Early Life and Education
Pliny the Elder was born into a well-off family, which allowed him to pursue an education and engage in various intellectual endeavors. Though not much is known about his early education, he was highly educated in rhetoric, philosophy, and law, which would later inform his literary and scholarly work. As a young man, Pliny chose a career in the Roman army, where he served as a military officer in Germany. His service in the military would expose him to various cultures and phenomena, which he would later write about in his works.
A Life of Service
Pliny’s career in Rome was distinguished, not only for his intellectual pursuits but also for his service in various governmental and military roles. He served as a procurator, an official who managed finances for the Empire, and as a naval commander. These positions provided him with access to resources and experiences that enriched his intellectual curiosity and fueled his desire to document the world around him.
His career in the military was particularly notable. He participated in campaigns in Germania, where he gained firsthand knowledge of the regions and people. This exposure would later contribute to his Natural History, where he would go on to describe everything from the geography of the known world to the properties of plants and animals. Pliny's writings also reveal an insatiable desire to understand how the natural world operated and how it could be classified and categorized in the Roman worldview. shutdown123