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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 10: Vespasian is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 03: Tiberius is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 09: Vitellius is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 14: Lives of the Poets is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 07: Galba is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 05: Claudius is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 04: Caligula is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 01: Julius Caesar is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 12: Domitian is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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On the Life of the Caesars, in Latin De vita Caesarum, or as it is often known in English, The Twelve Caesars, is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire. On the Life of the Caesars, which was written in 121 during the reign of the emperor Hadrian, was the most popular work of Hadrian's personal secretary, Suetonius, and is the largest among his surviving writings. It was dedicated to a friend, the Praetorian prefect Gaius Septicius Clarus, in 119. On the Life of the Caesars was considered very significant in antiquity and remains a main source on Roman history. The book discusses the significant and critical period of the Principate from the end of the Republic to the reign of Domitian; comparisons are often made with Tacitus whose surviving works document a similar period. (Quote from wikipedia.org)

About the Author

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (69 - 130)
Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (ca. 69/75 - after 130), also known as Suetonius, was a prominent Roman historian and biographer.

Suetonius was born the son of Suetonius Laetus, who probably came from Hippo Regius (Annaba, Algeria). Laetus was an equestrian who served 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 letter-writer 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 ius trium liberorum, because his marriage was childless. Through Pliny, Suetonius came into favour with Trajan and Hadrian.

Suetonius served on Pliny ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Suetonius
The Lives of the Twelve Caesars (De vita Caesarum) by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. Published by MobileReference (mobi).

In historical study there are two types of literature. Secondary sources are written based on the original writings which are known as Primary sources. This is one of the foremost primary sources about famous Roman Emperors and most of the history books written on the Caesars are standing on Suetonius' shoulders. ... Read more

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The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 02: Augustus is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

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As private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, the scholar Suetonius had access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eyewitness accounts) to produce one of the most colourful biographical works in history. "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 and civil war under Nero and the recovery that came with his successors. A masterpiece of observation, anecdote and detailed physical description, "The Twelve Caesars" presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn - and all too human - individuals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Not even close to being an ancient "National Enquirer"
The modern-day National Enquirer is a magazine tabloid that focuses primarily on celebrities and prominent figures, and essentially operates as a rumor mill; gossip, stories, exaggerations, and even resorting to actively fabricating elements of the story.


Suetonius is not a reporter, but neither is he a liar out to make up juicy stories.


In The Twelve Caesars, Suetonius essentially puts together stories, and TELLS YOU which stories he heard, and their believability.HE ACTIVELY TELLS YOU THAT A CERTAIN STORY IS ALMOST ENTIRELY LIKELY TO BE FICTIONAL, AND TELLS YOU TO BE AWARE THAT IT IS, AND THAT HE ONLY INCLUDES IT HERE FOR THE SAKE OF LETTING YOU KNOW THAT IT IS POSSIBLY FICTIONAL, AS WELL AS FOR COMPLETIONIST'S SAKE.


Suetonius's accounts are quite riveting, and unlike Titus Livius or Herodotos, he doesn't lie or embellish his stories, except for when he points out that a story is likely fictional or exaggerated.


The greatest likelihood is that these stories were the sort being circulated around the Roman world which he copies down, and after warning us that it is unauthentifiable or likely fictional tells us, basically, "make of it what you will"

Simply Epic
I had heard that Seutonius' usage of what were household names referring to prominent Roman citizens could be initially slightly discouraging for the casual reader - but they weren't. It is simply an epic read. Structured, to the point, at times gory, but gives great insight into the personalities of Julius Caesar and the following 11 emperors, and a glimpse into Roman life at the time. I couldn't put it down. It may be difficult to dissect Seutonius' own influence from the writing, but that just adds to the drama...

Great Book
Deliverd as promised.
Great book with greater insight into the rulers of Rome as they more likely were.

Brief Review of Suetonius
Suetonius' achievement is his brevity. He gives us the significant events in the rulership of each Caesar, some of their virtues and vices, and a few opinions. Plutarch is the better writer of style and narrative, but Suetonius suffices. The book is easy enough to read, and has a lot of anecdotes that are memorable.

His history makes Seneca's tragedies more realistic in the savage atrocities committed. The sacrifices of Astyanax and Polyxena in Seneca's The Trojan Women are believable. In light of Suetonius' history, I don't know that Seneca's tragedies had the shock value then that they have since. The use of ghosts are consistent between Suetonius and Seneca. Suetonius does not mythologize, except perhaps in stories of omens. If he reports legends or rumors, which is infrequent, he will usually say so.

