Historical Biography - General & Miscellaneous, General & Miscellaneous Military History, General & Miscellaneous Military Biography, General & Miscellaneous Political Biography, General & Miscellaneous Ancient Roman History, The Roman Empire - History

The Twelve Caesars

Name: The Twelve Caesars
Author: Suetonius
ISBN: 9780140455168

by Suetonius, Robert Graves (Translator), James Rives (Introduction), James Rives (Noted by), James Rives

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Overview

Written during the reign of Hadrian, by Hadrian personal secretary, Suetonius, "The Twelve Caesars" was the most popular and longest of Suetonius's surviving works. Beginning with the life of Julius Caesar and continuing with the first eleven emperors of Rome who followed him, "The Twelve Caesars" is one of the most important historical bibliographical works of the Roman Empire and discusses the critical period in Roman history known as the Principate, from the end of the Republic to the reign of Domitian.

Synopsis

Translated by Robert Graves and Revised with an Introduction by Michael Grant.

The Barnes & Noble Review

Historians value Suetonius as an innovator in biographical and historical writing -- he abandoned straight chronology for a more thematic approach to his subjects, in this case the emperors of Rome from Julius Caesar to Domitian (from 50 B.C. to A.D. 100), and he practiced a rare objectivity in his portraiture. That said, Livy (History of Rome) and Tacitus (Germania, Agricola, The Annals) are usually viewed as greater writers, both as historians and stylists. Where Suetonius stands alone, at least for the modern reader, is in the quality of his weird and fascinating gossip.

About the Author, Suetonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius (ca. 70-ca. 135), was a Roman historian, administrator, and writer belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era. His most important surviving work is The Twelve Caesars, a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to Domitian. Other works by Suetonius concern the daily life of Rome, politics, oratory, and the lives of famous writers, including poets, historians, and grammarians. A few of these books have partially survived, but many have been lost. Clive Chafer is a professional actor, director, and producer, as well as a theater instructor. Originally from England, he has been an Equity member for over twenty years and has performed and directed at many theaters in the San Francisco area, where he makes his home, and in Utah and Wisconsin. In 1993, he founded TheatreFIRST, Oakland's only professional, season-producing theater company, where he served as artistic director until 2008. Clive received his B.A. from Leeds University and his M.F.A. in staging Shakespeare from Exeter University in 2000. He teaches classical dramatic literature and other subjects at the University of San Francisco. He is also a linguist and naming consultant, and has developed several high-profile brands for companies such as Apple Computer, Subaru, and PayPal.