Suetonius life of augustus is the most commonly read ancient account of the life of romes first emperor, presenting a mass of historical and biographical detail about both his public and personal lives. Suetonius tranquillus was the son of a roman knight who commanded a legion, on the side of otho, at the battle which decided the fate of the empire in favour of vitellius. Suetonius tranquillus this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. I have prepared a text, grammatical commentary, and vocabulary for your use. Valerius maximus memorable deeds and sayings book i oxford 1998. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. During the book on nero, suetonius does mention christians see historicity of jesus. Caligulas father, germanicus, who was the son of drusus the elder and antonia the younger, was adopted in 4ad by germanicuss paternal uncle,tiberius. Hurleys previous commentary an historical and historiographical commentary on suetonius life of c. One historian who is a perfect example of this is suetonius. So that none may doubt this, let me record that two books were found among his papers entitled the. This integrated electronic edition will contain latin texts, english translations, and commentaries, together with links to the extensive lexical and geographical reference material available at perseus.
After serving as quaestor for five years, before the legal age, he became consul, without holding the usual intermediate offices, and at augustus death the senate appointed him to. A commentary collection latomus by d wardle author visit amazons d wardle page. Accompanied by an introduction which investigates the career of suetonius, the date of the lives of the caesars, the structure of the life of augustus, the various sources utilized by suetonius, and the way in which the reader should approach this complex text, the commentary also looks to examine suetonius work not just as a repository of. I would like to thank the good people at librivox for the translation and their. He wasnt, but its doubtful if he would have been smeared so viciously if. They presented some high and low times at the heart of the roman empire. An historical and historiographical commentary on suetonius life of c. The twelve caesars part 1 julius caesar by suetonius youtube.
This book although from the 1920s is invaluable if you are looking for archaeological evidence with a primary focus on extant inscriptions from the book on gaius caligula from the author gaius tranqullius suetonius. Introduction to suetonius life, genre, method, style, and achievement. An historical and historiographical commentary on suetonius life. In his life of caligula he is so obviously following a story line instead the facts, and even more problematic is how he switches the story half way through the account. Suetonius listeners and readers were also living under emperors with absolute power.
The project gutenberg ebook of the lives of the twelve caesars, complete by c. Dive deep into suetonius with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Additional english translations and commentaries will follow. This edition of the roman historian suetonius life of the notorious emperor caligula includes an introduction giving historical background, the latin text,and commentary notes on the text. He was of equestrian rank, practiced law, and was for a time secretary to the emperor hadrian reg. Caligula society for classical studies american classical studies 1st edition. Suetonius life of caligula magic and witchcraft in. Lives of the twelve caesars audiobook by suetonius. A study of whether or not caligula was as vile as suetonius said, and a discussion of why the.
Cassius dios work is invaluable because it alone gives a loose chronology of caligula s reign. Jan 21, 2016 suetonius grandfather was possibly a member of caligulas court and the writers father, suetonius laetus, was a knight, that is, a member of the equestrian class, holding the position of tribune of the th legion during the 69 ce civil war, a legion he commanded at the battle of bedriacum in northern italy. Little is known about suetoniuss sweetohneeuhs life. This edition of the roman historian suetonius life of the notorious emperor caligula includes an introduction giving historical background, the latin text, and commentarynotes on. Reading the life of caligula and his reign as the most powerful man in the world less than a 4 year reign, from age 2528 when he was assassinated is one unforgettable experience. In professor barretts view, the mystery of caligulas reign is not why he descended into autocracy, but how any intelligent roman. I found it interesting to dig up any inscriptions for caligula or ccaesar on inscriptions from the julio claudian epigraphy or inscriptions. Suetonius discusses several public games and new buildings caligula funded before describing the ways in which caligula was a monster caligula, section 22. The roman historian suetonius wrote these words about ancient rome s most notorious emperor caligula. Suetonius wrote his lives of the twelve caesars in the reign of vespasian around 70ad. Barrett draws on the archaeological and numismatic evidence to supplement the later written record. Gaius suetonius tranquillus was born in the tragic year of the four emperors, a. Life of augustus oxford, 2014 cicero on divination book i oxford, 2006.
He wasnt, but its doubtful if he would have been smeared so viciously if something else hadnt been going on. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Suetonius reports that caligula ruthlessly persecuted members of the senate, committed incest with his sisters, and believed he was a god. Hurley has taught at columbia, princeton, and rutgers universities. From incidental notices in the following history, we learn that he was born towards the close of the reign of vespasian, who died in the year 79 of the christian era. An historical and historiographical commentary of suetonius life of c. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. For example, suetonius is the main source on the lives of caligula, his uncle. The life of caligula 9781934971147 by suetonius and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. This, coupled with the use of poison used not to kill him but to seduce him, seems to determine that suetonius life of caligula can be used as a source for the depictions of witches in the ancient roman world. This edition of the roman historian suetonius life of the notorious emperor caligula includes an introduction giving historical background, the latin text, and commentary notes on the text.
