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ARRIA
Pliny the Younger, Letters, Book III.16 edited extracts
About the author
To find out about Pliny the Younger's life and works, click here.
Latin Texts and English Translations
Latin Text
The complete, unedited letter (III.16).
English Translation 1
good, modern translation of the complete letter (III.16) by Mary R. Lefkowitz and Maureen B. Fant
English Translation 2
Old-fashioned translation of the complete letter (III.16) by William Melmoth.
Analysis
Arria & Paetus (?): the classical statue
From the time of its discovery (almost certainly in Rome in the 1600's) this marble statue was long thought to represent Arria and Paetus...
However, it is now commonly accepted that it represents a Gallic chieftan and his wife bravely pre-empting capture by suicide.
Now in the Roman National Museum at Palazzo Altemps, Rome.
Arria & Paetus: the neo-classical statue
Marble statue group by French sculptors Lepautre and Theodon, created 1685-95. In the Louvre, Paris.
"The artist attempted to convey the meaning of the heroic words that Arria seems to be murmuring here, by portraying her death as painless. Serene in the conviction that her noble sacrifice is not in vain, eyes clouding over, knees giving way, she points to the wound above her left breast, proffering the dagger to her husband with her other hand. The noble figure of Paetus leans tenderly toward her. His clothes are finely detailed: (tunic with mantling, chlamys fastened with a fibula, buskins). The servant is beautifully portrayed, with a remarkable play of drapery, as she supports her mistress and looks sadly up at her face. The tasseled cushion has a lovely finish (although the artist did not indicate the impression made by the servant's foot). A winged cupid with a sorrowful expression, sitting astride a dog (symbols of the couple's love and fidelity), is lifting a fold of Paetus' cloak, perhaps to hide from the tragic scene".

Roman Women
click to jump to the main link section on women in Roman society, their role and status.
Roman Funeral Procession
Relief sculpture on a sarcophagus... The dead person lies reclined on a couch; in some cases the dead person was propped up to sit in a chair.
Any further information as to the provenance and current location of this piece would be greatly appreciated...

Roman Death, Burial, Cemeteries & Tombs
Illyria
At the time Pliny was writing, the Balkan region of Illyria was no longer a Roman province per se, but comprised mainly of the two Roman provinces, Dalmatia and Pannonia.
Illyria seemingly corresponds to modern Croatia.

Emperor Claudius
Small Fishing-boat
Arria would certainly have been brave to have crossed the Adriatic in these fishing boats.
Mosaic from the Museum at Sousse in Tunisia.

The story of Arria is recounted not only by Pliny the Younger, but also Martial (Epigrams I.13) and Cassius Dio (Roman History LX.16.5-7): see following links...
Arria's story by Martial
Scroll half-way down the page to Epigram I.13.
Arria's story by Cassius Dio
Scroll half-way down the page of Book 60 of his Roman History to Chapter 16, lines 5-7.
CALPURNIA
Pliny the Younger, Letters, Book IV.19 adapted
About the author
To find out about Pliny the Younger's life and works, click here.
Latin Texts and English Translations
Latin Text
The original, unadapted text...
NOT the one used in the Cambridge Latin Anthology.
English Translation 1
Translation of the original text by John B Firth, which although very close to that used in the Cambridge Latin Anthology is not identical.
English Translation 2
Old-fashioned translation of the original text, which although very close to that used in the Cambridge Latin Anthology is not identical.
Analysis
Roman Women
click to jump to the main link section on women in Roman society, their role and status.
An Educated Woman 1: wall-painting
Both Calpurnias were educated girls who could read and write.
This super portrait is thought to be of Paquius Proculus (or Terentius Nero) and his wife, since it comes from Paquius' house in Pompeii. He exhibits magisterial dignity with toga and scroll; she exhibits cultured femininity, with stylus and tablet.
In Naples Archaeological Museum.
An Educated Woman 2: wall-painting
The so-called "Sappho of Pompeii" is one of the most famous female portraits from Pompeii, thanks to the air of gracious refinement that surrounds this girl caught in a moment of meditation before putting pen to wax. Perhaps not a real-life portrait but a model of the affluent (note her gold hair-net and earrings) and cultured Roman woman. Found in 1760, find-spot unrecorded. In Naples Archaeological Museum.
An Educated Woman 3: wall-painting
Detail from the Villa of the Myseteries in Pompeii showing a woman (mother?) holding a scroll while listening to a boy reading from another scroll.

