Why did Pliny the Younger wrote to Tacitus?

Pliny wrote the two letters describing the eruption of Mount Vesuvius approximately 25 years after the event, and both were sent in response to the request of his friend, the historian Tacitus.

Why is Pliny the Younger important?

Pliny’s letters introduce many of the leading figures of Roman society in the 12 years after the death of Domitian—men of letters, politicians, administrators, generals, and rising young men of rank. They make possible the social reconstruction of an age for which there is otherwise no serious historical record.

When did Pliny write letters to Tacitus?

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, in a rescue attempt.

Is Pliny the Younger reliable?

Roman senator and writer, Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus otherwise known as Pliny the Younger, who was seventeen years old at the time of the eruption, had witnessed the Vesuvius eruption of 79 AD from the home of his uncle in Misenum and managed to write a very accurate account some 25 years later.

What did Suetonius say about Jesus?

James D.G. Dunn states that most scholars infer that “Suetonius misheard the name ‘Christus’ (referring to Jesus as Christ) as ‘Chrestus'” and also misunderstood the report and assumed that the followers of someone called Chrestus were causing disturbances within the Jewish community based on his instigation.

Who is Tacitus and Pliny?

As a young man, Tacitus studied rhetoric in Rome to prepare for a career in law and politics; like Pliny, he may have studied under Quintilian ( c. 35 AD – c. 100). In 77 or 78, he married Julia Agricola, daughter of the famous general Agricola.

What is Suetonius known for?

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (c. 69 – c. 130/140 CE), better known simply as Suetonius, was a Roman writer whose most famous work is his biographies of the first 12 Caesars.

What did Pliny say about Jesus?

They called upon the gods, and supplicated to your image, which I caused to be brought to me for that purpose, with frankincense and wine; they also cursed Christ; none of which things, it is said, can any of those that are ready Christians be compelled to do; so I thought fit to let them go.

How did Tacitus feel about Christianity?

Tacitus was a patriotic Roman senator. His writings show no sympathy towards Christians, or knowledge of who their leader was.

What did Suetonius say about Christians?

In this passage Suetonius describes Christianity as excessive religiosity (superstitio) as do his contemporaries, Tacitus and Pliny. Historians debate whether or not the Roman government distinguished between Christians and Jews prior to Nerva’s modification of the Fiscus Judaicus in AD 96.

Who was Tacitus and what did he do?

Tacitus was a Roman orator and public official. He is widely regarded to have been among the most important Roman historians and to have been one of the greatest prose stylists who wrote in the Latin language.