenum, you were able to watch the whole terrible spectacle unfold.
After a few days of the kind of earth tremors that can occur frequently in Campania, you tell us that on the night of August 24th “the shocks were so violent that everything felt as if it were not only shaken but overturned” (pp. 170-71). You tried to play it cool for a time, asking for a volume of Livy to read. I like Livy, too, but really – is that the time to be reading about the war with Hannibal?
Soon enough, you realized the depth of the danger, as when you “saw the sea sucked away and apparently forced back by the earthquake: at any rate it receded from the shore so that quantities of sea creatures were left stranded on dry sand. On the landward side a fearful black cloud was rent by forked and quivering bursts of flame, and parted to reveal great tongues of fire, like flashes of lightning magnified in size” (p. 171).
Truly, what you witnessed and survived was a scene that Pluto and Proserpine in all their wrath could not have inflicted upon the unhappy people of Campania that summer day.
Soon afterwards the cloud sank down to earth and covered the sea; it had already blotted out Capri….Ashes were already falling, not as yet very thickly. I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood….We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell – not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room….[T]he flames remained some distance off; then darkness came on once more and ashes began to fall again, this time in heavy showers. We rose from time to time and shook them off; otherwise, we should have been buried and crushed beneath their weight. (p. 172)
It was moving to read your description of people calling out in the darkness – hoping, in that absolute darkness, to find a loved one by hearing their voice. “People bewailed their own fate or that of their relatives, and there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined that there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness forevermore” (p. 172). Truly, it must have felt like the end of the world, and you convey all too well the horror of that day.
Even in our faraway land that a Latin-speaking person might refer to as Civitates Foederatae Americae, one hears a great deal about Pompeii, and today people travel from all over the world to see it. At Pompeii, one sees the ruins of what was once a fairly sizeable Roman city. More affecting, on an emotional level, are plaster moulds made from the gaps left where people and animals sought shelter in their last moments of life, before the ash entombed them. Mount Vesuvius, six miles away, is powerful and imposing, but it is easy to imagine the people of Pompeii thinking that they were too far from Vesuvius for the volcano to do them any harm – until that terrible day in August.
There is so much else that I would want to talk about with you – indeed, some areas where I must respectfully disagree with you.
I was dismayed, for example, by your casual acceptance of slavery. Writing about a revolt of enslaved people against a notoriously cruel master, you sympathized only with the slaveholder, complaining that “No master can feel safe because he is kind and considerate”, and denouncing the “brutality…which leads slaves to murder masters” (p. 101). You are wrong, sir; you have it all backward. Slavery, by its very nature, brutalizes; slavery, in treating a human being as a piece of “property,” is the problem. If, by chance, you were to fall into the hands of the Parthians, or to be captured by tribesmen from Germania, would you want to pass the rest of your days as a slave? I thought not.
I was also saddened by the avidity with which you seem to have persecuted members of the Christian religious minority, whom you described as “a degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths” (p. 294). Indeed, the Emperor Trajan, on whose behalf you were presumably conducting these persecutions, seems to have wanted you to ease up on the Christians somewhat, telling you that “These people are not to be hunted out” (p. 295). And, if you truly believed in the Olympian gods, and in the cult of imperial divinity, would you want to be persecuted for it by Christians? I thought not.
Please understand that I do not wish to engage in the logical fallacy of “presentism” – judging the people of past times by the standards of one’s own time. I have no doubt that the people of, say, the year 3927 – 1,907 years from now – will find much that is wrong and lacking in the way we do things here in the year 2020. I find much lacking in it now. It is just that when it comes to certain topics relating to the rights of humankind, I do feel the need to speak out. People from my country tend to be that way.
Yet I do not wish to close our correspondence on a note of disagreement. Perhaps the passage of the centuries, if it has permitted you to witness the subsequent cycles of human history, has led you to understand that every human being should be free, and should be able to worship (or not) as he or she sees fit. I hope you can see that now.
From my own home civitas or provincia, with its rather Roman-sounding name of Virginia, I thank you for the glimpses that your letters provide into daily life in the Roman Empire. I will remember your letters the next time I am enjoying a glass of Frascati, the delightful white wine of Latium. And I will recommend your letters to classically-inclined readers who want to know more about what a Roman’s day-to-day life was actually like. Many thanks once again.
With sincere regards,
Paul Haspel
Dear Pliny the Younger:
I wanted to thank you for your letters, and to apologize for the 1,907-year delay in replying. Normally, I am more prompt in my correspondence practices. Hoping that the fact that I have been alive for only 58 of those 1,907 years will be considered a mitigating circumstance.
I know that you came from an illustrious family – your uncle, Pliny the Elder, was the most renowned Roman scientist of his time – and that you built a long and successful career as lawyer, judge, priest, senator, and consul. And having read your letters – as collected by a Londinium-based publisher called Penguin, in a volume titled The Letters of Pliny the Younger -- I must say that I found them to provide uniquely helpful insights into everyday life in the Roman Empire back in what people in my time call the 1st century A.D.
Most of the Roman authors that I have read – Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, Tacitus, Petronius, Suetonius, Cassius Dio, Marcus Aurelius – deal with life-changing historical events, or with major philosophical topics of their time. Your letters, by contrast, often had a nice everyday quality to them. While you did deal in a powerful and moving manner with big events – and with one big event in particular – I particularly enjoyed those passages of your letters where you spoke with your friends about the mundane, the ordinary, the quotidian.
I thought, for instance, that it was very kind of you to write to your friend Silius Proculus when he asked you to look over some of his poetry, and to assure him that “it is a splendid work and ought not to remain unpublished, to judge from the passages I have heard you read” (p. 101).
Similarly, as my work as a university professor involves writing many letters of recommendation, I appreciated the zest and verve with which you recommended one Cornelius Minicianus for a military tribunate, apologizing to your friend Pompeius Falco for your pertinacity on young Minicianus’ behalf, but providing repeated assurances that Minicianus is “remarkable…for his justice on the bench, courage at the bar, and loyalty in friendship” (p. 200). Throughout the letters, I got a strong sense that you would be a good friend to have.
It was also interesting to read your correspondence with the Emperor Trajan. Obviously, as provincial governor of Bithynia-Pontusis in northwestern Asia Minor, you were anxious to carry out your duties in a manner that would be pleasing to the emperor, as when you asked him if too many invitations were being issued for the dedication of public buildings. Trajan’s replies are always careful and judicious, and sometimes – as when he writes that “I made you my choice so that you could use your good judgement in exercising a moderating influence on the behaviour of the people in your province, and could make your own decisions about what is necessary for their peace and security” (p. 300) – it seems as if he may be finding your constant correspondence a bit wearying, and may want to say to you, Dude! Fac officium tuum! (“Dude! Do your job!”)
But what really brought me to The Letters of Pliny the Younger was the set of letters in which you described the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24 in the year 79 A.D. – a catastrophe that destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum on Italy’s west coast. You see, I was traveling with my wife and two grandchildren, from our own home country beyond the Pillars of Hercules, because we wanted to see the ruins of Pompeii, as meticulously excavated by archaeologists since your time.
And Pompeii, I know, was personal to you, because your uncle, Pliny the Elder – the greatest scientist that the Roman Empire ever produced – went toward Pompeii while everyone else was running away from it, so that he could save whomever he could and gather whatever scientific information he could. He gave his life trying to save others. All of these factors, taken together, give your writings about Pompeii singular power.
As you witnessed and survived the eruption of Vesuvius, you provide the best single eyewitness recounting of the disaster that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. From your observation point at Misenum, you were able to watch the whole terrible spectacle unfold.
After a few days of the kind of earth tremors that can occur frequently in Campania, you tell us that on the night of August 24th “the shocks were so violent that everything felt as if it were not only shaken but overturned” (pp. 170-71). You tried to play it cool for a time, asking for a volume of Livy to read. I like Livy, too, but really – is that the time to be reading about the war with Hannibal?
Soon enough, you realized the depth of the danger, as when you “saw the sea sucked away and apparently forced back by the earthquake: at any rate it receded from the shore so that quantities of sea creatures were left stranded on dry sand. On the landward side a fearful black cloud was rent by forked and quivering bursts of flame, and parted to reveal great tongues of fire, like flashes of lightning magnified in size” (p. 171).
Truly, what you witnessed and survived was a scene that Pluto and Proserpine in all their wrath could not have inflicted upon the unhappy people of Campania that summer day.
Soon afterwards the cloud sank down to earth and covered the sea; it had already blotted out Capri….Ashes were already falling, not as yet very thickly. I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood….We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell – not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room….[T]he flames remained some distance off; then darkness came on once more and ashes began to fall again, this time in heavy showers. We rose from time to time and shook them off; otherwise, we should have been buried and crushed beneath their weight. (p. 172)
It was moving to read your description of people calling out in the darkness – hoping, in that absolute darkness, to find a loved one by hearing their voice. “People bewailed their own fate or that of their relatives, and there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined that there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness forevermore” (p. 172). Truly, it must have felt like the end of the world, and you convey all too well the horror of that day.
