Pliny the Elder
The Roman polymath, officer and administrator Gaius Pliny Secundus Major (23-79), better known as "Pliny the Elder", was also a wine expert of his time. He studied philosophy and law in Rome, then embarked on a military career and achieved high ranks under Emperor Titus (39-81). He was governor of several Roman provinces and finally commander of the Roman fleet in the Tyrrhenian Sea. From the age of 55, he lived near Pompeii and witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius. He then died trying to save some of the people threatened by the eruption of Vesuvius. His death is recorded in detail in a letter from his nephew and stepson Pliny the Younger (see last paragraph) to the historian Tacitus (55-120).
The Pompeians' fondness for drink
He described the drinking habits of the Pompeians shortly before the destruction in vivid detail (the drinking vessels were probably cantharos with handles on both sides): They let themselves boil in the hot bath until they are carried out unconscious, while others can't wait until they get to the table, don't even put on their clothes, but still naked and panting lift up enormous drinking vessels as if to show their strength and pour the whole contents into themselves, so that everything immediately comes up again and then they take another deep draught. They do it a second and a third time, as if they were born to waste wine and as if there was no other way to pour it away than through the human body.
Naturalis Historia
Pliny was a contemporary of Columella (1st half of the 1st century), who was also a wine expert, but it is not known whether they knew each other. Pliny devoted himself intensively to scientific studies. Of his extensive works, the natural history "Naturalis Historia", dedicated to Emperor Titus, has been preserved. In 37 books, it provides an overview of the entire knowledge of the time, covering the fields of geography, zoology, botany, mineralogy,...
