Pliny the Younger
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"The cloud was rising from a mountain, at such a distance we couldn't
tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can best describe
its shape by likening it to a pine tree. It rose into the sky on a very long
'trunk' from which spread some 'branches'. I imagine it had been raised by
a sudden blast, which then weakened, leaving the cloud unsupported so that
its own weight caused it to spread sideways.
Pliny the younger was a writer. He was 18 years old when Vesuvius erupted. Nephew of Pliny the Elder, admiral of the fleet based at Misenum. Twenty five years later Pliny wrote 2 letters to the historian Tacitus, describing in detail the effects of the eruption and the exploits of his uncle who was killed while trying to rescue a friend who lived at the foot of the volcano.
He was famous for his letters which today his fame mainly rests. Pliny the younger came from a wealthy family from Novum Comum. He shared his family’s interest in property and owned more than one villa. After his father's death Pliny was brought up by his uncle, Pliny the Elder, the author of a famous encyclopaedia on natural history. In 79 AD, he witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius which killed his uncle. He describes the unusual looking cloud as a pine tree, that’s what best describes the appearance and shape, for it rose high up into the sky on what one can describe as a long trunk. Its appearance varied between white on the one hand and grungy and spotted on the other, according as it thrust up ashes.
He was the only eye witness who recorded his findings but it was much later in life so not all can be taken as reliable. Pliny the younger was significant in this time because he was the only witness who saw what happened in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The most well-known written sources about Pompeii are the 2 letters written by Pliny the Younger years after the eruption of Vesuvius. Book 16 and Book 20 were the two important sources written by Pliny the
Younger.
tell which, but afterwards learned that it was Vesuvius. I can best describe
its shape by likening it to a pine tree. It rose into the sky on a very long
'trunk' from which spread some 'branches'. I imagine it had been raised by
a sudden blast, which then weakened, leaving the cloud unsupported so that
its own weight caused it to spread sideways.
Pliny the younger was a writer. He was 18 years old when Vesuvius erupted. Nephew of Pliny the Elder, admiral of the fleet based at Misenum. Twenty five years later Pliny wrote 2 letters to the historian Tacitus, describing in detail the effects of the eruption and the exploits of his uncle who was killed while trying to rescue a friend who lived at the foot of the volcano.
He was famous for his letters which today his fame mainly rests. Pliny the younger came from a wealthy family from Novum Comum. He shared his family’s interest in property and owned more than one villa. After his father's death Pliny was brought up by his uncle, Pliny the Elder, the author of a famous encyclopaedia on natural history. In 79 AD, he witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius which killed his uncle. He describes the unusual looking cloud as a pine tree, that’s what best describes the appearance and shape, for it rose high up into the sky on what one can describe as a long trunk. Its appearance varied between white on the one hand and grungy and spotted on the other, according as it thrust up ashes.
He was the only eye witness who recorded his findings but it was much later in life so not all can be taken as reliable. Pliny the younger was significant in this time because he was the only witness who saw what happened in Pompeii and Herculaneum. The most well-known written sources about Pompeii are the 2 letters written by Pliny the Younger years after the eruption of Vesuvius. Book 16 and Book 20 were the two important sources written by Pliny the
Younger.