Even in our faraway land that a Latin-speaking person might refer to as Civitates Foederatae Americae, one hears a great deal about Pompeii, and today people travel from all over the world to see it. At Pompeii, one sees the ruins of what was once a fairly sizeable Roman city. More affecting, on an emotional level, are plaster moulds made from the gaps left where people and animals sought shelter in their last moments of life, before the ash entombed them. Mount Vesuvius, six miles away, is powerful and imposing, but it is easy to imagine the people of Pompeii thinking that they were too far from Vesuvius for the volcano to do them any harm – until that terrible day in August.
There is so much else that I would want to talk about with you – indeed, some areas where I must respectfully disagree with you.
I was dismayed, for example, by your casual acceptance of slavery. Writing about a revolt of enslaved people against a notoriously cruel master, you sympathized only with the slaveholder, complaining that “No master can feel safe because he is kind and considerate”, and denouncing the “brutality…which leads slaves to murder masters” (p. 101). You are wrong, sir; you have it all backward. Slavery, by its very nature, brutalizes; slavery, in treating a human being as a piece of “property,” is the problem. If, by chance, you were to fall into the hands of the Parthians, or to be captured by tribesmen from Germania, would you want to pass the rest of your days as a slave? I thought not.
I was also saddened by the avidity with which you seem to have persecuted members of the Christian religious minority, whom you described as “a degenerate sort of cult carried to extravagant lengths” (p. 294). Indeed, the Emperor Trajan, on whose behalf you were presumably conducting these persecutions, seems to have wanted you to ease up on the Christians somewhat, telling you that “These people are not to be hunted out” (p. 295). And, if you truly believed in the Olympian gods, and in the cult of imperial divinity, would you want to be persecuted for it by Christians? I thought not.
Please understand that I do not wish to engage in the logical fallacy of “presentism” – judging the people of past times by the standards of one’s own time. I have no doubt that the people of, say, the year 3927 – 1,907 years from now – will find much that is wrong and lacking in the way we do things here in the year 2020. I find much lacking in it now. It is just that when it comes to certain topics relating to the rights of humankind, I do feel the need to speak out. People from my country tend to be that way.
Yet I do not wish to close our correspondence on a note of disagreement. Perhaps the passage of the centuries, if it has permitted you to witness the subsequent cycles of human history, has led you to understand that every human being should be free, and should be able to worship (or not) as he or she sees fit. I hope you can see that now.
From my own home civitas or provincia, with its rather Roman-sounding name of Virginia, I thank you for the glimpses that your letters provide into daily life in the Roman Empire. I will remember your letters the next time I am enjoying a glass of Frascati, the delightful white wine of Latium. And I will recommend your letters to classically-inclined readers who want to know more about what a Roman’s day-to-day life was actually like. Many thanks once again.
With sincere regards,
Paul Haspel
April 15, 2019
... the work of getting anybody to cheerfully undertake the monotony and drudgery of education must be effected not by pay merely, but by a skillfully worked-up appeal to the emotions as well.
I read this book in preparation for a recent visit to Pompeii; and it was an excellent choice. The ancient letters and the ruined city make for an ideal pairing, as both offer a remarkable look into daily life in ancient Rome. Pliny had a long and eventful career: an orator, magistrate, lawyer, and writer. His correspondence includes mundane details, tender love letters, poetic reflections, philosophical musings, and much else. Whatever the subject, his personality shines through: intelligent, urbane, loyal, if a bit ostentatious and pompous. He is, above all, eloquent; and his letters are without exception written in superb prose.
Though each epistle is a valuable historical document, some are conspicuously noteworthy. Most interesting for me was his description of the eruption of Vesuvius, which resulted in the death of his illustrious uncle, Pliny the Elder. He recounts his uncle’s and his own experience in two letters to his friend the historian Cornelius Tacitus. Here, with an eye to posterity, perhaps, Pliny reaches the height of his literary skill as he relates his escape from the eruption:
We had scarcely sat down when night came upon us, not such as we have seen when the sky is cloudy, or when there is no moon, but that of a room when it is shut up, and all the lights put out. You might hear the shrieks of women, the screams of children, and the shouts of men; some calling for their children, others for their parents, others for their husbands, and seeking to recognize each other by the voices that replied; one lamenting his own fate, another that of his family; some wishing to die, from the very fear of dying; some lifting their hands to the gods; but the greater part convinced that there were now no gods at all, and that the final endless night of which we have heard had come upon the world.
The collection is also invaluable for the correspondence between Pliny and Trajan. In these letters Pliny’s style is more restrained and formal; he takes the part of a supplicant and an apprentice. For the most part he is asking the Emperor for a favor or for advice. Much of it is concerned with the proper way to interpret the law and to distribute punishments, or else asking for permission to erect aqueducts, temples, and the like. Most extraordinary are two letters concerning the practice, spread, and prosecution of Christianity. Even at this early date, it was clear that the religion could grow rapidly: “In fact, this contagious superstition is not confined to the cities only, but has spread its infection among the neighboring villages and country.”
In sum, I recommend this book to anyone and everyone interested in ancient Rome. The letters are at once a model of style and a window into the past. Few books offer so much insight and pleasure for such little drudgery.
December 10, 2020
Stupendous! This book is a gem! Oh, how much I enjoyed this book! I have added some fragments toward the end of my review, each one listed under the number of the book in which it was published. Some of my favourite letters are those he sent to his wife Calpurnia; he was a loving husband. I always enjoyed his exchanges with Tacitus, Suetonius, Calpurnius Fabatus, Voconius Romanus, and Emperor Trajan, among others, but it will be too long to mention all my favourites here. There is too much to choose from to even quote it fairly. Even if some letters may bore you, as a whole this book is an phenomenal compilation of letter, which provide great insight into Pliny's life, his ethos and work, Roman culture, law, society, and the quotidian lives of the wealthy Roman scholars, noble women, and public servants.
Pliny’s writing style is engaging, elegant, and eloquent. Eloquence is something that Pliny strives to achieve, you will see this word often in his letters, but first and foremost he admires a writer who is of good character and who is willing to work for the benefit of the community. Pliny is a hard-worker, he is confident but he is not arrogant, he simply doesn’t show false modesty. As a writer, public servant, human being, and Roman figure, Pliny is truly outstanding and has deservingly won his place in history. Obviously, Pliny is flawed - who isn’t?- and although he comes across as a genuinely generous man, of strong ethical values, a man who is always trying to improve himself, help people, friends, his slaves and his freedman; in his treatment of Christians Pliny showed scarce judgement and even cruelty. This is evident in book Ten; in his letters to emperor Trajan when even Trajan showed more empathy towards Christians than Pliny did at that stage. I, however, do not want to apply current standards or ‘presentism’, to criticise the character of a person who lived in ancient Rome. That would be unfair for much has changed in the World since then. Furthermore, Pliny was a brilliant scholar and he was also a great man in almost all areas of his life. Pliny was a good man then, and he would probably be an even better man now, if he lived in modern times. What I admire most in Pliny is his loyalty toward his friends, his great respect and admiration for women, his belief of giving good treatment to slaves - he also had freedmen whom he respected and cared for, and his desires to improve himself in all levels, he was tenacious. What makes this book even more captivating is that poured his soul into his letters! They really capture the essence of Pliny's character and whole self.
Pliny was a very sociable person, he was beloved by many and due to his character he built strong relationships with the family of his ex mother-in law, who even shared her wealth with him. In my opinion, that speaks volumes of Pliny. I have therefore chosen some fragments of a few of his letters, fragments which I believe evidence several of his qualities. These are not necessarily my favourite fragments, but I think these particular fragments may appeal to those readers who are considering acquiring this book and may help refresh the memories of those readers who have already read the book previously and would like to know about how other readers feel about Pliny’s letters. Is one of your favourite fragments or letters, here?
A final comment before I add some fragments. The book I have has all ten books written by Pliny. My copy is the Penguin Classics paperback, which is frankly not the best format to read as it can be crammed; the font size is not big enough for my taste, but it does the job. As a result, I intend to buy the book in hardcover, and in a larger and more expensive version, this believe it is a good investment for I am certain that in a better format I would enjoy the book far more when I read it again. I apologise in advance for any typographical/syntax errors you may encounter when reading my review…but after only four hours of sleep I am exhausted and I do not really feel like editing my review. I am definitely not as meticulous as Pliny. Now, here are the fragments:
Book One
To Cornelius Titianus:
‘There is still a sense of loyalty and duty alive in the world, and men whose affections does [sic] not die with their friends’
To Sosius Senecio:
‘This year has raised a fine crop of poets; there was scarcely a day throughout the month of April when someone was not giving a public reading. I am glad to see that literature flourishes and there is a show of budding talent, in spite of the fact that people are slow to form an audience.’
