• Government officials in ancient empires were often confronted with natural disasters, and their response to them was seen as a mark of their character and capabilities, just as it is today. In the first text below, the Roman author Pliny the Younger describes the actions of his uncle Pliny the Elder during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. In the second text, the Chinese historian Sima Qian (145–
Pliny the Younger on Pliny the Elder
“My uncle was stationed at Misenum, in active command of the fleet. On 24 August, in the early afternoon, my mother drew his attention to a cloud of unusual size and appearance. . . . My uncle’s scholarly acumen saw at once that it was important enough for a closer inspection, and he ordered a boat to be made ready, . . . [but] what he had begun in a spirit of inquiry he completed as a hero. He gave orders for the warships to be launched and went on board himself with the intention of bringing help to many more people. . . . He hurried to the place which everyone else was hastily leaving, steering his course straight for the danger zone. He was entirely fearless, describing each new movement and phase of the portent to be noted down exactly as he observed them. Ashes were already falling, hotter and thicker as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames. . . . He was able to bring his ship in. . . .
Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night. . . . The buildings were now shaking with violent shocks, and seemed to be swaying to and fro as if they were torn from their foundations. . . . My uncle decided to go down to the shore and investigate on the spot the possibility of any escape by sea, but he found the waves still wild and dangerous. . . . He stood leaning on two slaves and then suddenly collapsed, I imagine because the dense fumes choked his breathing. . . . His body was found intact and uninjured, still fully clothed and looking more like sleep than death.”
Sima Qian on Ji An
“During the reign of Emperor Jing, Ji An, on the recommendation of his father, was appointed as a mounted guard to the heir apparent. . . . When a great fire broke out in Henei and destroyed over 1,000 houses, the emperor . . . sent Ji An to observe the situation. On his return he reported, “The roofs of the houses were so close together that the fire spread from one to another; that is why so many homes were burned. It is nothing to worry about. As I passed through Henan on my way, however, I noted that the inhabitants were very poor, and over 10,000 families had suffered so greatly from floods and droughts that fathers and sons were reduced to eating each other. I therefore took it upon myself to use the imperial seals to open the granaries of Henan and relieve the distress of the people. I herewith return the seals and await punishment for overstepping my authority in this fashion.”
The emperor, impressed with the wisdom he had shown, overlooked the irregularity of his action and transferred him to the post of governor. . . . Ji An studied the doctrines of the Yellow Emperor and Lao Zi. . . . He was sick a great deal of the time, confined to his bed and unable to go out, and yet after only a year or so as governor of Donghai he had succeeded in setting the affairs of the province in perfect order and winning the acclaim of the people.”
Sources: The Letters of Pliny the Younger, translated with an introduction by Betty Radice (London: Penguin Classics, 1963, reprinted 1969). Copyright © Betty Radice, 1963, 1969. Reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd.; Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty II, by SIMA QIAN. Reproduced with permission of COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS in the format Book via Copyright Clearance Center.
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