INTRODUCTION

GAIUS PLINIUS SECUNDUS—commonly known as Pliny the Elder to distinguish him from his nephew and ward, Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus, whose collected letters have provided such a vivid portrait of Roman life during the reign of Trajan—belonged to a wealthy and prominent family in Northern Italy. He was born at Como in A.D. 23. After completing his studies in Rome, he began an official career at the age of twenty-three, serving in Germany under Lucius Pomponius Secundus and eventually attaining the rank of cavalry squadron commander. Seven or eight years later, he returned to Rome and took up the study of law. During most of Nero’s principate the reign of an emperor, he lived in retirement, but toward the end of that period, he re-entered public life and served as a Procurator a high-ranking imperial financial official in Spain. He held this position until Vespasian became Emperor, at which point he returned to Rome and was welcomed into the Emperor’s inner circle; they had previously become acquainted while serving together on the front in Germany. He also embarked on a new career path, receiving a naval commission.

Throughout his busy career as a man of action, he remained consistently committed to study and authorship. His scientific interests ultimately cost him his life at the age of 56. In A.D. 79, he was in command of the fleet at Misenum on the Bay of Naples.