Book Two
To Lupercus:
‘ I hope that you will understand by this not that I believe that I have achieved my aim, but that I have tried to do so…’
Book Three:
To Catilius Severus:
'I will come to dinner, but only on the condition that it is simple and informal, rich only in Socratic conversation, though this too must be kept within bounds, for there will be early-morning callers to think of….. But our dinner must have a limit, in time as well as in preparations and expense; for we are not the sort of people whom even our enemies cannot blame without a word of praise’
Book Four
To Calpurnia Hispulla:
‘You are a model of family affection, and loved your excellent and devoted brother as dearly as he loved you; you love his daughter as if she were your own, and, by filling the place of the father she lost, you are more than an aunt to her… You always foretold that I should become the man I am now in the eyes of my wife. Please accept our united thanks for having given her to me and me to her as if chosen for each one’
Book Five
To Titinius Capito:
‘Your suggestion that I should write history has often been made, for a good many people have given me the same advice. I like the idea: not that I feel at all sure of being successful- it would be rash in an amateur- but because the saving of those who deserve immortality from sinking into oblivion, and spreading the fame or others along one’s own, seem to me a particularly splendid achievement….So day and night I wonder if ‘I too may rise from earth’.
To Arrius Antoninus:
'It is only when I try to imitate your verse that I fully realise its excellence, for my halting efforts fall short of the original just as an artist’s copy can never be more than a poorer version of a wholly beautiful model. That is why I urge you to produce as much as possible for all of us to try to emulate even though none or very few will be successful.'
Book Six
To his wife Calpurnia:
'You say that you are feeling my absence very much, and your only comfort when I am not there is to hold my writings in your hand and often put them in my place by your side. I like to think that you miss me and find relief in this sort of consolation. I, too, am always reading your letters, and returning to them again and again as if they were new to me- but this only fans the fire of my longing for you. If your letters are so dear to me, you can imagine how I delight in your company; do write as often as you can, although you give me pleasure mingled with pain.'
To Caninius Rufus:
‘I am an admirer of the ancients, but, not like some people, so as to despise the talent of our own times. It is not true that the world is too tired and exhausted to be able to produce anything worth praising: on the contrary, I have just heard Vergilius Romanus reading to a small audience…. I don’t know if you know the man, but you certainly ought to, he is remarkable for his moral integrity, his intellectual refinement, and his versatility as an author’
Book Seven:
To Neratius (?) Priscus
‘Words cannot express my pleasure on receiving letter after letter from our friend Saturninus, in which he expresses his warmest thanks to you. Go on as you have begun, love this splendid man as much as you can; his friendship will prove a source of long and lasting happiness for he is endowed with all the virtues, not least the gift of unfailing loyalty in his affections’
To Septicius Clarus:
‘You say that people have criticized me in your hearing for taking any opportunity for exaggerated praise of my friends. I accept the charge, in fact, I welcome it, for there can be no more honourable fault than warmth of heart. But who are these people who know my friends better than I do myself? And, even if they do, why grudge me happiness in my delusion? My friends may not be all I proclaim them, but it makes me happy to think that they are. Let these people transfer their misplaced attentions to someone else; they will find all too many who think it a sign of good judgement to disparage friends, but they will never persuade me to believe that I love mine too much.’
Book Eight
To Maximus:
‘Literature is both my joy and my comfort: it can add to every happiness and there is no sorrow it cannot console. So worried as I am by my wife’s ill-health and the sickness of my household and death of some of my servants, I have taken refuge in my work, the only distraction I have in my misery. It may make me more conscious of my troubles but helps me to bear them with patience.’
Book Nine:
To Cornelius Tacitus:
‘You are never satisfied with yourself, but I never write with such confidence as when I write about you. Whether posterity will give us a thought I don’t know, but surely we deserve one- I don’t say for our genius, which sounds like boasting, but for our application, hard work, and regard for future generations. Only let us continue along the path we have chosen; if it lead few to the full light of fame, it brings many out of the shades of obscurity’
Book Ten:
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan:
'Suetonius Tranquillus, Sir, is not only a very fine scholar, but also a man of highest integrity and distinction. I have long admired his character and literary abilities, and since he became my close friend, and I now have an opportunity to have know him intimately, I have learned to value him more.’
Pliny’s writing style is engaging, elegant, and eloquent. Eloquence is something that Pliny strives to achieve, you will see this word often in his letters, but first and foremost he admires a writer who is of good character and who is willing to work for the benefit of the community. Pliny is a hard-worker, he is confident but he is not arrogant, he simply doesn’t show false modesty. As a writer, public servant, human being, and Roman figure, Pliny is truly outstanding and has deservingly won his place in history. Obviously, Pliny is flawed - who isn’t?- and although he comes across as a genuinely generous man, of strong ethical values, a man who is always trying to improve himself, help people, friends, his slaves and his freedman; in his treatment of Christians Pliny showed scarce judgement and even cruelty. This is evident in book Ten; in his letters to emperor Trajan when even Trajan showed more empathy towards Christians than Pliny did at that stage. I, however, do not want to apply current standards or ‘presentism’, to criticise the character of a person who lived in ancient Rome. That would be unfair for much has changed in the World since then. Furthermore, Pliny was a brilliant scholar and he was also a great man in almost all areas of his life. Pliny was a good man then, and he would probably be an even better man now, if he lived in modern times. What I admire most in Pliny is his loyalty toward his friends, his great respect and admiration for women, his belief of giving good treatment to slaves - he also had freedmen whom he respected and cared for, and his desires to improve himself in all levels, he was tenacious. What makes this book even more captivating is that poured his soul into his letters! They really capture the essence of Pliny's character and whole self.
Pliny was a very sociable person, he was beloved by many and due to his character he built strong relationships with the family of his ex mother-in law, who even shared her wealth with him. In my opinion, that speaks volumes of Pliny. I have therefore chosen some fragments of a few of his letters, fragments which I believe evidence several of his qualities. These are not necessarily my favourite fragments, but I think these particular fragments may appeal to those readers who are considering acquiring this book and may help refresh the memories of those readers who have already read the book previously and would like to know about how other readers feel about Pliny’s letters. Is one of your favourite fragments or letters, here?
A final comment before I add some fragments. The book I have has all ten books written by Pliny. My copy is the Penguin Classics paperback, which is frankly not the best format to read as it can be crammed; the font size is not big enough for my taste, but it does the job. As a result, I intend to buy the book in hardcover, and in a larger and more expensive version, this believe it is a good investment for I am certain that in a better format I would enjoy the book far more when I read it again. I apologise in advance for any typographical/syntax errors you may encounter when reading my review…but after only four hours of sleep I am exhausted and I do not really feel like editing my review. I am definitely not as meticulous as Pliny. Now, here are the fragments:
Book One
To Cornelius Titianus:
‘There is still a sense of loyalty and duty alive in the world, and men whose affections does [sic] not die with their friends’
To Sosius Senecio:
‘This year has raised a fine crop of poets; there was scarcely a day throughout the month of April when someone was not giving a public reading. I am glad to see that literature flourishes and there is a show of budding talent, in spite of the fact that people are slow to form an audience.’
Book Two
To Lupercus:
‘ I hope that you will understand by this not that I believe that I have achieved my aim, but that I have tried to do so…’
Book Three:
To Catilius Severus:
'I will come to dinner, but only on the condition that it is simple and informal, rich only in Socratic conversation, though this too must be kept within bounds, for there will be early-morning callers to think of….. But our dinner must have a limit, in time as well as in preparations and expense; for we are not the sort of people whom even our enemies cannot blame without a word of praise’
Book Four
To Calpurnia Hispulla:
‘You are a model of family affection, and loved your excellent and devoted brother as dearly as he loved you; you love his daughter as if she were your own, and, by filling the place of the father she lost, you are more than an aunt to her… You always foretold that I should become the man I am now in the eyes of my wife. Please accept our united thanks for having given her to me and me to her as if chosen for each one’
Book Five
To Titinius Capito:
‘Your suggestion that I should write history has often been made, for a good many people have given me the same advice. I like the idea: not that I feel at all sure of being successful- it would be rash in an amateur- but because the saving of those who deserve immortality from sinking into oblivion, and spreading the fame or others along one’s own, seem to me a particularly splendid achievement….So day and night I wonder if ‘I too may rise from earth’.
To Arrius Antoninus:
'It is only when I try to imitate your verse that I fully realise its excellence, for my halting efforts fall short of the original just as an artist’s copy can never be more than a poorer version of a wholly beautiful model. That is why I urge you to produce as much as possible for all of us to try to emulate even though none or very few will be successful.'
