| Author | Pliny the Elder |
|---|---|
| Language | Latin |
| Subject | Rhetoric |
| Genre | Educational manual |
Publication date | c. 67–68 AD |
| Publication place | Roman Empire |
| Pages | 3 books (6 volumes) |
Studiosus (English: The Student) was a three-book, six-volume educational manual on rhetoric written by the Roman author Pliny the Elder. The work is now a lost literary work. [1]
According to his nephew, Pliny the Younger, Studiosus was a comprehensive guide that detailed the training of an orator from early childhood. Pliny the Younger described the work's purpose by stating: "The orator is trained from his very cradle and perfected." [2]
Pliny wrote Studiosus during the final years of Emperor Nero's reign (c. 67–68 AD). His nephew noted that this was a time when "every kind of literary pursuit which was in the least independent or elevated had been rendered dangerous by servitude." [2] During this period of political peril, Pliny focused his writing on subjects considered "safe," such as grammar and rhetoric, avoiding the more dangerous work of contemporary history. [1] The work was followed by another linguistic text, Dubii sermonis (Of Doubtful Phraseology).
