Pliny the Younger Governor in Bithynia

[Klingan]

I've found two different years on this one and I'm just curious if anyone know which one is correct. I am reading the book "The Archaeology of the Roman Economy" by Kevin Greene 1986 and he's quoting one of the letters Pliny sent to Trajan and mention that Pliny was governor there 112-113 AD. I wasn't very sure exactly where Bithynia was thou so I checked it up at unrv. However while finding it I also fount out that here it tells me that Pliny was governor there between 103-105 AD. Anyone know the correct years?

 

Just curious. Thanks.

[Primus Pilus]

It seems that I reported some dates that Pliny was involved as a prosecutor for some Bithynian affairs rather than the dates of his actual governorship (which I am going to change). However, the actual dates of Pliny's governorship is quite open to conjecture. Some believe it was as early as 109 - 111 with his death in 112, and others have him Bithynia as late as 115. If I recall correctly, his private correspondence seems to stop around 109 to be replaced with official letters to Trajan in Rome. This would seem to corroborate the notion that he was governing Bithynia at about this time.

 

You might like to reference something like the following:

The Letters of Pliny: A Historical and Social Commentary by A. N. Sherwin-White

 

A briefer version available through JSTOR... Pliny, the Man and his Letters

[Klingan]

Thanks, I might take a better look into Plinys letters when I've got time. Right now I'm drowning in work.

 

Thanks anyway, cleared it up. Uncertainty about when someone was governor might be expected after 2000 years I guess