Book Six
To his wife Calpurnia:
'You say that you are feeling my absence very much, and your only comfort when I am not there is to hold my writings in your hand and often put them in my place by your side. I like to think that you miss me and find relief in this sort of consolation. I, too, am always reading your letters, and returning to them again and again as if they were new to me- but this only fans the fire of my longing for you. If your letters are so dear to me, you can imagine how I delight in your company; do write as often as you can, although you give me pleasure mingled with pain.'
To Caninius Rufus:
‘I am an admirer of the ancients, but, not like some people, so as to despise the talent of our own times. It is not true that the world is too tired and exhausted to be able to produce anything worth praising: on the contrary, I have just heard Vergilius Romanus reading to a small audience…. I don’t know if you know the man, but you certainly ought to, he is remarkable for his moral integrity, his intellectual refinement, and his versatility as an author’
Book Seven:
To Neratius (?) Priscus
‘Words cannot express my pleasure on receiving letter after letter from our friend Saturninus, in which he expresses his warmest thanks to you. Go on as you have begun, love this splendid man as much as you can; his friendship will prove a source of long and lasting happiness for he is endowed with all the virtues, not least the gift of unfailing loyalty in his affections’
To Septicius Clarus:
‘You say that people have criticized me in your hearing for taking any opportunity for exaggerated praise of my friends. I accept the charge, in fact, I welcome it, for there can be no more honourable fault than warmth of heart. But who are these people who know my friends better than I do myself? And, even if they do, why grudge me happiness in my delusion? My friends may not be all I proclaim them, but it makes me happy to think that they are. Let these people transfer their misplaced attentions to someone else; they will find all too many who think it a sign of good judgement to disparage friends, but they will never persuade me to believe that I love mine too much.’
Book Eight
To Maximus:
‘Literature is both my joy and my comfort: it can add to every happiness and there is no sorrow it cannot console. So worried as I am by my wife’s ill-health and the sickness of my household and death of some of my servants, I have taken refuge in my work, the only distraction I have in my misery. It may make me more conscious of my troubles but helps me to bear them with patience.’
Book Nine:
To Cornelius Tacitus:
‘You are never satisfied with yourself, but I never write with such confidence as when I write about you. Whether posterity will give us a thought I don’t know, but surely we deserve one- I don’t say for our genius, which sounds like boasting, but for our application, hard work, and regard for future generations. Only let us continue along the path we have chosen; if it lead few to the full light of fame, it brings many out of the shades of obscurity’
Book Ten:
Pliny to the Emperor Trajan:
'Suetonius Tranquillus, Sir, is not only a very fine scholar, but also a man of highest integrity and distinction. I have long admired his character and literary abilities, and since he became my close friend, and I now have an opportunity to have know him intimately, I have learned to value him more.’
August 11, 2012
I'll admit that at the time, reading the Letters of Pliny the Younger for my Classics courses was one of my least favorite assignments. Compared to Seneca, Suetonis, and Tacitus, Pliny seemed a bit dry and too run-of-the-mill for my tastes.
Looking back, however, the Letters are what remain in my mind the most.
The Letters opened the doors to the world of the everyday Roman. In his lively, pompous style, Pliny the Younger painted a vivid picture of the real Rome: the state of the crops, the design of one villa or another, procedural judiciary concerns that arose... In some letters, I can almost hear the emperor Trajan sigh wearily as he takes a moment from his busy schedule to scrawl an "OK" to one of Pliny's minor requests.
Not many people would appreciate Pliny's correspondance. I would say you need interest in Roman society and a healthy dose of curiosity to get through the Letters. But despite this, the Letters are worth their weight in gold, and we are lucky that such precious writings describing an ancient civilization have survived until this day.
Looking back, however, the Letters are what remain in my mind the most.
The Letters opened the doors to the world of the everyday Roman. In his lively, pompous style, Pliny the Younger painted a vivid picture of the real Rome: the state of the crops, the design of one villa or another, procedural judiciary concerns that arose... In some letters, I can almost hear the emperor Trajan sigh wearily as he takes a moment from his busy schedule to scrawl an "OK" to one of Pliny's minor requests.
Not many people would appreciate Pliny's correspondance. I would say you need interest in Roman society and a healthy dose of curiosity to get through the Letters. But despite this, the Letters are worth their weight in gold, and we are lucky that such precious writings describing an ancient civilization have survived until this day.
April 3, 2016
"I'm really enjoying reading Pliny. It's strange, but I really identify with him. He's just this guy, he's got his job to do, but what he really cares about is literature, reading it, writing a bit of it, talking about it with his friends."
"Okay."
"I've been imagining myself as Pliny when I write emails. Will this go down in posterity? How can I be a little wittier? Should I redraft this?"
"You know he owned half of Italy, right? And you have a part time job at a liberal arts college?"
That really happened. Trust my wife to bring me down a peg. Anyway, I stand by what I said, even though Pliny was massively rich and hob-nobbed with emperors. These letters are really interesting, provided you can get into at least two of the categories:
i) Literary criticism
ii) Legal affairs
iii) Bureaucratic wheedling
iv) Personal lives of Roman aristocrats
v) Gossip with famous historians
vi) Minutiae of governing a province
I enjoyed them all to begin with. The legal affairs got pretty dull pretty quickly, though they're great history, I'm sure; long discussions of cases Pliny presented or witnessed. The wheedling was pleasant, since it's nice to see office politics on a truly grand scale, but palls soon enough. The minutiae is, again, good for historians, but fairly dull reading (dear emperor, should I let these people build a swimming pool? Yours, Pliny). The literary criticism was, of course, my favorite for some time; it's thrilling to read someone's letters about Martial. They're also interesting because of the weight put on style. We could learn something there; Pliny even makes the argument that writing works with vapid content is more challenging, because the style has to be so much more rigorous (rather than, e.g., not writing things with vapid content). The personal lives stuff was okay for a while, but there are only so many grand performance eulogies you can read before they blend into one another. Gossip between Pliny, Tacitus, and Suetonius, however, was always fascinating, just because of who they are.
The point of all this is: the book offers diminishing returns. Books VIII and IX in particular, are deadly boring. But well worth flicking through the rest.
"Okay."
"I've been imagining myself as Pliny when I write emails. Will this go down in posterity? How can I be a little wittier? Should I redraft this?"
"You know he owned half of Italy, right? And you have a part time job at a liberal arts college?"
That really happened. Trust my wife to bring me down a peg. Anyway, I stand by what I said, even though Pliny was massively rich and hob-nobbed with emperors. These letters are really interesting, provided you can get into at least two of the categories:
i) Literary criticism
ii) Legal affairs
iii) Bureaucratic wheedling
iv) Personal lives of Roman aristocrats
v) Gossip with famous historians
vi) Minutiae of governing a province
I enjoyed them all to begin with. The legal affairs got pretty dull pretty quickly, though they're great history, I'm sure; long discussions of cases Pliny presented or witnessed. The wheedling was pleasant, since it's nice to see office politics on a truly grand scale, but palls soon enough. The minutiae is, again, good for historians, but fairly dull reading (dear emperor, should I let these people build a swimming pool? Yours, Pliny). The literary criticism was, of course, my favorite for some time; it's thrilling to read someone's letters about Martial. They're also interesting because of the weight put on style. We could learn something there; Pliny even makes the argument that writing works with vapid content is more challenging, because the style has to be so much more rigorous (rather than, e.g., not writing things with vapid content). The personal lives stuff was okay for a while, but there are only so many grand performance eulogies you can read before they blend into one another. Gossip between Pliny, Tacitus, and Suetonius, however, was always fascinating, just because of who they are.
The point of all this is: the book offers diminishing returns. Books VIII and IX in particular, are deadly boring. But well worth flicking through the rest.
October 8, 2023
Šī ir mana Romas impērija, jo grāmatu uzgāju pateicoties tam soctīklu jokam. Bija ļoti interesanti klausīties, kā Plīnijs stāsta par savu darbu, dzeju, saviem īpašumiem un citiem notikumiem, kā slavē draugus, kārto lietas. Viņa vēstules ir spilgta sen pagājuša laikmeta liecība, turklāt pats Plīnijs bija patīkama kompānija. Audiogrāmata ļoti labi ierunāta.
February 11, 2016
I've been reading these letters one at a time as one of the many books I've had on the go for months. Because the text is English and then Latin, which I knew but didn't remember, I came to the end unexpectedly, and with unexpected sadness and disappointment. I could happily have kept reading it for another six months if that had been possible.
