The ancient Roman writer and politician Pliny the Younger is known for his letters and his oratory. His creative flowering fell on the era of the reign of Emperor Trajan and the "Golden Age" of the ancient state.
Family
The future writer Pliny the Younger was born in 61 in northern Italy, in the city of Como. He belonged to an aristocratic family. His father was an important official in the local municipality. The maternal uncle of Pliny the Younger was Pliny the Elder (22–79). He was also a writer. His "Natural History" was a popular encyclopedia that de alt with natural phenomena and objects. Pliny the Younger lost his father early, after which he was adopted by his uncle, who gave his nephew the best education at that time.
Uncle's death
Uncle and nephew witnessed the terrible eruption of Vesuvius in Pompeii in 79. Pliny the Elder at that time was the commander of the local fleet. For some unknown reason, he approached the volcano at a too dangerous distance on a ship, which caused him to be poisoned by sulfur fumes. Pliny the Younger was then only an eighteen-year-old youth. Later, in one of his letters to the historian Tacitus, he describes the circumstancestragedy. Modern historiographers would never have known some of the details about the eruption of Vesuvius, if not for Pliny the Younger. Pompeii became his main and most terrible impression of his life.
Career
Pliny studied at his uncle's house. But in addition, the military Virginius Rufus was engaged in his education, who at one time could even become an emperor, but refused such a burden. When Pliny grew up, he chose a career as a civil servant. To do this, he moved to Rome, where he studied at a rhetorical school. Already at the end of the second ten, a capable young man began to master the basics of advocacy.
Under Emperor Domitian, the official made an impressive career. By 94 he had become prefect of the military treasury. It was an extremely delicate position, which was claimed by numerous detractors of Pliny. Only the untimely death of the emperor prevented the aristocrat from dying because of a false denunciation.
Trajan's approximate
In 98 Emperor Trajan came to power. He had a close and trusting relationship with Pliny. Therefore, the new ruler appointed the writer to important government positions. In the year 100, Pliny became consul, and three years later he found himself in the college of augur priests. These people performed important state ceremonies adopted in the ancient pagan society. The augurs divined and personified the divinity of the emperor's power.
However, despite the public service, Pliny never left hislegal practice. He was one of the most respected metropolitan experts in jurisprudence. Over the years of vigorous activity, this man became rich and acquired his own villas. But he did not forget about philanthropic activities. For example, Como's hometown has long had an influential patron. It was Pliny the Younger Gaius. The short biography of this man is an example of the life of a representative aristocrat of the Roman Empire during its heyday.
In 110, Pliny received his last public office. Trajan appointed him legate in the distant province of Bithynia, where corruption reigned. The emperor hoped that the venerable official and lawyer would be able to eradicate this evil. Pliny lived in Asia Minor for three years and died in 113.
Literary heritage
From the literary heritage of the author, the letters of Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan are best known. They were written in the last years of the official's life, when he lived in Bithynia and kept in touch with the ruler only through correspondence. These creations were published after his death and are a brilliant example of the epistolary genre.
According to Pliny's correspondence, many generations of historians studied the life and customs of the Roman Empire at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries. The author was fluent in Latin, which made his letters a convenient application for learning this language. In his letters to Trajan, Pliny not only described Eastern life, but also talked a lot about politics. In addition, he several times mentioned the first communities of Christians, which at that timetime lived in the empire as outcasts.
Because Pliny was an augur for some time, he was well versed in religious matters. In the Roman Empire, the cult of the emperor was widespread. Christians denied it, for which they were persecuted by the authorities. Pliny in his epistles described the rites of these people who lived in semi-closed communities.
During his lifetime, the writer published nine volumes of his letters, sent to a variety of people. In some of them, Pliny argued heatedly with his addressees, demonstrating his polished rhetorical skills. In his presentation of thoughts, he often imitated Cicero. Pliny's letters are classics of ancient Roman literature. They have also been translated into Russian and included in university history textbooks and various monographs.
