Pliny the Elder and Mucianus

The thirty-two fragments uniquely preserved by the elder Pliny from the writings of Vespasian’s famous general Licinius Mucianus on mirabilia and other things are analysed in detail for their content and language. Some deductions about Mucianus’ place of exile, the exact nature of his book, and Pliny's own use of it are at variance with those of other scholars, notably Syme. Pliny’s varying attitudes towards Mucianus in the NH are explained in terms of tensions between Mucianus and Titus, with this having some bearing on the circumstances and date of Pliny’s own book