Pliny the Younger: An Eye Witness to History
Pliny the Younger live from 61AD to 112AD and his letters to Cornelius Tacitus are the most famous report of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79AD. Pliny, who was only seventeen at the time of the eruption, was living with his mother and his uncle in the north of the Bay of Naples. Tacitus had written to Pliny requesting a report of his uncle, Pliny the Elder’s death.
In these letters, Pliny describes seeing the volcanic cloud rising from the volcano “its general appearance can best be expressed as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches, I imagine because it was thrust upwards by the first blast and then left unsupported as the pressure subsided, or else it was borne down by its own weight so that it spread out and gradually dispersed. In places it looked white, elsewhere blotched and dirty”[1]. The information gathered from this description of the eruption gives modern scientists and volcanologists who have studied this eruption an idea of what type of volcanic eruption this was. Even though at the time of the eruption, Pliny was only a teenager, his account of what happened matches with what scientists have concluded the type of eruption this was. Because of Pliny’s accuracy in describing the eruption, these types of volcanic eruptions have been named ‘Plinian’ eruptions. Pliny then went on to describe how his uncle took a boat across the Bay of Naples to have a closer examination of what was happening “He hurried to the place which everyone else was hastily leaving, steering his course straight for the danger zone. He was entirely fearless, describing each new movement and phase f the portent to be noted down exactly as he observed them. Ashes were already falling, hotter and thick as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames: then suddenly they were in shallow water, and the shore was blocked by the debris from the mountain.”[2] Pliny also described the falling debris and the tremors that rocked throughout the town ‘they debated whether to stay indoors or take their chances in the open, for the buildings were now shaking with violent shocks, and seemed to be swaying to and fro as if they were torn from their foundation. Outside, on the other had, there was the danger of falling pumice stones, even though there were light and porous.”[3] This gives insight on how the people of Pompeii were reacting to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, it shows that many people were unsure of whether to flee to safety outside the town, or to take shelter in their homes and wait for the eruption to stop. Pliny then went on to say that his uncle died from suffocating on the toxic ash and gas that was in the air.
In another letter, Pliny describes to Tacitus what happened to him and his mother during the second day of the eruption “ashes were already falling, not as yet very thickly. I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood. ‘Let us leave the road while we can still see’ I said, … ‘We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room.[4]” In this letter Pliny also described the reactions of the people surrounding him “you could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men; some were calling their parents, other their children or their wives, trying to recognize them by their voices… there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness for evermore.[5]” this part of Pliny’s second letter to Tacitus gives insight on the panic that the people of Pompeii and the surround Bay of Naples felt in the face of the eruption. Many people turned to their gods for protection while others had convinced themselves that the eruption was a sign of the demise of their gods and therefore the world was coming to an end.
These letters to Tacitus from Pliny play a crucial part of helping to understand the events of what happened on the day of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. This is because apart from the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the letters of Pliny the Younger are the only primary sources that have been found. However there is some doubt that Pliny’s letters are accurate, this is because Pliny wrote the letters some years after the eruption, this means that it is possible that some information could have been forgotten or changed by accident due to how well Pliny accurately remembered the events of the day of the eruption. Another reason that Pliny’s letters may not be accurate is because he mainly describes what his uncle experienced and saw, however Pliny was not with his uncle while Pliny the Elder was making his observations of what was happening, and because Pliny the Elder died during the disaster it is unclear how Pliny the Younger knew what his uncle went through. Also, in his letters Pliny has described some events that have not been scientifically proven to actually happen. An example of this is that Pliny states that ‘We also saw the sea sucked away and apparently forced back by the earthquake: at any rate it receded from the shore so that the quantities of sea creatures were left stranded on dry sand.” This indicated that a tsunami of some sort happened on that day, however this has not been proven to have actually happened.
[1] “The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History
[2] “The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History
[3] Pompeii: Public Architecture, Domestic Architecture
[4]The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History
[5] The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History
Pliny the Younger live from 61AD to 112AD and his letters to Cornelius Tacitus are the most famous report of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79AD. Pliny, who was only seventeen at the time of the eruption, was living with his mother and his uncle in the north of the Bay of Naples. Tacitus had written to Pliny requesting a report of his uncle, Pliny the Elder’s death.
