THE LETTERS OF THE YOUNGER PLINY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Pliny the Younger,Late Betty Radice | 320 pages | 01 Apr 1976 | Penguin Books Ltd | 9780140441277 | English | London, United Kingdom The Letters of the Younger Pliny PDF Book Journey Around the World. 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. The Myth of Persecution. It also deals with letters to friends, providing political advice and other types of advice, etc. 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. We now from Suetonius' account how damaging and dangerous the paranoia of individuals such as Domitian could be for whoever opposed them. The letters of Pliny the Younger in this Oxford edition are nicely translated, capturing the eloquence, persuasiveness and desription known to be trademarks of his. It seems unknown to Pliny the Elder, so Valens' mother was probably not his sister Plinia; perhaps Valens was Lutulla's son from an earlier relationship. His master, the emperor Trajan, told him not to seek them out but to execute those who, being informed against, refused to abjure their religion. 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 during this age of the glorified word. Aug 04, Seamus Enright rated it liked it. Pliny loved villas. 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. David L. The first — incomplete — edition of Pliny's Epistles was published in Italy in The wheedling was pleasant, since it's nice to see office politics on a truly grand scale, but palls soon enough. 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. Written in answer to queries from the historian Tacitus, the first chronicles Pliny the Elder's 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. He died with his dear ones surviving him, and at a time of prosperity for the state, which was dearer to him than all else; that too I acknowledge. While an obvious source for historians, Pliny has also been, somewhat surprisingly, an inspiration to architects. 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. Then we have t PLINY the Younger 62 — Epistles - books I to X - edited from 96 to Most of the letters in the first half of the book are addressed to friends and family and treat the everyday business like illness, death, legacies, as well as some speeches at the senate in Pliny's function as a lawyer. Normally, I am more prompt in my correspondence practices. Sometimes Pliny seems like a charming and slightly prim eccentric: while out hunting, he takes along his tablets so that he can work on his poetry while awaiting some hapless wild boar to stray into his nets. Suetonius The Caesars. Eodem ferme tempore Venetias ad Aldum Manutium editionem suam parantem, quae anno proditura erat, epistulas ex eodem vetustissimo codice descriptas misit ipse Iucundus. Ancient Rome topics. The program must have been written by a sports broadcaster. Anyway, I stand by what I said, even though Pliny was massively rich and hob-nobbed with emperors. I find much lacking in it now. Mynors, C. Dec 07, Sara rated it really liked it Recommends it for: lovers of classical history. I was truly saddened when I turned the page and there was not just one more letter from this exceptional man. I Fascinating look at upper-class roman life in the late 1 c-early 2c CE Rome. 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. 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. Pliny rose through a series of civil and military offices, the cursus honorum. The first complete edition was produced by the press of Aldus Manutius in Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. 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. 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. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sometimes it's hard to tell a personality flaw from a difference of values. Pliny's letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early Christians and provides a key description of Roman administrative process and problems. Croix, G. I started reading these letters thinking "Well, it isn't Cicero. This genial encyclopedia takes up ten compact volumes in the Loeb Library, with Latin and English on facing pages, and still makes excellent bedside reading. Sort order. The Letters of the Younger Pliny Writer Lists with This Book. There is no novelty, no variation, nothing for which a single viewing would not suffice. Pliny the Younger married three times, firstly, when he was very young about 18 , to a stepdaughter of Veccius Proculus, who died at age 37; secondly, at an unknown date, to the daughter of Pompeia Celerina ; and thirdly to Calpurnia, daughter of Calpurnius and granddaughter of Calpurnius Fabatus of Comum. Pliny the Younger writes on everything from political issues to etiquette advice to love and social issues. 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. Friend Reviews. They're also interesting because of the weight put on style. Obviously, most of his time was spent in the capital, where he had a villa at the shores of the Thyrannean Sea. Recalling the speech in one of his letters, Pliny shrewdly defines his own motives thus:. A window into the world of the upper-class Roman of Pliny's day. 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. Historically interesting as there are some letters to contemporary authors that I have read, like Tacitus and Suetone, also references made to Cicero, Seneca, Martial, Juvenal, and Catullus. Other editions. Tribune of the People tribunus plebis. It's a fascinating historical document written by an insufferably vain and pompous Roman senator. 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. A few in their fear of death were praying for death. Download as PDF Printable version. Pliny confirms this through many of his more or less oblique references to Domitian's despotic reign of terror. The largest surviving body of Pliny's work is his Epistulae Letters , a series of personal missives directed to his friends and associates. He gives advice suggesting tutors and proper spouses, also giving generously from his estates to his home town, promising civil servants and needy friends. 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. The villas of Pliny from antiquity to posterity illustrated ed. Sign up here to see what happened On This Day , every day in your inbox! He had relaxed in the sun, had then taken a cold dip, had lunched lying down, and was at his books. Also, to be honest, Pliny does spend a good bit of time blowing his own horn about his virtue, legal acumen and generosity, which starts to wear on the reader af While this book does contain a lot of first hand information about life in Imperial Rome - especially the legal system and the elaborate network of favors, obligations, and patronage in the Senatorial class - it's not especially readable, being a collection of letters written by Pliny and, near the end, by the Emperor Trajan to Pliny. It seems that as a high school student one is focused on the language to su 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.