Roman Marriage
More on this institution which for Pliny was based on convenience and the propogation of family-status rather than (merely) love. This was Pliny's third marriage, and he would have been over 40 years old while Calpurnia was probably little more than 15...
libelli: little books or scrolls
Roman books were in scroll form. Here we see a recreation of an ancient library with shelves of scrolls which are tagged with their title-labels. We can imagine Pliny would have had such a library.
Photo from the film-set of "Alexander" with Anthony Hopkins as Ptolemy.
Click for more on Roman Writing.
agere: plead in court
Pliny, as a lawyer, prosecuted and defended in the Basilica Julia law-court in the Roman Forum in Rome, a reconstruction of which is shown in this link.
Click for more on Roman Law and Law-Courts
cithara: lyre
This wonderful wall-painting from a villa near Pompeii shows an elegant lady playing the cithara (type of lyre) attended by a girl, possibly her daughter. It seems that by the time of the Roman Empire it was considered acceptable for upper-class ladies to be able to play instruments such as the harp or lyre.
From the Villa of Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale, ca. 40-30 B.C.; now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York.

Another Roman fresco (1st-century AD) shows Apollo playing the cithara from the area of the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill in Rome. Now in the Palatine Museums, Rome.
A devoted and loving couple...
Later letters (VI.4 and VI.7) seem to show a growing mutual affection, indeed love, between Pliny and Calpurnia. Hopefully, like in this painting from Pompeii, they even shared a hug or two!
UMMIDIA QUADRATILLA
Pliny the Younger, Letters, VII.24 adapted
About the author
To find out about Pliny the Younger's life and works, click here.
Latin Texts and English Translations
Latin Text
The original unedited version of Pliny, Letters VII.24
English Translation
Translation of the original unedited version of Pliny, Letters VII.24
Analysis
At almost 80 years old, Ummidia Quadratilla would have been considered by the Romans to have had a long life.
In fact, while many studies give the life-expectancy for a Roman at 25-30 years (in contrast to modern UK lifespan of 81 for a man and 76 for a woman), this is misleading because of the very high infant-mortality rate in Rome (about 30 times more than what it is in the West today) which dramatically lowers the "life-expectancy at birth" figure.
In fact, if a person suvived past infancy to, say, 5 years, it seems likely s/he would survive into their 50's. Therafter, the natural degeneration of the body increasingly takes over (which modern medicine can forestall somewhat), but it was of course still possible for a Roman to live to 115 years - the apparent life-span of a human being, both ancient and modern.
Old Woman: statue 1
The old woman's expression and the fact that she's clutching a wineskin leads her to be known as "Drunken Old Woman", a subject-type known to have been sculpted in antiquity. Whether Ummidia Quadratilla ever got tipsy is debateable!
Roman copy of a Hellenistic bronze original of 3rd- or 2nd-century BC. In the Munich Glyptotek.
Old Woman: statue 2
Terrific Roman statue in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, reportedly discovered beneath a cellar in Rome in 1907.
24 years old, married but no children...
Quadratus married in time so he didn't lose his inheritence but couldn't produce the children to get more tax and social advantages....
The Emperor Augustus imposed strict sanctions on unmarried men of 25 and above; additionally, having children gave one tax breaks and speedier advancement in public life. These series of laws were known as the "Lex Julia et Papia Poppaea".
delicatus: luxury-loving
Luxurious, sumptuous Roman banquet that is today often considered as the epitome of Roman decadence.Such lavish banquets were often followed by entertainments such as mimes, dancing and singing.
Fresco from the House of Chaste Lovers in Pompeii.

Mime and Pantomime:
Click for more on these art forms.

Roman Theatre:

Roman board-games 1
YouTube videos from The National Trust explaining the rules of Latrunculi, Duodecim Scripta, Jactus and Morris.
Roman board-games 2
A scholarly look at the history of some of the more famous board games played in Roman times, which although concentrating on the finds in Romanaia/Bulgaria applies, forgive the pun, across the board!
Roman board-games 2: a warning...
A note warning about the inaccuracies of two particular websites that commonly pop up when searching for Roman board games.
Roman Dice:
Playing dice games was an extremely popular pastime in Roman times.