Man of High Empire : The Life of Pliny the Younger

Pliny the Younger (c. 60-112 C.E.)--senator and consul in the Rome of emperors Domitian and Trajan, eyewitness to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, and early 'persecutor' of Christians on the Black Sea--remains Rome's best documented private individual between Cicero and Augustine. No Roman writer, not even Vergil, ties his identity to the regions of Italy more successfully than Pliny. His individuality can be captured by focusing on the range of locales in which he lived: from his hometown of Comum (Como) at the foot of the Italian Alps, down through the villa and farms he owned in Umbria, to the senate and courtrooms of Rome and the magnificent residence he owned on the coast near the capital. Organized geographically, __Man of High Empire__ is the first full-scale biography devoted solely to the Younger Pliny. Reserved, punctilious, occasionally patronizing, and perhaps inclined to overvalue his achievements, Pliny has seemed to some the ancient equivalent of Mr. Collins, the unctuous vicar of Jane Austen's __Pride and Prejudice__. Roy K. Gibson reveals a man more complex than this unfair comparison suggests. An innovating landowner in Umbria and a deeply generous benefactor in Comum, Pliny is also a consul who plays with words in Rome and dispenses summary justice in the provinces. A solicitous, if rather traditional, husband in northern Italy, Pliny is also a literary modernist in Rome, and--more surprisingly--a secret pessimist about Trajan, the 'best' of emperors. Pliny's life is a window on to the Empire at its zenith. The book concludes with an archaeological tour guide of the sites associated with Pliny. Pliny the Younger (c. 60-112 C.E.)-senator and consul in the Rome of emperors Domitian and Trajan, eyewitness to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79, and early 'persecutor' of Christians on the Black Sea-remains Rome's best documented private individual between Cicero and Augustine. No Roman writer, not even Vergil, ties his identity to the regions of Italy more successfully than Pliny. His individuality can be captured by focusing on the range of locales in which he lived: from his hometown of Comum (Como) at the foot of the Italian Alps, down through the villa and farms he owned in Umbria, to the senate and courtrooms of Rome and the magnificent residence he owned on the coast near the capital.0 Organized geographically, Man of High Empire is the first full-scale biography devoted solely to the Younger Pliny. Reserved, punctilious, occasionally patronizing, and perhaps inclined to overvalue his achievements, Pliny has seemed to some the ancient equivalent of Mr. Collins, the unctuous vicar of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Roy K. Gibson reveals a man more complex than this unfair comparison suggests. An innovating landowner in Umbria and a deeply generous benefactor in Comum, Pliny is also a consul who plays with words in Rome and dispenses summary justice in the provinces. A solicitous, if rather traditional, husband in northern Italy, Pliny is also a literary modernist in Rome, and-more surprisingly-a secret pessimist about Trajan, the 'best' of emperors. Pliny's life is a window on to the Empire at its zenith. The book concludes with an archaeological tour guide of the sites associated with Pliny "Pliny the Younger (c. 60-112 CE)--senator and consul in the Rome of Domitian and Trajan, eyewitness to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE, early 'persecutor' of Christians on the Black Sea--remains the best documented Roman individual, other than emperors, between Cicero and Augustine. Standard biographical approaches rarely suit him. But no Roman writer, not even Vergil, ties his identity to the regions of Italy more successfully than Pliny. His individuality can be captured by focusing on the range of locales in which he lived, including Comum, Umbria and Rome. What is Pliny's attachment or relationship to a region? What is his persona, and what does he do there? What does he see, or not see, in a landscape or its inhabitants? Why does he play Comum up or play Umbria down? A strong thread of linear narration is maintained. In his youth Pliny spent a period of time on the bay of Naples alongside his famous uncle, the Elder Pliny, author of the Natural History. It was while here he witnessed the catastrophe of 79. Pliny spent the last years of his life as governor in the province of Pontus-Bithynia in northwest Turkey, in a landscape and political milieu quite different from the one he had known in Italy. Four figures from the classical past, present, and future accompany Pliny: Cicero, Tacitus, Epictetus, and Augustine"--Publisher's description cover Man of High Empire Copyright Dedication Contents List of Maps and Figures References and Abbreviations Introduction 1. Pliny the Younger: Life and Letters 2. Writing a Modern Biography of an Ancient Roman 3. Comum 4. Campania 5. Rome 6. Umbria and the Laurentine Shore 7. Return to Comum 8. Pontus-​Bithynia Envoi Appendix 1: Timeline Appendix 2: Guide to Pliny’s Italy and Bithynia Bibliography Index of Passages General Index Pliny the Younger (c. 60-112 C.E) - senator and consul in the Rome of Domitian and Trajan, eyewitness to the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 C.E., early "persecutor" of Christians on the Black Sea - remains the best documented Roman individual, other than emperors, between Cicero and Augustine.