Biography
Pliny Elder - writer, naturalist, historian and philosopher, leader of the Navy of the early Roman Empire, friend of Emperor Vespasian. The famous author of the Latin phrase "In Vino Veritas" ("Truth in wine") and other well-known quotes, the creator of "natural history", which became the prototype of the encyclopedia, uncle and stepfather of the political figure, speaker, lawyer and writer Plinia Jr.Childhood and youth
Pliny Senior (Guy Pliny Seconds) was born between 23 and 24 years. NS. In the family of Rider Gajus Plinia Keeler and his wife Marcella. According to the same way, he was a native of Verona, in others - came from the Roman city of the new com.
According to researchers, Pole parents belonged to the proposed antique genus. The states inherited by the philosopher from the ancestors was enough for his descendant Guy Pliny Cecilius for seconds to buy school, a library, several places around Rome and Lake Como and founded the fund to help local women and children.
Parios of the Senior Pole were among the peoples originally in the Novum Comum colony, so by nationality he could well belong to the ancient Greeks, but he preferred to be known as Roman.
The future philosopher received traditional education and passed the course of lawmaking. Its teachers were politician, military leader and playwright Pubonius seconds seconds, the author of the Roman grammar Quint Remmey Peremon, Orator of Arrelly Fuus and Naturist Anthony Castor.
Military Service and State Activities
In 46, about 23 years old, Pliny senior joined the rows of the Roman army, which was ordinary practice for descendants of riders. According to the researchers, he began the service in the rank of the commander of the cohort in Lower Germany, and in 47, the future writer participated in the conquest of the hawki tribe and the construction of the canal between the Rivers Maas and Rhine.
After a while, a young officer fell under the command of publicing Pomponia second and joined the position of a military tribune at the headquarters of the district. Having manifest itself in the next campaign against Hawka, Pliny Senior became the wing commander and accepted responsibility for the cavalry battalion with a number of about 480 people. After spending the rest of the military service in this position, he intended to describe the history of wars between the Romans and the Germans, but implemented this plan after he quit from service.
Having left the official position in the army, Pliny took up literature. He returned to public and political work only in 69, when the former military general Vespasian became the emperor of the Roman Empire, striving to restore the world and put the state economy on a solid foundation.
The new ruler needed supporters and devotees, and Pliny became one of the citizens awarded the infinite confidence of the emperor, and took the post of procurator of some Roman provinces and areas in Africa and Spain, making a contribution to the population census in 73-74 years. The writer supported friendly relations with Vespasian. Being in the capital, he struck hedentally visits to the ruler and only then proceded to fulfilling other duties.
On the activities of Pralia in the mid-70s, reliable information has not been preserved. Probably at that time he was in Rome, where she was preparing for the release of the "World History" edition. Presumably, the procurator attended the opening of the "Temple of the World", where artworks were collected, decorated the "golden house" of Nero, and commanded a detachment of night watchdis. From the memories of contemporaries and descendants, it is known that shortly before the death of Vespasian appointed Pralia to the position of Fleet Prefect in Mesin.
Literary works
In recent years, Military Service Pliny Senior wrote the first book on the use of specific guns in horseback battles. The work was not preserved, but its content was mentioned in the "natural history" reached us.
Returning to Rome, a beginner writer published a second literary work in 2 volumes dedicated to the biography of his commander, glorified commander Pomponia second. This book, who became a tribute to the Commander and Friend, was the only work describing the life and heroic portrait of the famous military man holder, after which he never mentioned in historical works.
At the same time, Pliny ended the historical narration that told about the progress of Roman-German wars. It consisted of 20 books, later was quoted by Tacitis in Annals. This anthology is also not preserved, since the contemporaries preferred a shortened version of the follower to the original multicolor.
During the reign of Emperor Nero, Pliny tried not to attract the attention of the insane rule of Rome. He wrote the works on the topics of grammar and rhetoric, which were considered safe from a political point of view. The 6-Tomny Studiosus Tutorial and 8 books called "Dubii Sermonis" are known.
