Suetonius and I go way back. In Latin class, we were forced to watch these less than inspiring documentaries on Roman Empires that were filled with quotes from, among others: Suetonius. As such, I was looking forward to reading this Little Black Classic. Also, because if there ever was a mad man in ...
For the past two millennia Caesar has denoted the absolute ruler of an empire, a legacy of one man who ruled Rome and the men who succeeded him and used his name. The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius gives biographical sketches of the men who ruled the Western world for a century and a half, from the en...
For me, Caligula will always be John Hurt dancing. That scene, from I Claudius where Hurt prances in front of Derek Jacobi and two other politicos that mini-series has influenced how I see Livia and Claudius. So Caligula is John Hurt. This Penguins Little Classic is Suetonius’ ch...
Suentonius was a 2nd Century CE Roman historian, who is best known for his work The Twelve Caesars, in which he writes of the twelve Roman Emperors, from Julius Caesar to Domitian (49 BCE to 96 CE). This Little Black Classic is a wonder to behold. It recounts the horrors of Caligula, the nickname of...
A friend who teaches Latin for a living told me it was this book, along with Tacitus’ Annals, that made her fall in love with Ancient Rome and change her concentration. Suetonius was a secretary to one of the Roman emperors, Hadrian, so one would expect he’d have an understanding of imperial Rome an...
A must read for any Roman History fan. It is the gossip tabloid of the ancient world. That does not mean that it is not historical, however, just that much of it is gossip and rumor. Now that I have read this, it is time to read the Secret History by Procopius!
While I have loved most of the selections that Farrington chose in other books, I wasn't crazy about these translations, primarily old public domain (the word quoth appears) or adapted by Brian & Adrian Murdoch. There is a good sampling here, I like the selections but would advise anyone interested ...
OK, this may mark me forever as a nerd, but this was one of my favorite books in high school.
Wonderful read.
Translated by Robert GravesOn 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 rei...
Log in with Facebook 
