The Twelve Caesars

suetonius michael grant robert graves

As private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, Suetonius gained access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eye-witness accounts) to produce one of the most colorful 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 anecdote, wry observation and detailed physical description, The Twelve Caesars presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn — and all too human — individuals.

Robert Graves's celebrated translation, sensitively revised by Michael Grant, captures all the wit and immediacy of Suetonius' original.

Genres historyclassicsnonfictionbiographyancient historyancienthistoricalromanpoliticsliterature

363 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,0121

Series

The Lives of the Twelve Caesars

This edition

Format: 363 pages, Paperback
Published: May 6, 2003 by Penguin Classics
ISBN: 9780140449211
ASIN: 0140449213
Language: English

Characters More characters

Nero (emperor)

The last emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor. He succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius death.During his reign, Nero focused much of his attention on diplomac...
Caligula

Caligula (31 August AD 12 – 24 January AD 41), also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligulas father Germanicus, the nephew and a...
Lucius Livius Ocella Servius Sulpicius Galba

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Titus Flavius Domitianus

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Marcus Salvius Otho

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Titus (emperor)

Titus (39 - 81), was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father. Prior to becoming Emperor, Titus gain...

About the author

suetonius

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius (ca. 69/75 - after 130), was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar until Domitian, entitled De Vita Caesarum. Other works by Suetonius concern the daily life of Rome, politics, oratory, and the lives of famous writers, including poets, historians, and grammarians. A few of these books have partially survived, but many are entirely lost.