I started reading these letters thinking "Well, it isn't Cicero." It isn't, and it isn't Cicero's Rome. But Pliny grew on me, and so did his period. There's a whole book of letters to and from Trajan when Pliny was governing Bithynia which were absolutely fascinating. Trajan addresses Pliny as "My dearest Secundus". There are letters to Suetonius and Tacitus, some of them about criticizing each other's work. There are letters to Favorinus his wife's grandfather, of which the one about his wife's miscarriage is the most touching. The politics and recent history are fascinating. As so often with letters, a real sense of the writer's personality comes through, and the personalities of his correspondents. Before I read this I'd read only the most famous of the letters -- the ones about the destruction of Pompeii and persecution of the Christians, and a few others that I'd done as random Latin unseens long ago. Pliny charmed me on his own merits, and now I'm glad to have him as a friend.
I started reading these letters thinking "Well, it isn't Cicero." It isn't, and it isn't Cicero's Rome. But Pliny grew on me, and so did his period. There's a whole book of letters to and from Trajan when Pliny was governing Bithynia which were absolutely fascinating. Trajan addresses Pliny as "My dearest Secundus". There are letters to Suetonius and Tacitus, some of them about criticizing each other's work. There are letters to Favorinus his wife's grandfather, of which the one about his wife's miscarriage is the most touching. The politics and recent history are fascinating. As so often with letters, a real sense of the writer's personality comes through, and the personalities of his correspondents. Before I read this I'd read only the most famous of the letters -- the ones about the destruction of Pompeii and persecution of the Christians, and a few others that I'd done as random Latin unseens long ago. Pliny charmed me on his own merits, and now I'm glad to have him as a friend.
June 4, 2014
A look into the life of a Roman aristocrat
4 June 2014
A part of me wished that I read these letters a lot closer, and also took some notes, because there are a lot of interesting little bits in here, such as an eyewitness account of the eruption of Vesuvius (letter 6:16), two letters in which Pliny gives a detailed description of his house, a letter that goes into detail with regards to the passion and energy that his uncle Pliny the Elder in relation to his quest for knowledge, and numerous correspondence between Pliny, when he was governor of Bythina, and the Emperor Trajan where he asks various questions regarding specifics in relation to the various laws of the empire and the emperor's decrees, including a letter that is famous among the Christians because Pliny actually asks Trajan whether he is doing the right thing going out hunting down Christians and torturing them (letter 10:96), to which Trajan responds by telling him that while he should arrest and punish Christians when he came across them, he should not to go out specifically hunting them down. Oh, I should also mention that one of the people that he regularly corresponded with was Cornelius Tacitus, and in one particular letter he praises his The Histories, referring to it as a work of immortality (which was then latter stolen by Edward Gibbon).
Anyway, as I began reading this collection of letters it suddenly struck me that I felt like I was reading Pliny's blog, except that back in those days they didn't have the internet, and while people would read his collection of letters, they could not write comments on them and start an online discussion. Okay, they may be stretching it a bit far, but I have read articles that have suggested that the rise of social media is actually not a new phenomena and that forms of it have existed for centuries. In fact Paul the Apostle was credited as using the concept with his letters because he would write his letter and send it to a church which would then make copies of the letter and forward the copies on to other churches, who would do the same. We see something similar here, not so much with regards to the ancient form of something going viral, but rather somebody taking their private life and making it public, and in these letters we are exposed to Pliny's day to day life.
However to describe these letters as making Pliny's private life public is probably – no actually is – a huge misnomer because there was no such thing as a private life in Ancient Rome. In fact everybody lived in an open and public community. The houses were set up in such a way that people in the street could look in and see what was going on inside, and they would be welcome to join in with the festivities. Okay, obviously that did not apply to everybody, but it still very much applied because the house of a Roman was an open house that people could enter and leave at will (though they probably still needed to be home, but the house of the upper middle-class would not necessarily be empty because everybody owned slaves, and even if the householders was not home, the slaves were).
Pliny outlines the reasons as to why he published his letters in the first letter in the collection (and the above link actually takes you to quite a few more as well), were it appears that one of his friends (Septimus Severus) urged him to publish them. We are not told why, namely because we are not actually privy to the original conversation, but maybe it is because Septimus always found Pliny's letters entertaining and engaging. As for me, well, I found them interesting, and a valuable resource to assist us in understanding the nature and the people of this era of Ancient Rome, but as for the content, and the writer himself, well I can't actually say all that much. Actually, if it was not for the fact that these letters reveal to us what life in Ancient Rome was like (at least among the upper classes), I probably would not be interested in them at all. To be honest with you I am not all that interested in reading a collection of emails published in book form by, say, the former governor of Oregon, or some other minor (or even major) politician. In fact I don't particularly care about their private life at all (nor am I really all that interested in their memoirs, though, as I suspect, neither are all that many other people).
I might just finish off with a comment on book 10, in which Pliny corresponds with Emperor Trajan, asking him numerous questions about the specific rules and regulations that governed the empire. Actually it makes me wonder how many letters Trajan would receive, but then he would probably not actually read these letters, but have a slave read them to him and then dictate the answer (which was what Pliny probably did as well because we know that was how Paul the Apostle wrote his letters). Anyway, these letters give us a glimpse on the particulars in running a province and the questions that the governors would have with regards to the regulations (such as travel passes and the use of the Imperial Post). I also wonder if these letters would be sent to all the governors (sort of like a forum where one person would as a question and the response would be shared among multiple people), though for some reason I doubt it.
4 June 2014
So we must work at our profession and not make anybody else's idleness an excuse for our own. There is no lack of readers and listeners; it is for us to produce something worth being written and heard.
A part of me wished that I read these letters a lot closer, and also took some notes, because there are a lot of interesting little bits in here, such as an eyewitness account of the eruption of Vesuvius (letter 6:16), two letters in which Pliny gives a detailed description of his house, a letter that goes into detail with regards to the passion and energy that his uncle Pliny the Elder in relation to his quest for knowledge, and numerous correspondence between Pliny, when he was governor of Bythina, and the Emperor Trajan where he asks various questions regarding specifics in relation to the various laws of the empire and the emperor's decrees, including a letter that is famous among the Christians because Pliny actually asks Trajan whether he is doing the right thing going out hunting down Christians and torturing them (letter 10:96), to which Trajan responds by telling him that while he should arrest and punish Christians when he came across them, he should not to go out specifically hunting them down. Oh, I should also mention that one of the people that he regularly corresponded with was Cornelius Tacitus, and in one particular letter he praises his The Histories, referring to it as a work of immortality (which was then latter stolen by Edward Gibbon).
Anyway, as I began reading this collection of letters it suddenly struck me that I felt like I was reading Pliny's blog, except that back in those days they didn't have the internet, and while people would read his collection of letters, they could not write comments on them and start an online discussion. Okay, they may be stretching it a bit far, but I have read articles that have suggested that the rise of social media is actually not a new phenomena and that forms of it have existed for centuries. In fact Paul the Apostle was credited as using the concept with his letters because he would write his letter and send it to a church which would then make copies of the letter and forward the copies on to other churches, who would do the same. We see something similar here, not so much with regards to the ancient form of something going viral, but rather somebody taking their private life and making it public, and in these letters we are exposed to Pliny's day to day life.
However to describe these letters as making Pliny's private life public is probably – no actually is – a huge misnomer because there was no such thing as a private life in Ancient Rome. In fact everybody lived in an open and public community. The houses were set up in such a way that people in the street could look in and see what was going on inside, and they would be welcome to join in with the festivities. Okay, obviously that did not apply to everybody, but it still very much applied because the house of a Roman was an open house that people could enter and leave at will (though they probably still needed to be home, but the house of the upper middle-class would not necessarily be empty because everybody owned slaves, and even if the householders was not home, the slaves were).
Pliny outlines the reasons as to why he published his letters in the first letter in the collection (and the above link actually takes you to quite a few more as well), were it appears that one of his friends (Septimus Severus) urged him to publish them. We are not told why, namely because we are not actually privy to the original conversation, but maybe it is because Septimus always found Pliny's letters entertaining and engaging. As for me, well, I found them interesting, and a valuable resource to assist us in understanding the nature and the people of this era of Ancient Rome, but as for the content, and the writer himself, well I can't actually say all that much. Actually, if it was not for the fact that these letters reveal to us what life in Ancient Rome was like (at least among the upper classes), I probably would not be interested in them at all. To be honest with you I am not all that interested in reading a collection of emails published in book form by, say, the former governor of Oregon, or some other minor (or even major) politician. In fact I don't particularly care about their private life at all (nor am I really all that interested in their memoirs, though, as I suspect, neither are all that many other people).
