Pliny the Younger: Complete Letters (Oxford World’s Classics) provides the English translation required for Kolbe Academy’s AP Latin course. Written between A.D. 97 and 112, these letters offer a first-hand account of Roman public and private life from the perspective of a senator, lawyer, and imperial official.
Addressed to friends and prominent contemporaries, the correspondence ranges widely in subject: political responsibilities, legal practice, education, religion, daily customs, and the management of households and estates. Among the most notable selections are Pliny’s eyewitness description of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and his famous exchange concerning the treatment of Christians under Roman authority. Together, the letters help students understand the historical and cultural background of the Latin texts studied in the course
Course Information
This course focuses on an in-depth study of selections from two of the greatest works in Latin literature: Vergil's Aeneid and Caesar's Gallic War. Students will be required to prepare and translate assigned readings and place these texts in a meaningful, Catholic context. This will come through accurate translation, paying special attention to the grammar and stylistic nuances of the specific authors, as well as broader class discussions. Throughout the course, students will also translate and discuss passages stemming from other relevant Classical and Christian Latin sources.
Courses this book is used in:
- AP Latin:
- Online