The twelve caesars by suetonius translated by robert graves. Horace and lucan, the only extant book is the twelve caesars, one of the most fascinating and colorful of. Download pdf the twelve caesars penguin classics free. Suetonius tranquillus was the son of a roman knight who commanded a legion, on the side of otho, at the. The twelve caesars by suetonius, 1957 online research. Topics generalities publisher modern library new york collection universallibrary contributor braou language english.
Suetonius seems to have lived to a good age and probably died around the year ad 140. Small folio in sixes measures 8 by 11 inches, contemporary full limp vellum, ink manuscript title to. The pages of suetonius will amply gratify this natural curiosity. The patrician branch of the claudians there being a plebeian branch too, no less influential and distinguished was originally from regillum, a sabine town. This penguin classic of the twelve caesars by suetonius is the perfect place to start for anybody interested in ancient grecoroman history and culture. Graves wields a rich command of english vocabulary to capture the subtle nuances of suetonius original latin words. Suetoniuss the twelve caesars is also available in penguin classics. Rita mae brown, author of rubyfruit jungle and several mystery series, first read suetonius lives of the caesars in college. To which are added, his lives of the grammarians, rhetoricians, and poets.
Suetonius composed his material from a variety of sources, without much concern for their reliability. That the family of the octavii was of the first distinction in velitrae, 1 is rendered evident by many circumstances. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. See more ideas about roman history, ancient rome and roman empire. Beginning with caesar himself, in the mid first century bc, it ends in ad 96 with domitian and covers the reigns of such emperors as tiberius, caligula, and nero. The family moved to rome, with a large throng of dependants, either shortly after the foundation of the city in 753bc, at the instigation of titus tatius, who ruled jointly with. This collection, apparently entitled caesares, does not survive, but it was a source for a later biographical collection, known as historia augusta, which now forms a kind of sequel to suetonius work. As private secretary to the emperor hadrian, the scholar suetonius had access.
A masterpiece of observation, anecdote and detailed physical description, the twelve caesars presents us with a gallery of vividly drawnand all too humanindividuals. The twelve caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over rome. The twelve caesars is probably the most in depth book ever written about the personal lives of the twelve caesars. The twelve caesars, which was first published in penguin classics in 1957. Not only is this a most engaging translation by robert graves, author of i claudius, but there is a short forward by classics scholar, michael grant. Learn how and when to remove these template messages. The twelve caesars by suetonius, robert graves waterstones. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Suetonius describes caesars gift at winning the loyalty and admiration of his soldiers. Esthetic and miscellaneous works, containing letters on christian art, essay on gothic architecture, remarks on the romance poetry of the middle ages, on shakspeare, the limits of the beautiful, and on the language and wisdom of the indians. Suetonius twelve caesars is a key narrative source for the period it covers and, unlike tacitus, it has survived entire and is uninterrupted. Gaius suetonius tranquillus c75 c160 ad the twelve caesars is a set of twelve biographies of julius caesar and the first 11 emperors of the roman empire. As private secretary to the emperor hadrian, the scholar suetonius had access to. The twelve caesars, probably written in hadrians time, is a collective. The twelve caesars penguin classics paperback 25 oct 2007. This book, though old, is still very interesting and informative today.
As private secretary to the emperor hadrian, suetonius gained access to the imperial archives and used them along with carefully gathered eyewitness accounts to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. As private secretary to the emperor hadrian, the scholar suetonius had. Titus by suetonius indirect the twelve caesars, book 07. Suetonius goes to great lengths to reveal the way these men really were, as human beings. The twelve caesars penguin classics mass market paperback january 1, 1978 by suetonius author visit amazons suetonius page. He was an author in antiquity who had for his contemporaries pliny the younger and the historian plutarch. The plan adopted by suetonius in his lives of the twelve caesars, led him to be. The lives of the twelve caesars, complete by suetonius. The work was written in 121 during the reign of the emperor hadrian, while suetonius was hadrians. The twelve caesars, royal biographies, lives of famous whores, roman masters and customs, the roman year, roman. Not much is known about the life of gaius suetonius tranquillus. Suetonius the twelve caesars suetonius the twelve cesars if a friend asked me to tell him if it is worth it to read suetonius book the twelve cesars, i would say it is. Lives of the caesars suetonius oxford university press. Historie of twelve caesars, emperours of rome first.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Each emperor is dissected, and his actions beyond politics and professionalism revealed. Publication date 19570630 publisher penguin classics collection. This penguin classics edition is translated from the latin by robert graves, author of i, claudius, revised with an introduction and notes by james b.
Drusus the elder, claudius caesars father, who was first named decimus and later nero, was born in 38bc to livia, less than three months after she wedded augustus. This extract deals with an important event in the reign of the emperor tiberius. This masterpiece of observation, immortalized in robert gravess classic. He trained as an orator the usual education for an aspiring politician and was an expert in rhetoric. If you enjoyed robert graves i, claudius and claudius the god, the penguin edition of suetonius the twelve caesars is a musthave in your collection. The twelve caesars is a set of twelve biographies of julius caesar and the first 11 emperors of the roman empire. Its hardly a staid latin history book in fact, its browns. Augustus, tiberius, gaius caligula, claudius, nero, galba, otho, vitelius, vespasian, titus, domitian. For in the most frequented part of the town, there was, not long since, a street named the octavian. The project gutenberg ebook of the lives of the twelve caesars, complete by c. The twelve caesarsjulius caesar, augustus, tiberius, caligula. Buy the twelve caesars penguin classics book online at low. With a position close to the imperial court he was able to access otherwise private sources for his work, and he certainly did not hold back on revealing the sometimes sordid details of romes most famously debauched. He became a close friend and client of the senator pliny the younger, who described him as quiet and studious, a man dedicated to writing, and a man of the.
Suetonius the twelve caesars world public library ebooks. The twelve caesars served as a model for the biographies of 2nd and early 3rdcentury emperors compiled by marius maximus. The twelve caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over rome, from the foundation of the empire under julius caesar and augustus to the decline into depravity under nero and the recovery that came with his successors. Librivox recording of the lives of the twelve caesars by gaius suetonius tranquillus, translated by alexander thomson, m. The twelve caesars by gaius suetonius tranquillus, translated by robert graves 1965. At some point, suetonius may have fallen out of favour, and his access restricted. Gaius suetonius tranquillus commonly known as suetonius was a roman historian who wrote.
An essential primary source on roman history, suetonius the twelve caesars is a fascinating achievement of scholarship covering a critical period in the empire. The twelve caesars by suetonius penguin books australia. Coloring books for everyone new members save 20% off jigsaw. The lives of the twelve caesars by gaius suetonius. Suetonius tranquillus, and newly translated into english by philemon holland. This study guide consists of approximately 35 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the twelve caesars. The lives of the twelve caesars is a work of biography, and its strength is. The ageing tiberius had taken up residence on the island of capri living in the hilltop villa iovis house of jove or jupiter, leaving the daytoday government of rome to his lieutenant, aelius sejanus. Suetonius, in holding up a mirror to those caesars of diverting. The twelve caesars harmondsworth, middlesex, england. Rives has sensitively updated robert gravess now classic translation, reinstating latin terms and updating vocabulary while retaining the liveliness of the original. The twelve caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over rome, from the foundation of the empire under. The work was written in 121 during the reign of the emperor hadrian, while suetonius was hadrians personal secretary.
1006 737 624 887 1159 1336 1461 1059 70 195 826 551 13 1170 950 1321 1026 1218 1160 68 733 1203 1287 417 536 562 476 1432 602 296 308 1497 1001 592 1534 79 768 447 436 654 715 120 558 77 151 799 284