Pliny letters commentary on the book 2 letter 6

The letters of the younger pliny by pliny the younger. Selected letters internet history sourcebooks project. A comprehensive introduction to pliny the youngers epistulae, complete with extensive commentary. Of these, letters 16 and 20 are the most famous and longest ones, written to the historian tacitus and describing the eruption of mount vesuvius when he was a boy in august of 79 ce, as well as the death of his uncle, pliny the elder. Now the day begins, with a still hesitant and almost lazy dawn. Especially noteworthy among the letters are two in which he describes the eruption of mount vesuvius in august 79, during which his uncle pliny the elder died 65 and 66 in this edition, and one in which he asks the emperor for instructions regarding official policy concerning christians trajan letter 97. We see pliny describe his consideration for his modest wife 6. The post is duly registered on the inscription ils 2927. The style is very different from that in the panegyricus, and some commentators maintain that pliny initiated a new genre. Nonfiction harvard classics pliny the younger letters. Plinys letter is the earliest pagan account to refer to early christians and provides a key description of roman administrative process and problems. Short biographies of the elder and younger pliny, setting the context for the vesuvian letters two letters.

I know that immortal fame awaits him if his death is recorded by you. The epistles of pliny oxford readings in classical. See key to translations for an explanation of the format. These letters are a unique testimony of roman administrative history and everyday life in the 1st century. Chapter 1 traces plinys autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. The project gutenberg ebook of letters of pliny, by pliny this ebook is for the use of. Christopher whitton is lecturer in classics at the university of cambridge and fellow of emmanuel college. Choose from 500 different sets of pliny letter translation flashcards on quizlet. Chapter 2 undertakes detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. This was the disaster that buried pompeii, herculaneum, and other sites. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on plinys famous country vil.

The letters of pliny the younger contained in this volume provide intermediate and. Click on the l symbols to go the latin text of each letter. A comprehensive introduction to pliny the youngers epistulae, complete with extensive. Epistulae vi letters 6 is the sixth of ten books of letters by the roman lawyer and author pliny the younger, mainly written around 106 to 107 ce. For an index with links to all the letters on this site arranged by topic, click here. Titles of familiar handbooks and journals will be given by their usual initials. We have a whole set of exchanges of his letters with the emperor trajan on a variety of administrative political matters. Dear acilius, 1 a terrible thing, worthy of more than just a letter, has been suffered at the hands of his slaves by larcius macedo, a man of praetorian rank, a haughty and savage master who remembered too little or rather too well that his own father had been a slave. Student commentary pliny book 2, letter 6 english translation pliny book 2, letter 6 latin text pliny book 2, letter 20 english translation. Thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. This final book was, significantly, not intended for publication. Pliny the younger wrote hundreds of letters, of which 247 survive and are of great historical value.

Gibson, reading the letters of sidonius by the book, in j. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing the. This edition, the first to address a complete book of epistles in over a century, presents a latin text together with an introduction and commentary intended for. The oxford greek and latin college commentaries is designed for students in. The text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. Chapter 1 traces pliny s autobiographical narrative throughout the letters. An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit. This work is licensed under a creative commons attributionsharealike 3. A standby of latin instruction for many years letter 6. These posts are part of a book project that intends to understand the scholarly and popular reception of those letters.

This post begins a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6. Christopher whittons commentary on plinys epistles 2 reinforces the. Gibson and ruth morello frontmatter more information. This is the first general introduction to plinys letters published in any language, combining close readings with broader context and adopting a fresh and innovative approach to reading the letters as an artistically structured collection. The letters, on which today his fame mainly rests, were largely written with a view to publication, and were arranged by pliny himself. Pliny served as an imperial magistrate under trajan reigned 98117, 2 and his letters to trajan provide one of the few surviving records of the. An index to the letters on this site arranged by book and letter number. The first fourteen letters of this book are dated from the period preceding plinys appointment as governor his official title was that of legatus augusti pro praetore consulari potestate of bithynia and pontus, probably between 110 and 112 ce. Aug 27, 20 2 by which i marvel all the more that so many thousands of men desire to see running horses so childishly, over and over again, and to see people standing on the chariots. This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of pliny the youngers letters 6.

The last was written during his tour of administration of bithynia, during which he may well have died. Pliny likely wrote the letters from amisus before his term ended in january 1. He plans to work next on a commentary on pliny, letters book 6. Book 6 had awarded the emperor, newly returned from victory in. The letters of the younger pliny have come down to us in 10 books, 9 of his personal letters, and book 10 containing his official correspondence with the emperor trajan. There follows the commentary in about 440 pages on books i. If nevertheless they were attracted either by the speed of the horses or by the skill of the drivers, then it would not be without reason. The second book is a typically varied yet taut suite of miniatures, including among its twenty letters the trial of marius priscus and plinys famous portrait of his laurentine villa. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing. Letters of pliny by pliny the younger full audio book. Chapters 4 to 7 study thematic letter cycles within the collection, including those on. Pliny book 1, letter 10 student commentary pliny book 1. They thus lack the spontaneity of ciceros impulsive utterances, but to most modern readers who are not special students of roman history they are even more interesting.

