Literate Lifetime
"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader." -- W. Fusselman
Suetonius Tranquillus, Gaius, 75-160We have 15 books for this author.
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (ca. 69/75 - after 130), also known as Suetonius, was a prominent Roman historian and biographer. LifeSuetonius was born the son of Suetonius Laetus, who probably came from Hippo Regius (Annaba, Algeria). Laetus was an equestrian who served as a regular colonel and took part in the first Battle of Bedriacum for the Emperor Otho and against the future Emperor Vitellius in 69. Suetonius was a close friend to Senator and historian Pliny the Younger. Pliny describes him as "quiet and studious, a man dedicated to writing." Pliny helped him buy a small property in Italy and interceded with the Emperor Trajan to grant Suetonius immunities usually granted to a father of three, the jus trium liberorum, because his marriage was childless.[1] Through Pliny, Suetonius came into favour with Trajan and Hadrian. Suetonius served on Pliny’s staff when Pliny was Proconsul of Bithynia Pontus (northern Asia Minor) between 110 and 112. Under Trajan he served as secretary of studies (precise functions are uncertain) and director of Imperial archives. Under Hadrian, he became the Emperor's secretary. In 122, Hadrian dismissed him for disrespectful behaviour towards Empress Vibia Sabina. Suetonius may have later regained imperial favor under Hadrian and returned to his position. This hypothesis is based on the suggestion that Offices of State was one of his last works, and that the subject was chosen to reflect Hadrian's administrative reforms. However, there is no certain evidence for a public career after 122. WorksTwelve CaesarsHe is mainly remembered as the author of De Vita Caesarum ("Lives of the Caesars", best known in English as "The Twelve Caesars"), his only extant work except for the brief lives and other fragments noted below. The Twelve Caesars, probably written in Hadrian's time, is a collective biography of the Roman Empire's first leaders who were: Julius Caesar (the first few chapters are missing), Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. The book was dedicated to a friend Gaius Septicius Clarus, a prefect of the Praetorian Guard in 119. The work tells the tale of each Caesar's life according to a set formula: the descriptions of appearance, omens, family history, quotes, and then a history are given in a consistent order for each Caesar. Suetonius regarded emperors who amassed wealth for the public purse to be "greedy", perhaps a reflection of the average Roman middle class attitudes. Other worksPartly extant
The two last works were written in Greek. They apparently survive in part in the form of extracts in later Greek glossaries. Lost
ReferencesExternal links
This biographical information was gathered from the Gaius_Suetonius_Tranquillus page, courtesy of the Wikipedia project. BooksDe vita CaesarumThe Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 01: Julius Caesar The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 02: Augustus The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 03: Tiberius The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 04: Caligula The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 05: Claudius The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 06: Nero The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 07: Galba The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 08: Otho The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 09: Vitellius The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 10: Vespasian The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 11: Titus The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 12: Domitian The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 13: Grammarians and Rhetoricians The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 14: Lives of the Poets |
Pick of the DayLists of Interest
Other ways of browsing |
||
