Cayo Plinio Cecilio Segundo, Caius Plinius Latin Caecilius Secundus, (Como, Italy, 61 -. Bithynia, 113 approx), known as Pliny the Younger, was a lawyer, author and scientist of ancient Rome. He was the nephew of Pliny the Elder, regarded as the best naturalist of antiquity. As a child Pliny lost his parents, being under the tutelage of Lucius Verginius Rufus (a general influential Roman army). He was later adopted by his uncle Pliny the Elder, who sent him to study in Rome, with teachers like Quintilian and Nices Sacerdos. He began a career in law at the age of 19 years, growing its reputation in this field very quickly. Pliny, being an honest and moderate man, was ascending the cursus honorum (civil and military administrative offices of the Republic):
It was flamen Divi Augusti (priest of the cult of the Emperor) at 81, then decemvir litibus iudicandis (somewhat comparable to a civil judge), military tribune in Syria (where he met the Artemidor and Euphrates philosophers), sevir equitum Romanorum (head a cavalry squadron) in 84 urban quaestor imperatoris questor and between 89 and 90 he was appointed tribune of the plebs in 91, praetor in 93, prefect (first finance army and then the Temple of Saturn), and consul suffectus in 100 he entered the college of augurs elected supervisor of the Tiber River and finally legatus (ambassador) in the Empire of Bithynia, where he was supposed to die. You could say that his career is a summary of all major public office in Rome, and Pliny indeed contributed to the organization of the Empire in many of its fields.
Of his numerous cards (Epistulae) its moderate character follows. In one of them he went to the Emperor Trajan and explained the procedure followed to take care of people who are accused of professing Christianity ... a procedure that the emperor approved. Those who denied that they were Christians they would free when, as Pliny said, "had repeated invocation that I had made to the gods, offered incense and wine to your image and also cursed Christ." Were executed which happened to be Christians. Christianity was superstition as an uncomfortable and surprised the large number of anonymous complaints that were received in this field. Trajan replied, resting his attitude, but ordering him not to give effect to the whistleblower.
Pliny was married three times but had no children. Only his third wife, Calpurnia, speaking with some emotion in his letters. It was quite wealthy and owned several villas in Italy. The two he had in his hometown, Como, Tragedy and Comedy called them.