Pliny the Elder
Topic: The Roman Empire · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
Pliny the Elder (c. 23–79 CE) was a Roman writer best known for his huge book, the Natural History. He wrote about many subjects, including how farm work was organised. He is important for the study of Roman labour because he criticised the harshest ways of using slaves. He died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.
Example
Pliny the Elder said that slave gangs were the worst way to organise production. Slaves in these gangs worked chained together by the feet. His objection was mainly about how well work got done, not about kindness to the slaves.
Don't confuse with
- Columella: a first-century farming writer from southern Spain. He advised keeping twice as many tools as needed and making workers labour in squads of ten so that lazy workers could be spotted. Pliny is remembered for condemning chained slave gangs.