Lives of the Caesars
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Lives of the Caesars is a famous work by Suetonius, a Roman biographer and antiquarian. Written after 122 CE, it provides biographies of Julius Caesar and the first eleven Roman emperors. Suetonius's approach was to organize biographies by topic, covering family background, career, public and private life, appearance, personality, and death, rather than chronologically.1
While the work is known for including gossip and scandal, it offers valuable insights into the emperors' habits and appearance. Suetonius's writing style is noted for its firmness, brevity, and vividness, making Lives of the Caesars an engaging read. The book significantly shaped historical perceptions of Roman society and its leaders.1
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- Latin literatureBiography and letters
Suetoniusā lives of the Caesars and of poets contain much valuable information, especially since he had access to the imperial archives. His method was to cite in categories whatever he found, favourable or hostile, and to leave this raw material to the judgment of the reader.ā¦
Read MoreSuetoniusā lives of the Caesars and of poets contain much valuable information, especially since he had access to the imperial archives. His method was to cite in categories whatever he found, favourable or hostile, and to leave this raw material to the judgment of the reader.ā¦
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biographyCharacter sketchesā¦brief span of years the Lives of the Caesars, by the Roman emperor Hadrianās librarian Suetonius. These works established a quite subtle mingling of character sketch with chronological narrative that has ever since been the dominant mark of this genre. Plutarch, from an ethical standpoint emphasizing the political virtues ofā¦
Read Moreā¦brief span of years the Lives of the Caesars, by the Roman emperor Hadrianās librarian Suetonius. These works established a quite subtle mingling of character sketch with chronological narrative that has ever since been the dominant mark of this genre. Plutarch, from an ethical standpoint emphasizing the political virtues ofā¦
Read More