The Natural History of Pliny, Vol. 1

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...continuation of the "Roman History" of the time of Tiberius, he judiciously suspended his labors during the reign of Nero, who appointed him to a post in Nearer Spain, and not improbably of equestrian rank. It was during his sojourn there that he learned of the death of his brother-in-law, C. Cæcilius Plinius Cæcilius Secundus (the author of the Panegyricus—a speech of praise), whom, immediately upon his return to Rome, he adopted, receiving him and his widowed mother.

Having been previously known to the Emperor in the German wars, he was admitted into the circle of his most intimate friends and obtained an administrative post, the nature of which is not known, but it is conjectured that it was in connection with the imperial household. Though Pliny was on intimate terms with Titus, to whom he dedicated his Natural History, there is no ground for the assertion, sometimes made, that he served under him in the Jewish wars. His account of the region clearly shows that he had never visited it. It was at this period that he published his continuation of the History of Aufidius Bassus.

From the titles which he gives to Titus in his preface, it is pretty clear that his Natural History was published A.D. 77, two years before his death.

In A.D. 73 or 74, he had been appointed commander (præfect) of the Roman fleet at Misenum, on the coast of Italy. It was to this elevation that he owed his death, somewhat similar, it has been remarked, to that of Empedocles, who perished in the crater of Mount Etna. The closing scene of his active life, simultaneous with the destruction of Herculaneum and Pompeii, cannot be better described than in the language employed by his nephew in an Epistle to his friend Tacitus the historian: "He was at Misenum, where he was in personal command of the fleet. On the ninth day before the calends of September, at about the seventh hour, 1 P.M., my mother drew his attention to the appearance of a cloud of unusual size and shape. After reclining in the sun, he had enjoyed a cold bath; he had then again lain down and, after a light meal, applied himself to his studies. Immediately..."

Pliny's Letters, Book 6, Letter 16.