Pliny the Younger was a lawyer and author in ancient Rome who wrote hundreds of letters that provide valuable insights into everyday life during his time period. He witnessed the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that killed his uncle Pliny the Elder. Pliny the Younger inherited his uncle's estate and wrote detailed letters to Tacitus describing the eruption. His letters also discussed early Christians and were sent to Emperor Trajan seeking guidance on how to deal with Christians, providing some of the earliest references to early Christians in surviving documents.

1. By Angel Ortiz:

2.  Born Gaius Caecilius, Pliny theYounger was a
lawyer and author in Ancient Rome who lived
from 61 – c. 113.
 Was tutored at home before moving to Rome
to continue his education.
 His uncle, Pliny the Elder dies trying to rescue
people from the Mt.Vesuvius eruption.
 Pliny theYounger inherited his estate, and
was also adopted by his uncle in his will.

3.  Pliny wrote hundreds
of letters that much
historical significance
in his time period.
 He wrote about many
topics including the
Christian religion and
the eruption of Mt.
Vesuvius, something
he witnessed himself.

4.  His Epistulae is Pliny theYounger’s largest
surviving body of work.
 They are a series of letters written to friends
and associates.
 They have been an invaluable source of
everyday life in his time period and a guide as
to how administrative processes were held in
Ancient Rome.

5.  Pliny wrote a letter to a
friend namedTacitus
about the eruption of
Mt.Vesuvius because
Tacitus wanted to know
more about Pliny the
Elder’s death.
 In those letters Pliny
spoke in great detail
about the volcano and
its eruption.Those
details are still used
today.

6.  Pliny sent a letter to Emperor
Trajan regarding the Christians
and how to go about dealing
with them.
 He spoke in great detail of
suspected Christians, while the
Emperor said that being known
as a Christian was enough to be
subjected to judicial action.
 Even so, it is interesting to note
that Christians were not directly
prosecuted at this time or
sought out purposely.
 These letters are the oldest
surviving documents that refer
to early Christians.

7.  In conclusion, Pliny theYounger’s work
reflects the life of people that lived in that
time.
 Pliny’s letters have been a great insight into
the politics, lifestyles, and events that have
had a great impact in our history.
 Pliny’s letters are still analyzed today in order
to understand the way people lived as well as
their thought processes.

8.  Kirby, Peter. "Historical JesusTheories." Early Christian
Writings. 2015. 14 July 2015
<http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/pliny.ht
ml>.
 Pliny Contributors. "A Brief Summary of Pliny's
Letters."
Http://www.vroma.org/~hwalker/Pliny/PlinySummaries
.html. Roman Literary Life, 23 Jan. 2004.Web. 14 July
2015.
 Welmoth,William. "Letters of Pliny."
Http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2811/2811-h/2811-