Suetonius: Lives Of The Caesars

Suetonius: Lives of the Caesars

Introduction:

The historian Suetonius compiled an organized biography of the Caesars, starting with the reign of the Deified Julius Caesar, and ending with the reign of Domitian. His organization was very precise. He started his biographies with the lineage of the Emperor and the roles they had in society, next he followed with the birthdate of the Emperor he was talking about, then he listed their military characteristics (if any applied), and he concluded with the physical descriptions of that Emperor as well as the death of that particular Emperor. When discussing themes in the book, there are numerous to choose from. For example, there are themes such as military achievements, religion, political ambitions,

Augustus came to power as a result of his predecessor’s adoption of him. Before Julius Caesar formally adopted him, Augustus already had a firm political foundation, thanks to the numerous office's members of his family held. Augustus’ birth father “was the first in the family to attain senatorial rank.” Additionally, Augustus’ father had held a praetorship. However, where Augustus’ father came from “ample fortune and….distinction” , Augustus’ mother’s familial line was frequently the subject of debate. Suetonius addresses a rumor that followed Augustus all his life. The rumor was that Augustus’ maternal grandfather “came of African stock and earned his living first by keeping an oil-shop and later a bakery in Aricia.” In this instance, your families’ reputation could make you or break you. Marc Antony frequently used the previously mentioned rumor to discredit Augustus’ political aspirations; because who wants a slave as your

Out of the three Emperors I am analyzing, Nero’s family is the most interesting. Suetonius spends three pages talking about how Nero’s family came into power. His reasoning behind this is to “make clearer how Nero lapsed from the virtues of his ancestors, yet reproduced each one’s legacy of vice. In regards to the two founders of Nero’s family, they both “achieved seven consulships, a triumph, two censorships, and promotion to the patricians.” Additionally, Suetonius mentions only one of Nero’s family members who was considered “innocent” and that was Gnaeus Domitius’ son, who surprisingly Suetonius doesn’t name. All the other family members were “loathsome” , “indecisive” , and had a “savage temper” , all characteristics that Nero