Historical person
Pliny the Elder
c. 20s–79
Pliny the Elder was a Roman author, naval commander and natural philosopher. His Natural History attempted to collect knowledge about the physical world, art and human activity; he died while investigating and assisting victims during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79.
In Robert Harris’s Pompeii, the narrative follows Attilius, Pliny the Elder and the communities around Pompeii through a disaster in which technical knowledge can identify danger but cannot guarantee escape.
In non-fiction, Pliny the Elder is discussed in Mary Beard’s Pompeii and Pliny the Younger’s The Letters of Pliny the Younger. Mary Beard’s Pompeii approaches the subject through social change and the pressures of ordinary life, court politics and dynastic power, and religion, belief and institutional authority.
Standalone books
Standalone books featuring Pliny the Elder (1 book)
Non Fiction
Non Fiction featuring Pliny the Elder (3 books)
Biographies, histories and other non-fiction are listed separately from the historical novels above.