The commentary is the first to be accessible to readers without any knowledge of latin or greek due to its use of english lemmata, while the new translation. Viii the birth of gaius caligula gaius caesar caligula was born on the 31st of august ad12, in the consulship of his father, germanicus, and gaius fonteius capito. Caligula society for classical studies american classical studies. Suetonius life of gaius caligula germanicus, the father of gaius caesar, the son of drusus and antonia the younger, was adopted by tiberius, his paternal uncle. After the dismissal of both men for some breach of court etiquette, suetonius apparently retired. The student is expected to have mastered a basic second year vocabulary and to be prepared to absorb a considerable quantity of new vocabulary. Very nearly all that is known about the lives of romes eminent authors stems ultimately from this work, which survives only in the whole of one section and in the preface and five lives from another section. In addition, there are two commentaries on the life of gaius.
Hurley, who has written extensively and with authority on suetonius, knows her. He served as quaestor in 7ad five years before the legal age and became consul in 12ad without holding the intermediate offices. Caligula had his vices, no doubt, but even if they were exaggerated or concocted by ancient propagandists like suetonius, that doesnt mean that he was actually a good emperor living a chaste and moral life. Caligula also known as gaius, was roman emperor from 37 ad to 41 ad.
Electronic texts and resources the stoa and the perseus project will be collaborating on a new electronic edition of suetonius s lives of the caesars. Mar 24, 2016 one historian who is a perfect example of this is suetonius. We find many anecdotes, much gossip of the imperial court, and various details of character and personal appearance. About the life of the caesars, commonly known as the twelve caesars, is a set of twelve biographies of julius caesar and the first 11 emperors of the roman empire written by gaius suetonius tranquillus. The bulk of what is known of caligula comes from suetonius and cassius dio. This edition of the roman historian suetonius life of the notorious emperor caligula includes an introduction giving historical background, the latin text,and commentarynotes on the text. This edition of the roman historian suetonius life of the notorious emperor caligula includes an introduction giving historical background, the latin text,and commentarynotes on. In this study of caligulas life, reign and violent death, anthony a. Suetonius, and specifically the life of augustus, to project charlemagne as a true roman emperor. An historical and historiographical commentary on suetonius life of. An historical and historiographical commentary on suetonius. We will read suetonius life of caligula, focusing closely on the grammar, vocabulary, and style of the text, with significant comment on the historical and cultural background. Suetonius, lives of the caesars, volume i loeb classical. Septicius clarus, prefect of the praetorian guard, his lives of the caesars.
Suetonius life of caligula magic and witchcraft in ancient. The loeb classical library edition of suetonius is in two volumes. Suetonius s account of neros death is justly famous. Through to the present day suetonius has profoundly shaped modern perceptions of roman society. Loeb classical library founded by james loeb 1911 edited by jeffrey henderson. Maybe the later impact of the author lies beyond the scope of an already rich commentary, and yet the citations of the historia augusta in the course of the commentary thoug h these do not appear in the index. Lives of the caesars, volume i suetonius harvard university press.
He served as quaestor in 7ad five years before the legal age and became consul in 12ad without holding the intermediate. Suetonius grandfather was possibly a member of caligulas court and the writers father, suetonius laetus, was a knight, that is, a member of the equestrian class, holding the position of tribune of the th legion during the 69 ce civil war, a legion he. Jan 30, 2018 a timeless classic, an enthralling piece of historical writing from the great gaius suetonius tranquillus. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. Please choose whether or not you want other users to be able to see on your profile that this library is a favorite of yours. In book ten he is described as a well liked and self controlled boy to being a monster who delights in cruelty. Caligulas father germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of emperor tiberius, was a very successful general and one of romes most beloved public figures. The student is expected to have mastered a basic second year vocabulary and to be prepared to absorb a. She is the author of articles on roman historical subjects and of two commentaries on suetonius. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the julioclaudian dynasty. A timeless classic, an enthralling piece of historical writing from the great gaius suetonius tranquillus. Caligula s father germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of emperor tiberius, was a very successful general and one of romes most beloved public figures.
May 01, 1993 an historical and historiographical commentary on suetonius life of c. The roman historian suetonius wrote these words about ancient romes most notorious emperor caligula. Suetonius life of gaius caligula, in rolfes 19 loeb translation. We will read suetonius life of caligula, focusing closely on the grammar. A historical and historiographical commentary atlanta 1993. This volume provides the first largescale commentary on suetonius work in english, drawing out what is unique about suetonius information, discussing how it relates to other ancient. Suetonius life of caligula a commentary brussels 1994. He chronicled the extraordinary careers of julius, augustus, tiberius, caligula, claudius, nero, vespasian, and domitian and the rest in technicolour terms. His treatments consist of an account of each emperors administrative and military accomplishments followed by a description of his character and personal life. I found it interesting to dig up any inscriptions for caligula or ccaesar on inscriptions. An epigraphic commentary on suetoniuss life of gaius caligula this book although from the 1920s is invaluable if you are looking for archaeological evidence.
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