In these letters, Pliny describes seeing the volcanic cloud rising from the volcano “its general appearance can best be expressed as being like an umbrella pine, for it rose to a great height on a sort of trunk and then split off into branches, I imagine because it was thrust upwards by the first blast and then left unsupported as the pressure subsided, or else it was borne down by its own weight so that it spread out and gradually dispersed. In places it looked white, elsewhere blotched and dirty”[1]. The information gathered from this description of the eruption gives modern scientists and volcanologists who have studied this eruption an idea of what type of volcanic eruption this was. Even though at the time of the eruption, Pliny was only a teenager, his account of what happened matches with what scientists have concluded the type of eruption this was. Because of Pliny’s accuracy in describing the eruption, these types of volcanic eruptions have been named ‘Plinian’ eruptions. Pliny then went on to describe how his uncle took a boat across the Bay of Naples to have a closer examination of what was happening “He hurried to the place which everyone else was hastily leaving, steering his course straight for the danger zone. He was entirely fearless, describing each new movement and phase f the portent to be noted down exactly as he observed them. Ashes were already falling, hotter and thick as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames: then suddenly they were in shallow water, and the shore was blocked by the debris from the mountain.”[2] Pliny also described the falling debris and the tremors that rocked throughout the town ‘they debated whether to stay indoors or take their chances in the open, for the buildings were now shaking with violent shocks, and seemed to be swaying to and fro as if they were torn from their foundation. Outside, on the other had, there was the danger of falling pumice stones, even though there were light and porous.”[3] This gives insight on how the people of Pompeii were reacting to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, it shows that many people were unsure of whether to flee to safety outside the town, or to take shelter in their homes and wait for the eruption to stop. Pliny then went on to say that his uncle died from suffocating on the toxic ash and gas that was in the air.
In another letter, Pliny describes to Tacitus what happened to him and his mother during the second day of the eruption “ashes were already falling, not as yet very thickly. I looked round: a dense black cloud was coming up behind us, spreading over the earth like a flood. ‘Let us leave the road while we can still see’ I said, … ‘We had scarcely sat down to rest when darkness fell, not the dark of a moonless or cloudy night, but as if the lamp had been put out in a closed room.[4]” In this letter Pliny also described the reactions of the people surrounding him “you could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men; some were calling their parents, other their children or their wives, trying to recognize them by their voices… there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying. Many besought the aid of the gods, but still more imagined there were no gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness for evermore.[5]” this part of Pliny’s second letter to Tacitus gives insight on the panic that the people of Pompeii and the surround Bay of Naples felt in the face of the eruption. Many people turned to their gods for protection while others had convinced themselves that the eruption was a sign of the demise of their gods and therefore the world was coming to an end.
These letters to Tacitus from Pliny play a crucial part of helping to understand the events of what happened on the day of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. This is because apart from the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the letters of Pliny the Younger are the only primary sources that have been found. However there is some doubt that Pliny’s letters are accurate, this is because Pliny wrote the letters some years after the eruption, this means that it is possible that some information could have been forgotten or changed by accident due to how well Pliny accurately remembered the events of the day of the eruption. Another reason that Pliny’s letters may not be accurate is because he mainly describes what his uncle experienced and saw, however Pliny was not with his uncle while Pliny the Elder was making his observations of what was happening, and because Pliny the Elder died during the disaster it is unclear how Pliny the Younger knew what his uncle went through. Also, in his letters Pliny has described some events that have not been scientifically proven to actually happen. An example of this is that Pliny states that ‘We also saw the sea sucked away and apparently forced back by the earthquake: at any rate it receded from the shore so that the quantities of sea creatures were left stranded on dry sand.” This indicated that a tsunami of some sort happened on that day, however this has not been proven to have actually happened.
[1] “The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History
[2] “The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History
[3] Pompeii: Public Architecture, Domestic Architecture
[4]The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History
[5] The Destruction of Pompeii, 79 AD,” EyeWitness to History