Pliny the Younger

Renne P, W. D. Sharp, A. L. Deino, G. Orsi, and L. Civetta (1997), Argon-40 - Argon-39 dating into the historical realm - calibration against Pliny the Younger, Science 277, 1279-1280. 

Herodotus (484-425 B.C.) mentioned the occurrence of many lumps of bitumen in the River Is, a small tributary of the Euphrates (10). The Babylonians heated this bitumen and used it instead of mortar for cementing together the bricks of their walls and buildings (11). Herodotus also spoke of a well near Susa (the Shushan of the Bible) which yielded bitumen, salt, and oil (11). Cornelius Tacitus, a friend of Pliny the Younger, described the bitumen of the Dead Sea (12). R. J. Forbes states in his book Bitumen and Petroleum in Antiquity that the ancients used tar and pitch for waterproofing pottery, for caulking ships, and for making torches, paint for roofs and walls, and lampblack for paints and ink (13). 

Cornelius Tacitus, a fnend of Pliny the Younger, also mentioned the manufacture of glass by fusing native niter with sand from the beach at the mouth of the river Belus (49). 

The Celts, and others, also used mistletoe for medical purposes. The Roman historian Pliny the Younger wrote that mistletoe was deemed a cure for epilepsy carried about by women it assisted them to conceive, and it healed ulcers most effectually, if only the sufferer chewed a piece of the plant and laid another piece on the sore. Modern herbalists continue to recommend mistletoe for the treatment of epilepsy, hypertension, and hormone imbalances. However, it should be appreciated that homemade brews prepared from the berries and leaves of the North American species (Phoradendron flavescens) are poisonous and should be avoided. 

The phenomenon of corrosion has been known ever since the discovery of metals. Pliny the Younger was already complaining about the Roman soldiers weapons getting rusty. Scientific investigation started at the beginning of the 19th century with Nicholson and Carlyle s discovery of the electrolytic decomposition of water by the electric current supplied by a galvanic battery [2]. 

Caius Plinius Secundus, the Elder Pliny, was born 23 A. D., and died in 79 A. D. at Stabiee in the eruption of Vesuvius which overwhelmed Herculaneum and Pompeii. In early manhood, he was a cavalry officer in later life he held the office of Procurator in Nearer Spain under the Emperor Nero. His official duties evidently left him much leisure for study, for he was said to have been a constant reader, and was himself a prolific author. His nephew, the Younger Pliny, has listed the works of his uncle as follows ... 

There is considerable debate on the present condition of the Colli Albani volcano. As mentioned earlier, shallow seismicity has been repeatedly registered. Moreover, historical documents from Roman authors (e.g. Titus Livius, Pliny the Elder, etc.) report on phenomena, such as rain of stones, sudden explosions and fires, which can be ascribed to volcanic eruptions. Moreover, findings of pre-Roman pottery and other human artefacts beneath pyroclastic products are considered as an evidence of a volcanic activity which is much younger than the latest dated rock (see Voltaggio and Barbieri 1995 and references therein). Therefore, based on archaeological and historical records and on seismicity, the volcano is now considered in a quiescent state (Montone et al. 1995 Voltaggio and Barbieri 1995 and references therein). 

The Theodosian Code and other ancient collections of imperial edicts and constitutions, which are frequently mentioned in this volume, have been translated into English by C. Pharr, The Theodosian Code and Novels and the Sirmondian Constitutions (New York, 1952). Helpful introductions to the more technical aspects of Roman law can be found in the studies indicated in the notes to this volume, but see also R. P. Coleman-Norton, Roman State and Christian Church (London, 1966). The Roman educational system, with its emphasis on rhetoric, is ably described by H.-I. Marrou, A History of Education in Antiquity (London, 1956), and by S. Bonner, Education in Ancient Rome. From the Elder Cato to the Younger Pliny (ConAon, 1977). 

Engelmann TW (1884) Untersuchungen ueber die quantitativen bezieschungen zwischen Absorption des Lichts und Assimilation in Pflanzenzellen. Bot Zeit 42 81-96 Eirth JB (transl) (1909) The Letters ofthe Younger Pliny. Walter Scott, Ltd., London... 

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