Pliny's Praise

Pliny''s Panegyricus (AD 100) survives as a unique example of senatorial rhetoric from the early Roman Empire. It offers an eyewitness account of the last years of Domitian''s principate the reign of Nerva and Trajan''s early years and it communicates a detailed senatorial view on the behaviour expected of an emperor. It is an important document in the development of the ideals of imperial leadership but it also contributes greatly to our understanding of imperial political culture more generally. This volume the first ever devoted to the Panegyricus contains expert studies of its key historical and rhetorical contexts as well as important critical approaches to the published version of the speech and its influence in antiquity. It offers scholars of Roman history literature and rhetoric an up-to-date overview of key approaches to the speech and students and interested readers an authoritative introduction to this vital and under-appreciated speech.