The Twelve Caesars
well translated-flowing English.Interesting division of facts about 12 Caesars-lineage-good deeds-bad deeds and perversions and augers of the man's life. I recommend it for someone who wants to know a first hand viewpoint of the Caesars-esp. those who have been misinformed about the great Augustus. I am no historian so I don't know where personal opinion and political pressure coloured the history but I enjoyed it. ... Read more

Product Description
The Lives of the Caesars include the biographies of Julius Caesar and the eleven subsequent emperors: Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitelius, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian. It was Robert Graves's primary reference source when he was writing I, Claudius. Suetonius composed his material from a variety of sources, without much concern for their reliability. His biographies consist the ancestry and career of each emperor in turn; however, his interest is not so much analytical or historical, but anecdotal and salaciouswhich gives rise to a lively and provocative succession of portraits. The account of Julius Caesar does not simply mention his crossing of the Rubicon and his assassination, but draws attention to his dark piercing eyes and attempts to conceal his baldness. The life of Caligula presents a vivid picture of the emperor's grotesque appearance, his waywardness, and his insane cruelties.
The format and style of Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars was to set the tone for biography throughout western literature--his work remains thoroughly readable and full of interest.Indeed, it was Robert Graves's primary reference source when he was writing I, Claudius, and those who have read his book will enjoy the original accounts as set down here. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Marred by poor rendering of the text
First, there are no hyperlinks to the end notes, which are essential in a work that can sometimes be obscure. A real pain in this work. Also, the rendering of this text and another Oxford world classics text I bought (Tacitus' Annals) is rendered very poorly so that when you search for a term, that term will often not show up because it does not recognize the word. This is also shown when you highlight a passage and go to "my highlights and notes" to find that the text often shows up garbled because it has been rendered poorly. The translation and notes are fine, but the problems I'm having with the text make this a bad purchase.

A spendid read that kept my attention throughout
Books published as part of the Oxford World's Classics are unlikely to disappoint, and some even delight.This translation of Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars is lively, easy to read, and interesting throughout.

I've recently read a number of works by Seneca, including his biting satire upon the deification of Claudius.Much of Suetonius' work covers the Julio-Claudian emperors and offers readers much background on the reigns and the city of these first Roman Emperors. It is a different perspective than Plutarch's and adds much to the knowledge of Imperial Rome.Lives of the Caesars adds a perspective (generally iconoclastic)that helps students of Roman letters, theater and history have a broader understanding of the place and the era.

I also found the extensive end notes very valuable.In addition to a valuable translation, these notes make this volume a worthy edition to any library or shelf dedicated to the world of ancient Rome.

contemparanious depiction of public & private lives of 12 Caesars
Being written near the time of the events this book portrays the lives of the first 12 Caesars in the writing style of the period.This is not how history is written today;and it allows a bright light to be shone on both public & private lies of the Caesars.It feels as if Suetonious is speaking to the reader privately.It is a superb account of the time.

The ancient writer captivates the reader!
I have read many biographies of famous historical figures, written by modern scholars, but none had the immediacy, the thrilling emphasis to minor details and the power of words that Suetonius' work features. The Roman historian proves that he was a true child of the classical world, having the gift of telling his stories in a few but full of meaning sentences. I think that after reading Suetonius one has a powerful image of every emperor as a human being first and as a ruler second. Hats off to the ancient writers who are the top specialists to explain the inner secrets of their society and epoch!

On Ancient Gossip
When you need a break from memorizing the dates of the Punic Wars, are bored speculating over what kind of salt the Romans used to sow Carthaginian fields, have given up on finding Philippi on any modern map, and can't quite recall the names of the dramatis personae during the year of the three emperors, this book will re-stimulate your interest in history by gratifying the natural human desire to learn more about crime in high places.

Imagine, all the gravitas reeking Romans were up to treason, homicide, intrigue, incest, bestiality, gifting poison mushrooms and assorted produce, adultery, simple theft, complex theft, tax cheating, forgery, perjury, matricide, patricide, fratricide, suicide, sistercide, and murdering or marrying thier neices, and all sorts of stuff not normal entertainment at church family picnics nor encouraged at the office.

A question does arise - was Suetonius accurate or fair? I think not; he is a delightful scandalmonger who makes no pretense at being fair and his sources undoubtedly included talk show hosts from the Forum's late night hour. Tiberius is for example portrayed as a monster; but he seemed to be a talented administrator himself or had the sense to hire those who were. Claudius while making very poor choices in wives and prone to some silly enthusiasms was very prudent in his foreign policy, by-and-large avoiding killling foreign folks who didn't enlist for suicide.