I might just finish off with a comment on book 10, in which Pliny corresponds with Emperor Trajan, asking him numerous questions about the specific rules and regulations that governed the empire. Actually it makes me wonder how many letters Trajan would receive, but then he would probably not actually read these letters, but have a slave read them to him and then dictate the answer (which was what Pliny probably did as well because we know that was how Paul the Apostle wrote his letters). Anyway, these letters give us a glimpse on the particulars in running a province and the questions that the governors would have with regards to the regulations (such as travel passes and the use of the Imperial Post). I also wonder if these letters would be sent to all the governors (sort of like a forum where one person would as a question and the response would be shared among multiple people), though for some reason I doubt it.
May 4, 2019
In this age of Trump, it was strange to read of a period during the Roman Empire under the reign of Trajan (98-117 AD) when good government was the norm.That was because there were brilliant, conscientious senators and governors like Pliny the Younger in his Complete Letters.
At some point between the crazier of the Julians, such as Caligula and Nero, and the corrupt later emperors, there was a period of good government.
Particularly interesting is Book X, which consist of letters between Pliny and the Emperor Trajan as the former was governor of Bithynia and Pontus around 111-112 AD. Even when you consider the friendly relations between the two men, it is amazing how often Pliny wrote in response to problems arising in his province, and how often Trajan responded -- and responded supportively.
Of particular interest are two letters in which Pliny talks about the eruption of Vesuvius, which he witnessed from a distance, and which killed his Uncle Pliny the Elder, who had crossed the bay to investigate.
At some point between the crazier of the Julians, such as Caligula and Nero, and the corrupt later emperors, there was a period of good government.
Particularly interesting is Book X, which consist of letters between Pliny and the Emperor Trajan as the former was governor of Bithynia and Pontus around 111-112 AD. Even when you consider the friendly relations between the two men, it is amazing how often Pliny wrote in response to problems arising in his province, and how often Trajan responded -- and responded supportively.
Of particular interest are two letters in which Pliny talks about the eruption of Vesuvius, which he witnessed from a distance, and which killed his Uncle Pliny the Elder, who had crossed the bay to investigate.
January 14, 2017
Pliny is the sweetest and most adorable person, with a kind heart and incredible generosity of spirit; these letters are charming, uplifting, morally admirable and will tell you so much about life and attitudes under the Antonines. Whether you're interested in ancient Rome or not, I simply can't recommend reading them highly enough.
April 24, 2020
Finally read books 1-6 after reading 7-10 last year. It was an enjoyable look into a highly curated image of an important senator in the AD 90s-100s.
I found the translation to be a bit stiff at times, but otherwise it was an enjoyable experience
I found the translation to be a bit stiff at times, but otherwise it was an enjoyable experience
January 16, 2019
Насправді читала український божественний переклад Андрія Содомори, та полінувалася додати його сюди. Книжка, після якої хочу більше мовчати, правда, поки не дуже вдається. Мчу читати інших античних мужів.
May 13, 2014
A window into the world of the upper-class Roman of Pliny's day.
I felt the most fascinating letters were:
Correspondence with Trajan on various matters when Pliny was governor of Bithynia. Most important to us is the correspondence on treatment of Christians, in which Trajan gave his approval to Pliny's treatment of them.
Description of Pliny's Laurentian villa: XXIII
Beauty of the countryside and description of his Tuscan villa: LII
Legacy-hunting: XXV
What he considers a good dinner party: XIX, XXXII, CII
Ghost stories: LXXII
His own work habits: CVIII
Recommendation of a possible husband for a friend's niece: X
Concern for a friend after a big flood: XCI
Musing on how we can go away to see wonderful things but neglect those in our proximity. He describes 'floating islands' [masses of reeds on a nearby lake]: XCII
Dislike of chariot races and the four factions: CXVII]
Eruption of Vesuvius, his uncle's death and his own feelings, written to Tacitus: LXV, LXVI
I felt the most fascinating letters were:
Correspondence with Trajan on various matters when Pliny was governor of Bithynia. Most important to us is the correspondence on treatment of Christians, in which Trajan gave his approval to Pliny's treatment of them.
Description of Pliny's Laurentian villa: XXIII
Beauty of the countryside and description of his Tuscan villa: LII
Legacy-hunting: XXV
What he considers a good dinner party: XIX, XXXII, CII
Ghost stories: LXXII
His own work habits: CVIII
Recommendation of a possible husband for a friend's niece: X
Concern for a friend after a big flood: XCI
Musing on how we can go away to see wonderful things but neglect those in our proximity. He describes 'floating islands' [masses of reeds on a nearby lake]: XCII
Dislike of chariot races and the four factions: CXVII]
Eruption of Vesuvius, his uncle's death and his own feelings, written to Tacitus: LXV, LXVI
December 26, 2024
"It is not the weight of the burden that breaks you, but the way you carry it."
"A friend should be one who, in our prosperity, can bear with us; and in our adversity, can console us."
The Letters of the Younger Pliny offers an insightful and fascinating glimpse into the life and thoughts of one of ancient Rome’s most prominent figures. Through his letters, Pliny shares a wealth of wisdom on topics ranging from philosophy and politics to personal relationships and the challenges of public life. What struck me most was the warmth and humanity that shines through in his correspondence. These letters are not only valuable historical documents but also contain reflections that are deeply relevant even today.
Pliny’s reflections on friendship, duty, and virtue are timeless. His thoughtful and often philosophical approach to the trials of life demonstrates an acute understanding of human nature. His letters to friends, emperors, and acquaintances reveal a man of great intellect, integrity, and compassion, offering readers both personal insight and broader cultural perspectives from the Roman world.
This collection is a treasure trove for anyone interested in Roman history, philosophy, or the art of letter-writing. It’s a perfect blend of personal and public, showing the complexity of life in the Roman Empire. The letters are rich with humour, wisdom, and profound observations on the human condition. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found that each letter offered something new to ponder. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in classical literature or the intellectual history of Rome!
"A friend should be one who, in our prosperity, can bear with us; and in our adversity, can console us."
The Letters of the Younger Pliny offers an insightful and fascinating glimpse into the life and thoughts of one of ancient Rome’s most prominent figures. Through his letters, Pliny shares a wealth of wisdom on topics ranging from philosophy and politics to personal relationships and the challenges of public life. What struck me most was the warmth and humanity that shines through in his correspondence. These letters are not only valuable historical documents but also contain reflections that are deeply relevant even today.
Pliny’s reflections on friendship, duty, and virtue are timeless. His thoughtful and often philosophical approach to the trials of life demonstrates an acute understanding of human nature. His letters to friends, emperors, and acquaintances reveal a man of great intellect, integrity, and compassion, offering readers both personal insight and broader cultural perspectives from the Roman world.
This collection is a treasure trove for anyone interested in Roman history, philosophy, or the art of letter-writing. It’s a perfect blend of personal and public, showing the complexity of life in the Roman Empire. The letters are rich with humour, wisdom, and profound observations on the human condition. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found that each letter offered something new to ponder. Highly recommend it for anyone interested in classical literature or the intellectual history of Rome!
July 29, 2022
With my love of social history and Imperial Rome, I had high hopes for this -- the personal correspondence of Pliny the Younger, who included amongst his correspondents Tacitus, Suetonius, and the Emperor Trajan himself. There are some justly famed highlights -- for instance, Pliny's account in two successive letters of the 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius gives us our only eyewitness account of the event. Written in answer to queries from the historian Tacitus, the first chronicles Pliny the Elder's death by asphyxiation on an abortive naval rescue mission, and the second tells of Pliny the Younger's own terrifying experience at Misenum, just at the edge of the worst impacted area around the Bay of Naples. There is also a letter to Trajan in Book X which is the first extant official correspondence regarding the new Christian community, which Pliny calls "a degenerate cult". His instinct is to execute Christians who won't recant and sacrifice to Rome's gods and Emperor, and Trajan agrees, while counseling mercy for those who do. This last book is interesting as it's entirely composed of Pliny's correspondence with Trajan, which offers a glimpse of the Emperor's character -- generally level headed, practical, and benevolent, as his reputation elsewhere would suggest. Beyond these examples, however, this epistolary anthology is something of a mixed bag, and sometimes rather dull.
One problem is that with the exception of his correspondence with the Emperor in Book X, we only have Pliny's own letters, and none of the letters to which he's replying or received in response. So though there is occasionally a nice epigram or well-turned phrase that offers literary value in itself, it's basically a one-sided conversation throughout. Most of those addressed are minor players by historical standards, so we have only a slight sense of whom he's talking to, with the three great exceptions I've mentioned. And even in those three cases, we only get a little insight into Trajan thanks to his included replies -- there are no real insights offered by Pliny's correspondence with Suetonius and Tacitus into their characters, though we do have the latter's inquiry to thank for spurring the two Vesuvius accounts.
