Pliny the Younger Biography

Pliny the Younger was an ancient Roman author, lawyer and magistrate who left behind a collection of hundreds of letters which became an important source for Roman history. He was the nephew of Pliny the Elder, a famous author and natural philosopher. Pliny the Younger lost his father at an early age and was thus raised by his brilliant and well-known uncle Pliny the Elder who undoubtedly had a great influence on the young man. Pliny the Younger, born as either Gaius Caecilius or Gaius Caecilius Cilo, was later adopted by his uncle who left him his estate upon his death. Hailing from a wealthy aristocratic family, he started his career at the age of 18 and became very active in the Roman legal system. He became a very successful lawyer and was known to be an honest and hard working man. He also developed a love for writing at a young age and wrote a tragedy in Greek when he was 14. Over the years he composed poetry and wrote a collection of private letters which later on became a very important source of Roman history. He was also a notable orator known for his magnificent orations though much of his orations have been lost over the centuries.