Not only was there an octavian street in the busiest part of town, but there was also an altar consecrated to an octavius who led the troops in a war with a neighbouring city. Life of augustus clarendon ancient history series reprint by wardle, d. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Life of augustus clarendon ancient history series 9780199686469. He was once more in danger when named as one of the catiline conspirators, by lucius vettius an informer, in front of the special commissioner, novius niger, and also in the senate, by quintus curius, who had been voted a reward from public funds for first revealing the plot. Hurley has taught at columbia, princeton, and rutgers universities. News of an enemy attack reaching him as he was sacrificing to mars. Gaius suetonius tranquillus, commonly known as suetonius ca. An understanding of suetonius biography and career, and of the historical. Suetonius, and specifically the life of augustus, to project charlemagne as a true roman emperor. Maybe the later impact of the author lies beyond the scope of an already rich commentary, and yet the citations of the historia augusta in the course of the commentary thoug h these do not appear in the index. It was dedicated to a friend, the praetorian prefect gaius septicius clarus. Augustus was born just before sunrise on 23 september, while cicero and gaius antonius were consuls, at ox heads, in the palatine district. As the title of his book hints, his more or less explicit model is the roman historian suetonius, who wrote about 2000 years ago and whose chatty, gossipy book famously profiled 12 caesars instead.
Other works by suetonius concern the daily life of rome, politics, oratory, and the lives of famous writers, including poets, historians, and grammarians. Septicius clarus, prefect of the praetorian guard, his lives of the caesars. Three examples will give a flavour the translation is quoted in. As osgood notes, reading suetonius is a good way to learn vocabulary in context, but suetonius style is not easy at first. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Murison has not set out to write the definitive book about the events and personalities of 68 and 69, but to discuss particular problems, especially those of which he became aware while working on his commentary on suetonius biographies of galba, otho and vitellius. This volume provides the first largescale commentary on suetonius. Three examples will give a flavour the translation is quoted in bold. He was of equestrian rank, practiced law, and was for a time secretary to the emperor hadrian reg. She is the author of articles on roman historical subjects and of two commentaries on suetonius. Terms in this set 29 suetonius says augustus refused this honour even in the provinces, unless it was in the name of rome as well as himself. The twelve caesars served as a model for the biographies of 2nd and early 3rdcentury emperors compiled by marius maximus. This collection, apparently entitled caesares, does not survive, but it was a source for a later biographical collection, known as historia augusta, which now forms a kind of sequel to suetonius work.
For the double meaning of consecratio as the whole process of introducing. Additional english translations and commentaries will follow. Suetonius goes to great lengths to reveal the way these men really were, as human beings. Octavian at this point was given the title augustus meaning the venerable by the roman senate. By all accounts, the octavii, of ancient velitrae velletri were a distinguished family. Of his two intimate advisers, agrippa gave this counsel, while mecaenas was for continuing his career of ambition eutrop. The lives of the twelve caesars online library of liberty. Suetonius practiced law in rome but abandoned this occupation to write. Suetonius life of augustus is the most commonly read ancient account of the life of romes first emperor, presenting a mass of historical and biographical detail about both his public and personal lives. Suetonius tranquillus, the lives of the twelve caesars, to which are added his lives of the grammarians, rhetoricians, and poets. Accompanied by an introduction which investigates the career of suetonius, the date of the lives of the caesars, the structure of the life of augustus, the various sources utilized by suetonius, and the way in which the reader should approach this complex text, the commentary also looks to examine suetonius work not just as a repository of.
Tacitus, suetonius, and the historical jesus biblical. For in the most frequented part of the town, there was, not long since, a street named the octavian. The work, written in ad 121 during the reign of the emperor hadrian, was the most popular work of suetonius, at that time hadrians personal secretary, and is the largest among his surviving writings. Very nearly all that is known about the lives of romes eminent authors stems ultimately from this work, which survives only in the whole of one section and in the preface and five lives from another section. The deified augustus is the longest book because, naturally, it describes the longestreigning caesar, augustus, whose original name was octavian. Apocolocyntosis bryn mawr commentaries, latin latin and english edition. An historical and historiographical commentary of suetonius life of c. Bordeaux published a set of epigrams on the theme book xiv. I find that the title in some copies is composed on behalf of metellus, though it purports to be the speech given by caesar, in defending metellus. Lives of the twelve caesars audiobook by suetonius. Written in 121 ce by suetonius, the twelve caesars gives an account of the public careers and private lives of the men who reigned with absolute power in rome.