One certainly gets a sense of the client system as it operated in Rome; as a Senator and man of wealth, Pliny has many dependents and associates who ask him for a kind word or a request for citizenship, a position, or a special privilege, and many of his letters over the years are written in an attempt to secure these things, in a rather boilerplate style. Episodes from Pliny's legal career are recounted, particularly the corruption trials of some former Imperial Governors. Elsewhere he indulges his love of oratory and literature, pontificating on his own practice of writing, indulging in a bit of self-puffery, and praising many authors who've apparently been long lost to history. He occasionally also talks about his beloved villas and their working farms, which offers a bit more socio-historical interest. And his late in life appointment to Bithynia-Pontus as the Emperor's special envoy and trouble-shooter is full of practical concerns -- financial, legal, religious, and technical -- that give the reader an idea of the many problems of Roman governance in the far flung provinces; this material is all contained within Book X, the last.
One problem is that with the exception of his correspondence with the Emperor in Book X, we only have Pliny's own letters, and none of the letters to which he's replying or received in response. So though there is occasionally a nice epigram or well-turned phrase that offers literary value in itself, it's basically a one-sided conversation throughout. Most of those addressed are minor players by historical standards, so we have only a slight sense of whom he's talking to, with the three great exceptions I've mentioned. And even in those three cases, we only get a little insight into Trajan thanks to his included replies -- there are no real insights offered by Pliny's correspondence with Suetonius and Tacitus into their characters, though we do have the latter's inquiry to thank for spurring the two Vesuvius accounts.
One certainly gets a sense of the client system as it operated in Rome; as a Senator and man of wealth, Pliny has many dependents and associates who ask him for a kind word or a request for citizenship, a position, or a special privilege, and many of his letters over the years are written in an attempt to secure these things, in a rather boilerplate style. Episodes from Pliny's legal career are recounted, particularly the corruption trials of some former Imperial Governors. Elsewhere he indulges his love of oratory and literature, pontificating on his own practice of writing, indulging in a bit of self-puffery, and praising many authors who've apparently been long lost to history. He occasionally also talks about his beloved villas and their working farms, which offers a bit more socio-historical interest. And his late in life appointment to Bithynia-Pontus as the Emperor's special envoy and trouble-shooter is full of practical concerns -- financial, legal, religious, and technical -- that give the reader an idea of the many problems of Roman governance in the far flung provinces; this material is all contained within Book X, the last.
December 7, 2007
This collection offers a rare, personal take on life in the late classical world. Pliny the Younger writes on everything from political issues to etiquette advice to love and social issues. One of my favorite letters is the one in which he relates a ghost story (complete with rattling chains). Although the real gem of this collection is Pliny's eye-witness account not only of the eruption of Vesuvius, but of his uncle's (Pliny the Elder's) rescue by boat of a number of people fleeing the now storied destruction of Pompeii and Herculeneum.
Read
November 27, 2023Spurred by Jo Walton’s monthly reading column at Tor.com, I decided I wanted to read some letters. My mum used to use Pliny’s letters when she was teaching Roman history, and in consequence I felt a vague but definite warmth towards him before I even began reading. His letters are marvelous. You do, as Jo says, get to know people by their letters, and Pliny is great: he absolutely adores his friends, he misses his wife when she’s not around, he likes her family, he wants to advise and mentor young men in his field. He’s constantly revising his law-court speeches for publication, writing (quite bad, I think) poetry, waxing lyrical about his house in the country. He’s not without faults: there’s some smugness and vanity in him, some virtue-signaling, but I find it all charming and entirely relatable. Of course he wants to share his tips for throwing a classy dinner party on a budget! (They include “hire actors to recite poetry, instead of dancing girls” and “serve everyone the cheap wine”.) His description of the eruption of Vesuvius is justly famous—it’s one of the best eyewitness sources we have, maybe the only one?—and also darkly hilarious: his uncle, Pliny the Elder, is scientifically fascinated but has absolutely no escape plan (and ends up dying, suffocated by ash), and Pliny the Younger is so absorbed in his history homework that he doesn’t move until it’s almost too late. The translation I read is quite old, and I think some editorial work would have helped me enjoy the letters even more—a chronology of his life, or an estimated date of composition next to each letter, since Pliny, who published them within his lifetime, didn’t arrange them in chronological order. I imagine these exist in newer editions. Anyway, this was really fun and lovely and now I want to read Tacitus’s Annals and Suetonius’s Lives of the Twelve Caesars (both historians were Pliny’s pals and received letters from him!)
July 15, 2024
what a fascinating read. crazy to think how you can feel like you get to know someone dead for 2000 years simply by reading their letters. sometimes very serious, sometimes very funny and clever, Pliny emerges from this book in a very complex and human way (surprising i know… even people living two millennia ago were not much different from us today). many letters are simply Pliny trying to get his friends into a certain position in society, but others are more laid back and interesting to read. from descriptions of his houses and how he likes to spend his summers to letters about how much he misses his wife, from bad grape harvests to the death of his uncle at Vesuvius, all of these letters allow a glimpse into life in ancient Rome. (i was also glad to find i still remembered some stories from translating them in Latin class :) )
book X includes Pliny’s letters to Trajan. aside from the ass-kissing and boot-licking (it’s still the emperor, you can’t just go out and call him bestie), these letters show beautifully what troubles cities had to deal with back in the day. Pliny often asks the emperor’s permission for the construction or reparation of public buildings, but also sometimes just shoots him a letter to wish him a happy birthday. can’t recommend enough if you want to know more about what day-to-day life in Rome was really like, and what occupied the minds of great Romans like Pliny
(cameos from Suetonius and Tacitus felt like a marvel cross-over event)
book X includes Pliny’s letters to Trajan. aside from the ass-kissing and boot-licking (it’s still the emperor, you can’t just go out and call him bestie), these letters show beautifully what troubles cities had to deal with back in the day. Pliny often asks the emperor’s permission for the construction or reparation of public buildings, but also sometimes just shoots him a letter to wish him a happy birthday. can’t recommend enough if you want to know more about what day-to-day life in Rome was really like, and what occupied the minds of great Romans like Pliny
(cameos from Suetonius and Tacitus felt like a marvel cross-over event)
November 19, 2021
We read Pliny’s letters across the term for a university module. The letters offer an insight - albeit a heavily varnished one - into the world of provincial governors under the Roman emperors.
We see through Pliny’s correspondence with Trajan the daily tasks he is expected to undertake, and if you can get past the slavish sucking up he does to the emperor, you can glean some level of reliable information into the world he occupied.
We see through Pliny’s correspondence with Trajan the daily tasks he is expected to undertake, and if you can get past the slavish sucking up he does to the emperor, you can glean some level of reliable information into the world he occupied.
February 1, 2011
In high school I was an eager student of Latin, and so having read Caesar, Sallustius, Livius and many other great authors in the original, I was under the impression of having a good background in Roman history. And so it came that I didn't read anything about this particular historical period in at least fifteen years. Pliny's letters made me realise how superficial and cliche-ridden my understanding of that epoch was. It seems that as a high school student one is focused on the language to such a degree that the broader outlines of the enveloping history simply recede into the background.
As a successful, professional lawyer, as a member of a respected family, patron of a vast network of clients, as an accomplished writer, a more or less efficient administrator and prosperous land owner, Pliny embodies the quintessence of the political and cultural elite in the imperial capital. His carefully groomed letters reveal a fascinating picture of the mature Empire. What emerges from this book is a panoramic picture of a world that is not even very different from our own. Admittedly, the summit of the societal pyramid in 2nd century Rome was populated by a much smaller and more select group of people compared to the upper middle class in the advanced economies of today. But apart from the numbers, the life style of these two groups seems to have a lot of things in common. Take geographical mobility as an example. Pliny was originally descendant from the Como area in Northern Italy. Obviously, most of his time was spent in the capital, where he had a villa at the shores of the Thyrannean Sea. Additionally, he had an estate in what is now Tuscany. Finally there was his wife's estate in Campania, which is pretty far down the heel of the Italian peninsula. Much the same as today's professional elite, and undettered by vastly more primitive means of transportation and communication, Pliny shuttles back and forth between his estates, hundreds of kilometers apart. I take this as anecdotal evidence of the fact that, irrespective of historical epoch, elites have always transcended geographical distance in exercising their professional and social obligations. And many other aspects of Pliny's professional and social life remind us of our life world today. In sum, I find the texture and 'feel' of this collection of letters decidedly modern.
Another aspect that filters through Pliny's correspondence is the fact that Rome could be a very dangerous place to live, at least for those in the spotlights of the political scene. The Empire can, perhaps, be best described as a 'quasi-totalitarian' state. A bit like the China of today, or worse. We now from Suetonius' account how damaging and dangerous the paranoia of individuals such as Domitian could be for whoever opposed them. Pliny confirms this through many of his more or less oblique references to Domitian's despotic reign of terror.