After Nero's death in 68 and appointments to the post of procurator of the Roman, African and Spanish provinces of Pliny, a number of scientific treatises on biology, agriculture and gold mining were written.
The latter and the most fundamental work of the Senior Pole became the "Natural History", the encyclopedia, which consisted of 37 books in which the author gathered a majority of knowledge inherent in the Roman era. The basis of the work was the personal experience of the writer, the books of predecessors and contemporaries. During the 73-74 years, Pliny dictated notes included in the encyclopedia, creating a collection of a variety of passages, which the nephew bequeathed.
The "Natural History" became one of the largest preserved works of the existence of the Ancient Roman Empire, which covered the entire area of modern knowledge based on reliable and authoritative sources. The work contained articles on biology, zoology, medicine, astronomy, geology and mineralogy, described the features of the use of natural resources and the technological process of their production.
Much of what Plini wrote was confirmed during archaeological excavations: scientists found the remnants of water mills used to grind corn, as well as fixtures for the peeling of the cobs.
The encyclopedia has become an indispensable source of knowledge about the art of ancient Rome, contained information about the works of famous artists and biographical information about them. The publication formed the basis of "lives" belonging to Peru Italian writer Georgeo Vazari and filling the gap in the history of Italian painting and graphics.
"Natural History" served as a model for subsequent encyclopedias due to the breadth of the studied theme, links on the original authors and the full list of articles set forth in the content. The clear structure of the material feed from the total to the private allowed first to describe the study area, and then the elements, its components. For example, in the animal section, individual species combined in the habitat, and the articles on astronomy began with the theory of cosmology.
Sections of the encyclopedia author built in chronological order. In the first book, he described the origin of the universe, then the earth structure and, introducing concepts from the field of geography, completed the work of information about the inhabitants of the planet, touched upon all the well-known spheres of human life and life. In contrast to other works of Senior, "Natural History" for many centuries survived its own author, so in the Middle Ages an antique encyclopedia laid the beginning of Latin scientific terminology and helped in the detection and identification of certain objects of ancient art.
Personal life
Pliny Sr. did not have any wives or her own children. The writer lived under one roof with her sister and her son, cared for them after the death of the head of the family. In the will, he adopted a nephew for he could inherit a considerable property belonging to the writer.
The main part of the knowledge of the personal life and the work of the Ancient Roman encyclopedist contemporaries and the descendants received thanks to the notes of Plyna Jr., who became a famous speaker, playwright and a public figure.
Death
The death of the author of Natural History, scientists associated with the eruption of Vesuvius volcano on August 24, 79. At this time, the man carried military service on the fleet in Mesin. After the destruction of Pompeii and Herculana, the commander received a message of friends with a request for help.
The famous encyclopedist himself led ships to the opposite coast of the Neapolitan Gulf, to save people from the lesion zone of the raging volcano. When the ash and ashes began on the road to the ship, Pliny with the words "Good luck loves brave", instead of turning back, continued the path.
The team landed on the shore of Staby and went in search of victims. The strengthened wind prevented immediate evacuation, and the sailors led by Pole were hidden on the shore. When the weather became favorable, the subordinates found that their commander could not climb even with an extreme help. The writer was left in the city where he died of poisoning to toxic couples.
Another version of the death of the Senior Plane is described by Quinta Beby Macr, the State Affilitary of the Roman Empire of the beginning of the 2nd century. According to him, the cause of the death of the author of Natural History was simple curiosity, because of which he approached too close to Vesuvius.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the historian Konway Zirkl, who called both hypothesis about the death of Parley Senior Dezinformation, wrote that the ancient Roman figure was never near the awakening volcano, his death scientist tied up with an overweight writer, weak health and probable problems with the heart.
Proceedings
- "Natural history"
- "Studiosus"
- "Dubi Sermonis"
- "About cavalry throwing"
- "On the life of Pomponia Secund"
- "German Wars"
- "A FINE AUFIDII BASSI"