Overall a great book; just take it with a pinch of Roman salt. ... Read more

Product Description
Lawyer and for a time private secretary to the emperorHadrian, Suetonius was a knowledgeable and diligent collector of factsabout his world. His Lives of the Caesars and Lives of Illustrious Menare invaluable and fascinating sources of information. Seasoned withentertaining anecdotes and bits of scandalous gossip relating to thelives of the first 12 emperors, Suetonius' biographies offer acolorful picture of Roman imperial politics and society. His accountof Nero's death is justly famous.

For this revised edition Donna W. Hurley has selectively corrected andupdated the translation and notes of Lives of the Caesars; G. P. Gooldhas revised the text of Lives of Illustrious Men to take account ofrecent scholarship. In a substantial new introduction K. R. Bradleyanalyzes Suetonius' work. ... Read more

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Great resource!
This edition has the Latin text printed on the left side, with the corresponding English translation on the right. A splendid resource for Classical students or anyone wishing to see the original text as well as the English meaning. ... Read more

Product Description
The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 13: Grammarians and Rhetoricians is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description

Suetonius (C. Suetonius Tranquillus, born ca. 70 CE), son of a military tribune, was at first an advocate and a teacher of rhetoric, but later became the emperor Hadrian's private secretary, 119–121. He dedicated to C. Septicius Clarus, prefect of the praetorian guard, his Lives of the Caesars. After the dismissal of both men for some breach of court etiquette, Suetonius apparently retired and probably continued his writing. His other works, many known by title, are now lost except for part of the Lives of Illustrious Men (of letters).

Friend of Pliny the Younger, Suetonius was a studious and careful collector of facts, so that the extant lives of the emperors (including Julius Caesar the dictator) to Domitian are invaluable. His plan in Lives of the Caesars is: the emperor's family and early years; public and private life; death. We find many anecdotes, much gossip of the imperial court, and various details of character and personal appearance. Suetonius's account of Nero's death is justly famous.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Suetonius is in two volumes. Both volumes were revised throughout in 1997-98, and a new Introduction added.

Product Description
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.Amazon.com Review
Born in 60 A.D., Suetonius served for several years assecretary to the Roman emperor Hadrian. His years in the palaces andhalls of imperial government served him well when he set out to writethis oftentimes eye-popping, tell-all account of the doings of thefirst 12 emperors, from Julius to Domitian, who make the good fellasof Mafia renown seem tame by comparison. From Suetonius we learn thatAugustus was afraid of lightning and thunder and carried a piece ofseal skin as protection against them; that Caligula slept with hismother and his sister; and that Nero outlawed mimes in Rome--which maymean that he wasn't such a bad man after all. Suetonius doesn'thesitate to say when he's reporting gossip that he has not personallyverified, but what gossip it is! This translation, by the notedclassicist Robert Graves, serves the ancient chronicler very wellindeed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Kindle Edition
This does not have an active table of contents and it is very difficult to navigate without one. I just bookmarked each chapter for an easier way to get to the individual Caesars'. But this takes a bit of time. Overall, the content of the book is very good. Again, just difficult to navigate.

Incredible, important work
Suetonius's biographies of twelve Roman emperors from Julius Caesar to Domitian stands today as one of the primary sources of our information on these Roman emperors, along with other great Roman historians and biographers (Tacitus, Plutarch, and the like).Suetonius brings the events in the emperors' lives vividly to life with remarkable clarity.

Additionally a great deal of information about Roman thought and culture is revealed to us along the way, from why the raven's was seen as a good luck omen when it appeared to the dying Domitian to the political nature of the Roman state.Along the way we are treated to explanations of the great fire that consumed the city during Nero's reign, Claudius's misspent youth, and many other interesting events.

This particular edition is masterfully translated and makes this important work very accessible to the modern reader.Highly recommended.

horrible shipping experience
I urge you! if you decide to buy books, you have to order it at least a month an advance. I ordered the book for my school paper. When i received it, i had already got my grade C+.:(I frequnetly shop for books from amazon,it usually takes not more that a week. But, this is the worst shipping experience i have ever had. The good part is that they sent the right book with decent condition

The best of the translations
Suetonius was a master historian, and the material he has to work with here--the insanity, sheer brutality, and fabulous riches of the Roman emperors--falls into the category of:nobody could make this stuff up. It's that strange.Even if you didn't know you were interested in Roman history, you're still going to be glued to the page.