The final bundle of letters contains the correspondence with the emperor Trajan, whom Pliny obviously reveres. The insights into the workings of Rome's administrative machinery to govern such a vast empire, are fascinating. Ultimately, one is astonished by the patience and competence that this particular emperor brings to bear to the many and sometimes trivial issues that his man in the East requests his advice on. One would think that Trajan would have better things to do. This testifies of the impressive efficiency and robustness of Rome's governance apparatus.
This collection of letters is thoroughly recommended to anyone interested in studying the predicament of our own time through the distorting but fascinating mirror of the past.
As a successful, professional lawyer, as a member of a respected family, patron of a vast network of clients, as an accomplished writer, a more or less efficient administrator and prosperous land owner, Pliny embodies the quintessence of the political and cultural elite in the imperial capital. His carefully groomed letters reveal a fascinating picture of the mature Empire. What emerges from this book is a panoramic picture of a world that is not even very different from our own. Admittedly, the summit of the societal pyramid in 2nd century Rome was populated by a much smaller and more select group of people compared to the upper middle class in the advanced economies of today. But apart from the numbers, the life style of these two groups seems to have a lot of things in common. Take geographical mobility as an example. Pliny was originally descendant from the Como area in Northern Italy. Obviously, most of his time was spent in the capital, where he had a villa at the shores of the Thyrannean Sea. Additionally, he had an estate in what is now Tuscany. Finally there was his wife's estate in Campania, which is pretty far down the heel of the Italian peninsula. Much the same as today's professional elite, and undettered by vastly more primitive means of transportation and communication, Pliny shuttles back and forth between his estates, hundreds of kilometers apart. I take this as anecdotal evidence of the fact that, irrespective of historical epoch, elites have always transcended geographical distance in exercising their professional and social obligations. And many other aspects of Pliny's professional and social life remind us of our life world today. In sum, I find the texture and 'feel' of this collection of letters decidedly modern.
Another aspect that filters through Pliny's correspondence is the fact that Rome could be a very dangerous place to live, at least for those in the spotlights of the political scene. The Empire can, perhaps, be best described as a 'quasi-totalitarian' state. A bit like the China of today, or worse. We now from Suetonius' account how damaging and dangerous the paranoia of individuals such as Domitian could be for whoever opposed them. Pliny confirms this through many of his more or less oblique references to Domitian's despotic reign of terror.
The final bundle of letters contains the correspondence with the emperor Trajan, whom Pliny obviously reveres. The insights into the workings of Rome's administrative machinery to govern such a vast empire, are fascinating. Ultimately, one is astonished by the patience and competence that this particular emperor brings to bear to the many and sometimes trivial issues that his man in the East requests his advice on. One would think that Trajan would have better things to do. This testifies of the impressive efficiency and robustness of Rome's governance apparatus.
This collection of letters is thoroughly recommended to anyone interested in studying the predicament of our own time through the distorting but fascinating mirror of the past.
June 21, 2016
Sometimes it's hard to tell a personality flaw from a difference of values. Pliny seems full of himself occasionally, but I hesitate to call him vain because he solicits and accepts direct criticism without getting his feathers ruffled. I think I'm just seeing the Roman concern for fame and regard for rank. I found him on the whole a likeable fellow.
Anyway, this is an excellent window into the life of a Roman around 100 AD. It's good enough to make it onto my syllabus for a high school classical history course, where the competition is fierce.
Anyway, this is an excellent window into the life of a Roman around 100 AD. It's good enough to make it onto my syllabus for a high school classical history course, where the competition is fierce.
March 9, 2016
It's a fascinating historical document written by an insufferably vain and pompous Roman senator. Pliny was a social creature and his description of daily Roman life is vivid and rich in detail. His is not a very likable voice though, and the book is better read in small doses.
June 1, 2023
Patrician’s letters. Some charm (country villa, wife). Others interest (Vesuvius, Imperial admin). Some bore (law, recs).
Read
December 23, 2021Absolute banger plini does it again, what legend
Read
July 17, 2025I am an admirer of the ancients, but, not like some people, so as to despise the talent of our own times. It is not true that the world is too tired and exhausted to be able to produce anything worth praising…
A fascinating window into “the good ol’ days” that humanises the people who to us might well have been dinosaurs - truly interesting to see how mankind really didn’t change all that much, thousands of years ago the “back in my day…” outlook was just as prevalent as it is now, truly makes you wonder just how much more “ancient” can you be than these people from the 100’s AD?
That aside, above is the beautiful and time-tested sentiment that piqued my interest for this collection of letters. Pliny had many more other insights to offer, another favourite was
But the majority gave their assent; for votes are counted, their value is not weighed, and no other method is possible in a public assembly. Yet this strict equality results in something very different from equity, so long as men have the same right to judge but not the same ability to judge wisely.
Above all I enjoyed his playful and unceremonious voice, particularly his unrestrained - and therefore very heartfelt and amusing to read - professions of love and admiration to his friends.
You say that the book I sent you the other day has given you more pleasure than any of my other works. A learned friend of mine is of the same opinion, and this encourages me to think that neither of you is mistaken; for it is unlikely that you would both be wrong, and I like to flatter myself. In fact I always want my latest work to be thought my masterpiece; consequently I have turned against the one you have in favour of a speech which I have just published, and which you shall see as soon as I can find someone reliable to bring it. Now I have roused your expectations, but I fear they may be disappointed when you have the speech in your hands. Meanwhile wait for its arrival with the intention of liking it and you may find you do so after all.
I love old literature’s wit like nothing else.
April 10, 2018
Fascinating look at upper-class roman life in the late 1 c-early 2c CE Rome. A treasure trove of information. Pliny gained contemporary reknown as an orator; today he is best known for his letters.
Like many collections of letters, a mixed bag. But some gems are his letters about the eruption of Vesuvius, a letter about ghosts, and the last chapter which contained letters to and from Trajan resulting from his governorship of Bithynia (including one of the earliest exchanges about Christianity). I also found interesting his letters discussing legal matters; his letters about his various houses and letters of recommendation less so, except for the fact that in one of his houses on Lake Como, he could fish from his bedroom if he wanted.
The Oxford World's Classics edition contains the usual apparatus--an introduction, notes, and bibliography. I only had a few quibbles with the translation: the use of the phrase "robbing Peter to pay Paul" was jarring in a letter by a Roman Senator, and the translator's substitution of French phrases for the scattered Greek words was baroque. Some of the Notes were very interesting and a bit bitchy. For example: "here is a note of impatience in Trajan’s reply; he must have found Pliny’s continual requests for guidance trying." Others accuse Pliny of "special pleading", and criticizs the quality of poetry Pliny quotes approvingly.
Like many collections of letters, a mixed bag. But some gems are his letters about the eruption of Vesuvius, a letter about ghosts, and the last chapter which contained letters to and from Trajan resulting from his governorship of Bithynia (including one of the earliest exchanges about Christianity). I also found interesting his letters discussing legal matters; his letters about his various houses and letters of recommendation less so, except for the fact that in one of his houses on Lake Como, he could fish from his bedroom if he wanted.
The Oxford World's Classics edition contains the usual apparatus--an introduction, notes, and bibliography. I only had a few quibbles with the translation: the use of the phrase "robbing Peter to pay Paul" was jarring in a letter by a Roman Senator, and the translator's substitution of French phrases for the scattered Greek words was baroque. Some of the Notes were very interesting and a bit bitchy. For example: "here is a note of impatience in Trajan’s reply; he must have found Pliny’s continual requests for guidance trying." Others accuse Pliny of "special pleading", and criticizs the quality of poetry Pliny quotes approvingly.
April 3, 2020
As long as it took me to read this (the language is dense as Roman concrete) it has solidified my opinion that
ANCIENT TEXTS ARE COOL. ⭐👍
There's so much here about Roman social history, family and estate dynamics, law courts, contemporary Roman texts, authors and bureaucratic odds and ends, that you could write an entire book just about the stuff in this book.
I'll settle for applauding how well Pliny treats his wife. Considering y'know, Roman family law .
And a clap for Trajan and Pliny's bromance.
ANCIENT TEXTS ARE COOL. ⭐👍
There's so much here about Roman social history, family and estate dynamics, law courts, contemporary Roman texts, authors and bureaucratic odds and ends, that you could write an entire book just about the stuff in this book.
I'll settle for applauding how well Pliny treats his wife. Considering y'know, Roman family law .
And a clap for Trajan and Pliny's bromance.
December 21, 2019
Sends you back in time to Emperor laden era of Rome as a now older Piliny the Younger sends letters to friends, his Emperor, and most note worthy his description of Mount Vesuvius' eruptions in 79 AD to his historian and interested friend Tacitus.
December 6, 2023
so interesting! was not expecting to enjoy it so much! i had to read part of it for exams but found myself being pulled into the world of Pliny. It is a great mix of letters ranging in topics from law, to advice, to economics, to death, to love, and to friendship. honestly, a great read!
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