Syme suggested historia 6 1957 482483 that when pliny recom mended. The blog posts about the vesuvius eruption are on hold while i complete my book, pliny and the destruction of vesuvius routledge, 2021. Pliny the younger was born in novum comum como, northern italy around 61 ad, the son of lucius caecilius cilo, born there, and his wife plinia marcella, a sister of pliny the elder. The origin of christianity in that region is not known, but it has not been associated with apostle pauls travels. For the duration of the mandate, observe that plinys predecessor julius ferox is attested both in 101 and in 103 cil 6. Some are addressed to reigning emperors or to notables such as the historian tacitus. Modestus, he explained, in a letter of his, which was read to domitian, had. They tell us about the man himself and his wide interests, and about his many friends, including tacitus, martial and suetonius. Introductions for each letter guide students in understanding and interpreting the text. Letters of pliny, by gaius plinius caecilius secundus.

You have constantly urged me to collect and publish the more highly finished of the letters that i may have written. Learn pliny letter translation with free interactive flashcards. The epistulae are later copies of a series of personal missives by pliny the younger directed to his friends and associates. Lxv to tacitus your request that i would send you an account of my uncles death, in order to transmit a more exact relation of it to posterity, deserves my acknowledgments. Pliny the younger was the governor of bithynia et pontus on the black sea coast of anatolia turkey. He is currently completing a biography of pliny, man of high empire, and a commentary on pliny, letters book 6. For the duration of the mandate, observe that plinys predecessor julius ferox is. He was educated at home and then in rome under quintilian. Book x of the letters contains his correspondence with trajan during this period, and includes letters about the early christians. While this book does contain a lot of first hand information about life in imperial rome especially the legal system and the elaborate network of favors, obligations, and patronage in the senatorial class its not especially readable, being a collection of letters written by pliny and, near the end, by the emperor trajan to pliny. The younger pliny was born in 61 or 62 ce, the son of lucius caecilius of comum como and the elder plinys sister. Some more information about his career is provided by an inscription at comum. Pliny book 1 pliny book 1, letter 1 english translation pliny book 1, letter 1 latin text. A prominent lawyer and administrator, pliny was also a prolific letterwriter, who numbered among his correspondents such.

Lefkowitz fannia was granddaughter of the famous arria the elder, a stoic, who committed suicide when her husband, caecina paetus, was condemned to death in a. An index to the letters on this site arranged by book. Selected letters from pliny the youngers epistulae. The tenth book of pliny the youngers correspondence gathers only letters exchanged between pliny and the emperor trajan. Plinys lively and very personal letters address an astonishing range of topics, from a deeply moving account of his uncles death in the eruption that engulfed pompeii, to observations on the early christiansa desperate. Jan 16, 2006 dear acilius, 1 a terrible thing, worthy of more than just a letter, has been suffered at the hands of his slaves by larcius macedo, a man of praetorian rank, a haughty and savage master who remembered too little or rather too well that his own father had been a slave. A reconstruction of the transmission history of epp. Reading the letters of pliny the younger book depository. Click anywhere in the line to jump to another position. He was the grandson of senator and landowner gaius caecilius, revered his uncle, pliny the elder who at this time was extremely famous around the roman empire, and provided sketches of how his uncle worked on. An xml version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer perseus any modifications you make. Pliny the younger was governor of pontusbithynia from 1111 ad. He is coeditor with ruth morello of both reimagining pliny the younger arethusa special number 36.

Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Note on the text the text of books i to ix of the letters rests on three manuscript traditions, the 9book, the 10book and the 8book, known as. He was at misenum at the time of the eruption of vesuvius in 79 described in two famous letters when the elder pliny died. Chapter 2 undertakes a detailed study of book 6 as an artistic entity. Pliny to cornelius tacitus thank you for asking me to send you a description of my uncles death so that you can leave an accurate account of it for posterity1. Documentation in the following pages has been kept to a minimum. In a separate introduction to book x are discussed. It is true that he perished in a catastrophe which. This penguin classics edition is translated with an introduction by betty radice. Firth 1900 a few words and phrases have been modified. Providing a series of fascinating views of imperial rome, the letters of the younger pliny also offer one of the fullest selfportraits to survive from classical times. Pliny s letters are important as a social document of his times.