Suetonius

Related Topics:
Suetonius

This article is about the Roman historian. For the Roman general who put down the rebellion of Boudica, see Gaius Suetonius Paulinus.

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

Life

He was 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, even though Suetonius never married or had any children. Through Pliny, Suetonius came into favor 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 a secretary of studies (precise functions are uncertain) and a directorate of Imperial libraries. Under Hadrian, he became his imperial 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 Office 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.

Works

Twelve Caesars

He is mainly remembered as the author The Twelve Caesars (also known as Lives of the Caesars), his only extant work except for the fragments noted below. The Twelve Caesars, probably written in Hadrian's time, is a 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 works

Fragments extant

De Viris Illustribus ("On Famous Men" — in the field of literature), to which belong:
- De Illustribus Grammaticis ("Lives Of The Grammarians")
- De Claris Rhetoribus ("Lives Of The Rhetoricians")
- Lives Of The Poets

Lost

Lives of Famous Whores
Royal Biographies
Roma ("On Rome"), in four parts:
- Roman Manners & Customs
- The Roman Year
- The Roman Festivals
- Roman Dress
Greek Games
On Public Offices
On Cicero’s Republic
The Physical Defects of Mankind
Methods of Reckoning Time
An Essay on Nature
Greek Terms of Abuse
Grammatical Problems
Critical Signs Used in Books

External links

The Lives of the Twelve Caesars at LacusCurtius (Latin original, English translation)
Suetonius' works at Latin Library (Latin)
- The Lives of the Twelve Caesars at Project Gutenberg (English translation - includes Lives Of The Grammarians, Rhetoricians, And Poets)
Suetonius and the reign of Tiberius: a comparison with other sources
Suetonius' Twelve Caesars at RomansOnline.Com
Suetonius' Twelve Caesars at Roman Literature Online

75 births | 130 deaths | Roman era biographers