This edition provides an introduction, latin text and commentary with an emphasis on literary and historical issues. Suetonius twelve caesars is a key narrative source for the period it covers and, unlike tacitus, it has survived entire and is uninterrupted. Dive deep into suetonius with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. The julioclaudian dynasty is an enduring source of interest in the study of roman history. With a position close to the imperial court he was able to access otherwise private sources for his work, and he certainly did not hold back on revealing the sometimes sordid details of romes most famously debauched. Suetonius wrote his lives of the twelve caesars in the reign of vespasian around 70ad. Suetonius was chosen because he wrote more closely than his peers to how modern biographers write, and the augustus was chosen because it is the finest of suetoniuss lives. Suetonius listeners and readers were also living under emperors with absolute power. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases. The linebyline commentary that follows is likewise brief and selective, and sometimes not generous enough for the genuinely intermediate student.
This volume provides the first largescale commentary on suetonius life of augustus together with an english translation, drawing out what is unique about suetonius information, discussing its read more. Tacitus, suetonius, and chrestus perhaps the main argument for viewing the reference to christ as an interpolation focuses on the term used in the preceding sentence for his followers, which is spelled chrestianos rather than christianos. Xvii accusations of complicity in the catiline conspiracy. Religions free fulltext are the gospels historically. Seutonius life of tiberius is an important source for any analysis of that emperors reign and one of the biographers most controversial portraits. The case of a young patrician, gaius laetorius by name, figures in the published book of senatorial proceedings. The commentary is the first to be accessible to readers without any knowledge of latin or greek due to its use of english lemmata, while the new translation. This is partly because after actium, the reign of augustus was mostly peaceful. Suetonius life of augustus is the most commonly read ancient account. The twelve caesars is probably the most in depth book ever written about the personal lives of the twelve caesars. Augustus was a lighteater, for i should add even this detail to my description of his domestic life, and usually his food was of the plainest.
Beginning with caesar himself, in the mid first century bc, it ends in ad 96 with domitian and covers the reigns. After the dismissal of both men for some breach of court etiquette, suetonius apparently retired. Suetonius life of gaius caligula, in rolfes 19 loeb translation. The lives of the twelve caesars series by suetonius.
A large section of the entire book is devoted to this. This volume provides the first largescale commentary on suetonius work in english. This volume provides the first largescale commentary on suetonius work in. After describing the military campaigns of augustus, suetonius describes his personal life. Finally, suetonius concludes with a description of the conspiracy against julius caesar and his resulting assassination. Gaius suetonius tranquillus was born in the tragic year of the four emperors, a. Each emperor is dissected, and his actions beyond politics and professionalism revealed. He chronicled the extraordinary careers of julius, augustus, tiberius, caligula, claudius, nero, vespasian, and domitian and the rest in technicolour terms.
Suetonius life of augustus is the most commonly read ancient. That the family of the octavii was of the first distinction in velitrae, 1 is rendered evident by many circumstances. Alongside evidence for codeswitching in augustus letters to political and literary. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. I, claudius was based on robert gravess novel, and he translated suetonius for penguin. It includes the latin text, chronology, detailed notes on the text and comprehensive indexes. It is certain that suetonius came from a family of moderate social position, that his father, suetonius laetus, was a tribune belonging to the equestrian order tribunus angusticlavius in the legio xiii gemina, and that suetonius was educated when schools of rhetoric flourished in rome.
Suetonius was chosen because he wrote more closely than his peers to how modern biographers write, and the augustus was chosen because it is the. Gaius suetonius tranquillus, commonly known as suetonius, was a roman historian who wrote during the early imperial era of the roman empire. Suetoniuss life of the divine augustus and the gospel of mark, are then assessed by using the criteria. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The translation of suetonius latin text occupies 37 pages.
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