The Twelve Caesars - Softcover

Suetonius

Softcover

ISBN 10: 142092933X ISBN 13: 9781420929331

Publisher: Digireads.Com, 2007

Synopsis

Written during the reign of Hadrian, by Hadrian personal secretary, Suetonius, "The Twelve Caesars" was the most popular and longest of Suetonius's surviving works. Beginning with the life of Julius Caesar and continuing with the first eleven emperors of Rome who followed him, "The Twelve Caesars" is one of the most important historical bibliographical works of the Roman Empire and discusses the critical period in Roman history known as the Principate, from the end of the Republic to the reign of Domitian.

About this title

Review:

Born in 60 A.D., Suetonius served for several years as secretary to the Roman emperor Hadrian. His years in the palaces and halls of imperial government served him well when he set out to write this oftentimes eye-popping, tell-all account of the doings of the first 12 emperors, from Julius to Domitian, who make the good fellas of Mafia renown seem tame by comparison. From Suetonius we learn that Augustus was afraid of lightning and thunder and carried a piece of seal skin as protection against them; that Caligula slept with his mother and his sister; and that Nero outlawed mimes in Rome--which may mean that he wasn't such a bad man after all. Suetonius doesn't hesitate to say when he's reporting gossip that he has not personally verified, but what gossip it is! This translation, by the noted classicist Robert Graves, serves the ancient chronicler very well indeed.

From the Publisher:

9 1.5-hour cassettes

About this edition

• Publisher: Digireads.Com
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 142092933X
• ISBN 13: 9781420929331
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 348