Pliny the Elder Died Trying to Save Friends from Vesuvius

The eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in A.D. 79 was one of the worst disasters in the ancient world. Thousands of people were killed, mainly in the Roman cities of Pompeii, about five miles south of the volcano, and Herculaneum, on the coast west of Vesuvius. But there is also a tale of heroism among the many stories of destruction: the popular Roman writer Pliny the Elder, who died while trying to rescue some of the victims.

Pliny the Elder—real name Gaius Plinius Secundus—was famous in the 1st century A.D. for his extensive writings. His 37-volume Natural History was an attempt to write down everything known, and is now seen as a scientific landmark. But Pliny was also a man of action, and at the time of the eruption he commanded a fleet of Roman warships at Misenum, on the north side of what's now the Bay of Naples.

Misenum was more than 12 miles from Vesuvius and survived the eruption, but Pliny saw strangely shaped clouds over the volcano. An account written later by his nephew and adopted son Pliny the Younger (a teenager whose real name was Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus) reported that Pliny the Elder was initially unfazed. But as the clouds worsened and assumed the shape of a towering pine tree, Pliny ordered a ship to be made ready to investigate them.

Historian and archaeologist Pedar Foss of DePauw University, the author of Pliny and the Eruption of Vesuvius, says Pliny then received a written plea for help from a friend who lived beside the volcano, imploring him to rescue her family from the impending destruction. It seems Pliny then realized that the strange clouds signified a disaster, and so he set off to rescue his friends. "He hurries to a place from which others flee, he holds course with a firm rudder straight into danger," wrote Pliny the Younger, who stayed at Misenum.

The younger Pliny famously reported that Pliny the Elder quoted a Latin phrase as he set out, uttering "Fortes fortuna iuvat" in response to a warning of danger from the ship's helmsman. The phrase appears in a slightly different form in the epic Latin poem “Aeneid” and is usually translated as "Fortune favors the bold."

Foss says the quote was probably reported to Pliny the Younger by one of the elder Pliny's slaves, who would have been his constant companions but who are seldom mentioned. Oklahoma University historian and archaeologist Sue Alcock notes it is not certain if this poignant moment ever happened. But, she adds, whether Pliny the Elder said it, or if Pliny the Younger only invented the utterance, "it certainly fit the occasion."

Pliny's ship landed at Stabiae, a coastal town a few miles southwest of Pompeii. By this time, the destruction was obvious and people had gathered on the beach to flee the eruption. According to Pliny the Younger, Pliny the Elder first rested with friends at Stabiae in spite of the worsening conditions. But as they tried to return to their ship, Pliny—at that time a "stout" man in his mid-fifties—was overcome by gases from the eruption and collapsed dead on the beach.

"It was daylight everywhere else by this time, but they were still enveloped in a darkness that was blacker and denser than any night," Pliny the Younger wrote. "My uncle went down to the shore to see if there was any chance of escape by sea, but the waves were still far too high… suddenly, flames and a strong smell of sulphur, giving warning of yet more flames to come, forced the others to flee. He himself stood up, with the support of two slaves, and then he suddenly collapsed and died."

The dramatic death of Pliny the Elder cemented his reputation for bravery and duty, but he was already famous during his lifetime. His Natural History (Naturalis Historia) is recognized as the first encyclopedia—a compilation of alleged facts about astronomy, geography, zoology, botany, mineralogy and anthropology. (It is not without flaws, however, such as the mistaken belief that elephants are frightened of mice.)

But Pliny was also the author of many works that have not survived, including a 20-volume history of the Germanic wars that may have been referenced by later Roman writers. This copious output did not affect his military career, however: "High military command in Roman times, unlike our own, was not a full-time job," Alcock says. "Successful generals played many roles: as politicians, priests, orators and yes, authors."

Several archaeological discoveries are linked to Pliny the Elder, including the remains of his luxurious villa at Misenum—presumably where he first saw the clouds from Vesuvius. Archaeologists have also discovered the remains of a Roman-era breakwater at Misenum, which would have protected the Roman fleet there from heavy waves. And there is a dispute about a skull in Rome said to be his, which was excavated from the beach at Stabiae in the 19th century. Experts now say the cranium aligns with what's known about Pliny, but the jaw is from someone else.

Today, Pliny's legacy rests mainly on his surviving Natural History, which inspired many medieval and Renaissance scholars, including Leonardo da Vinci. But his life and death also embodied the Roman ideal of virtus—characterized as valor and excellence of service to the Roman state—with a blend of bravery and curiosity that sought to better understand the world, no matter the cost.

Pliny the Elder was "a polymath—interested in everything, everyone, everywhere," says Foss. "He was driven to explore, to know and to share what he’d learned." Alcock adds that his tragic death cut short a promising life: Pliny was "a very cool guy," she says. But "I wish he had listened to his helmsman."