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Primary sourceSpeechc. 100 AD

Panegyricus

Pliny the Younger · c. 100 AD

A speech of thanks delivered to Trajan by Pliny the Younger, the fullest contemporary portrait of Trajan as an ideal emperor.

This speech praises Trajan directly and is the fullest contemporary written portrait of his reign.

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Plain red cloth book cover with fine vertical ribbed texture and a darker spine edge on the left side. No title or text is visible.
Pliny the Younger, Panegyricus, c. 100 AD.

About this source

What it is

The Panegyricus is a speech written and delivered by the Roman senator Pliny the Younger around 100 AD, thanking Trajan before the Senate. It survives as a text and is considered the main contemporary political source for Trajan's rule.

Why it matters

Pliny presents Trajan as the ideal ruler, the 'optimus princeps', explicitly contrasting him with the previous emperor Domitian, who was remembered as a tyrant. This speech shaped how later generations understood Trajan's reputation, even though it was written to flatter him in front of the Senate.

Look closer

  • Why might a speech of thanks be unreliable as a historical source, even though it was written at the time?
  • What does Pliny's praise suggest about what Romans valued in a good emperor?
  • How might Domitian's reign have shaped the way Pliny chose to describe Trajan?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Trajan on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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