Pliny and the Eruption of Vesuvius

Pliny the Younger's letters 6.16 and 6.20 provide a contemporary account of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79, destroying the surrounding towns and countryside and killing his uncle, Pliny the Elder. This volume provides a comprehensive full-length treatment of these documents, contextualized by evidence-rich biographies and a synthesis of the latest archaeological and volcanological research.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 334 pages
Publication date: 29 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Pliny the Younger's Epistulae 6.16 and 6.20, two of the most well-known letters from the ancient Mediterranean world, are the subject of a forensic investigation in Pliny and the Eruption of Vesuvius. These letters, written to Tacitus, the historian, give contemporary accounts of the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. Pliny the Younger describes what transpired when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, destroying the nearby towns and countryside, including Pompeii and Herculaneum, and killing his uncle, Pliny the Elder, in these letters.

This book offers the first thorough full-length treatment of these documents, contextualized by evidence-rich biographies for both Plinys, and a synthesis of the latest archaeological and volcanological research that answers questions about the eruption date. A new collation of sources results in a detailed manuscript tradition and an authoritative Latin text, while commentaries on each letter offer copiously referenced insights on their structure, style, and meaning.

Pliny and the Eruption of Vesuvius provides a thorough companion to these letters, and to the eruption, which will be of interest not only to those working on Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Herculaneum, and the works of Pliny but also to general readers, Latin students, and scholars of the Roman world more broadly.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032225418