Robert Graves, the translator, does a brilliant job.I found it far superior to anything else I have read. Also, those people who have seen the PBS series "I, Claudius" will be fascinated to learn that Robert Graves used history here asbackground for that series (albeit with a good deal of fictionalizing of Livia).

The biographies of Nero and Caligula are frankly superb. Even if you've read them before, it is simply staggering to read it all again and revel in the lunacy of their reigns. Nero left the palace at night to stalk the dark streets of Rome.Then, finding innocent men on their way "home from dinner, stab them if they offered resistance, and then drop their bodies in the sewers" (p 195).)The emperor was a serial killer.

Suetonius shows every evidence of weighing the facts carefully.Take, for example, "An ancient superstition was current in the East that out of Judaea would come the rulers of the world. Thisprediction, as the event later proved, referred to a Roman Emperor, but the rebellious Jews, who read it as referring to themselves" (p 242) and not Vespasian.Hmm.

Unclear edition
The service was fine- but there are various editions of this work with relatively minor changes in the introduction and other minor matters. There was no way of determining the date of this edition or any of the others from the listings. This was in fact from 1979 rather than 2003 ... Read more

Product Description
This new edition of Suetonius' "Nero" is updated to take account of research on Suetonius. It includes the original author's corrections and updating, his complete revision of the commentary, with suggestions from regular users of the book, which was first published in 1977. This edition brings together the life of one of the most enduringly fascinating Roman emperors with the most interesting of Roman biographers, with succinct but authoritative scholarship on both. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Latin Text, Introduction, and Historical Notes
Suetonius (c.70-after 130) was a famous historian who might have been born in Hippo Regius (Algeria).He was educated at Rome and was an eyewitness of the events towards the end of Domitian's reign.After Domitian's death he entered into somesort of relationship with Pliny the Younger.Suetonius seems to have had a career of advocate as well as some early writing.Most likely through the influence of Pliny, Suetonius became a bibliothecis, a position that supervised the public libraries at Rome.We are unsure when he wrote the biographic 12 Lives, and it was surprising that he used this format since the bibliographic style was considered lower than historiography.Suetonius' style reflects his rejection of explicit moralizing, highly colored descriptive writing, and dramatic presentation of crises which abound in contemporary history writing of the day.

The sources for Suetonius' life of Nero are a major problem for historians since much seems to have been hearsay, perhaps some from a lost life of Agrippina, or a common source that Tacitus, Dio Cassius, and Suetonius used that no longer exists.Regardless, the account is rife with small details (bracelets with snake skins, secret, brother-sister relationships, passwords etc), incredulous stories, mixed up with some important historical information.Because of the scandalous nature of the text, it became widely known during the Renaissance and to this day.B.H Warmington's introduction covers Suetonius' Style, what is known about the historian's life, Suetonius' Sources, and his bibliography format.

The Latin text of the Nero segment present in this volume (NO ENGLISH TRANSLATION - check out Oxford's world classics - The Live of the Caesars) has ample notes.However, these ONLY address (as stated in the beginning) historical information that the reader might not know but are important to comprehension.There are almost NO notes that pertain to the bizarre LATIN constructions, word usage, Greek lines, and sometimes convoluted and structurally unsound sections present all over in the text.For example, the word emptor (used to describe a relative of Nero) is listed in a Latin dictionary as a purchaser when in actuality the contemporary legal sense of the word meant executor, which has an entirely different and not so negative connotation.I understand that the editor states that this edition is not meant to analyze Suetonius' Latin or literary merit, but it would have been a very welcome and very useful addition.

All in all, the biography of Emperor Nero is hilarious sometimes to the point of belly aching yet difficult (ablative absolutes introducing main clauses, nouns that act like verbs, random Greek lines etc) text that all advanced Latin students should read. ... Read more

Product Description
Suetonius (b. c. 70), was a man of letters writing under the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. This is a new and definitive critical edition of his most important surviving work, On the Study of Grammar and Rhetoric, on Roman education and culture. A unique and exceptionally rich source for our understanding of Roman cultural history, this book provides a complete Latin text, the first ever English translation, and the most extensive social and historical commentary yet produced. ... Read more

Product Description
This English translation of 'De Vita Caesarum' was written by G. Suetonius Tranquillus c. 112 A.D. during the reign of Trajan.Suetonius, who had access to the Imperial archives during his research, represents one of the major surviving sources for Roman history on the early Caesars and their times.Includes an active table of contents. ... Read more