Question regarding Pliny the Elder.

by Jazz-

Since I cant seem to find a definite answer anywhere, I thought it was appropriate to ask here.

In Pliny the Youngers letters (Book 3. Letter 5, Radice) he talks about all the written work his uncle (the elder) has completed, mentioning his famous "Natural History" as well. Among the Natural History he mentions things like:

  • "Throwing the Javelin from Horseback"
  • "The Scholar"
  • "The Life of Pomponius Secundus"

Among other titles like "The German Wars". I am interested in knowing how many (if any at all) of these/other titles by Pliny the Elder are still around. I know the German Wars are lost but I cannot find a proper answer that deals with all his work since most focus on the "Natural History. Thanks

rosemary85

None, I'm afraid. The Natural History is the only surviving work by Pliny senior. There are two short quotations from the German Wars in Tacitus Annals 1.69 and Suetonius Gaius 8; Quintilian mentions the Scholar in three places; Pliny himself mentions his 8-book work Ambiguous Speech in his Natural History; but other than that, no fragments survive of any of them.