Pliny the elder died in the mount vesuvius eruption of a. Pliny the younger, a roman lawyer and author, describes the 79 ad eruption of mount vesuvius in letters he wrote about 25 years after the event. When he saw the eruption of vesuvius in august 79 ad, his first impulse was to rush nearer to study the phenomenon. The terror and the fascination of pompeii the new yorker. When he saw the eruption of vesuvius in august 79 ad, his first impulse.
Plinys dates are pinned to the eruption of mount vesuvius in ad 79 and a. Dictionary of greek and roman biography and mythology. The two letters written by pliny the younger describing the eruption. Pliny the elder was praefectus classi, praefect of the fleet, appointed by the emperor and holding imperium. In antiquity the classic account of the eruption, and of a small part of its devastation, occurs in a pair of letters written by pliny the younger 61 ad. The blog posts about the vesuvius eruption are on hold while i complete my book, pliny. A recording of pliny the youngers account of pliny the elders death during the. Pliny s dates are pinned to the eruption of mount vesuvius in ad 79 and a statement of his nephew that he died in his 56th year, which would put his birth in ad 23 or 24 pliny was the son of an equestrian gaius plinius celer and his wife marcella. He was also a naval and army commander of the early roman empire and personal friend of the emperor vespasian. Gaius plinius secundus ad 232479, called pliny the elder was a roman author, a naturalist.
Ad 23 august 25, ad 79, commonly known by his anglicized name, pliny the elder, was a roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher. Pliny the younger reports that it was in the seventh hour after sunrise right around noon on august 24th of 79 ce that his mother pointed out to. The first letter describes the journey of his uncle pliny the elder during which he perished. A recording of pliny the youngers account of pliny the elders death during the eruption of mount vesuvius. Cheers to the scholar, historian, officer, writer, and roman naturalist pliny the elder. Having seen the cloud, pliny the elder decided he wanted to get closer to it to investigate, said daisy dunn, a classicist whose 2019 biography the shadow of vesuvius is the definitive. Tacitus description of the eruption of vesuvius and the death of pliny the elder would have been in the part of his histories that does not survive. Learn pliny eruption vesuvius with free interactive flashcards. Translate pliny the elder to english online and download now our free translation software to use at any time. Professional soccer coaching advice features free tips, tools, sessions and. Choose from 167 different sets of pliny eruption vesuvius flashcards on quizlet. Each volume is included in its original latin with an english translation for easy. Pliny the elder was immortalized by his nephew, pliny the younger, who wrote about his uncle succumbing to ash and smoke during the eruption of mt. This is an english translation of the two letters written by pliny the younger to the roman historian tacitus.
During the eruption of vesuvius in 79 ad, which completely buried pompeii and herculaneum, pliny the younger described the tragedy in two letters sent to. Neither the younger nor the elder pliny mention the names. His natural historypenguin classics has a good abridged translation. Their ultimate source is a fragmentary inscription cil v 1 3442 found in a field in. An illustration of pliny the elder, who perished in the mount vesuvius eruption of a.
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