Literarische Kommunikation und politische Existenz- Plinius der Jüngere und die römische Aristokratie

Abstract

Pliny the Younger was, as well as most other members of the aristocracy of the early and high Roman Empire, a very politically active figure. This political existence was expressed through literary communication, which was, however, no compensation for an assumed depoliticization of the ordo senatorius, but rather a means to an end for the political goals of the aristocracy. In Pliny’s letters, we can witness this literary communication. It is apparent how he used the epistolographic literature in connection with his social network to further his career, promote friends, influence political decisions and propagate fundamental values and moral standards. Literature and politics were therefore inseparably connected to each other.