Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, known mainly as Suetonius among English speakers, was an ancient Roman historian who wrote during the early part of the Principate.

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was probably born in around AD 69 (nice). Most scholars place his birthplace at around Hippo Regius, a small town in the Roman province of Proconsular Africa. His family was of moderate social position: his father, Suetonius Laetus, was a tribune, and it is known that Suetonius himself received his education from schools of rhetoric

His most famous (surviving, that is) work is De vita Caesarum, often translated as "Lives of the Caesars", documents the lives and achievements and depradations of 12 Roman Emperors: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. The work tells the tale of each Caesar's life according to a set formula: the descriptions of appearance, omens, family history, quotes, and then a history are given in a consistent order for each Caesar. He also recorded the earliest accounts of Julius Caesar's epileptic seizures.

Of course, Suetonius wrote other things, too, but those aren't as famous. Despite this, and because of this, I'll list them here.

Of the ones that are partly extant:

  • De Illustribus Grammaticis ("Lives of the Grammarians"; 20 brief lives, apparently complete)
  • De Claris Rhetoribus ("Lives of the Rhetoricians"; 5 brief lives out of an original 16 survive)
  • De Poetis ("Lives of the Poets"; the life of Virgil, as well as fragments from the lives of Terence, Horace and Lucan, survive)
  • De Historicis ("Lives of the historians"; a brief life of Pliny the Elder is attributed to this work)
  • Peri ton par' Hellesi paidion ("Greek Games")
  • Peri blasphemion ("Greek Terms of Abuse")

The last two were written in Greek.

The edition I recently read of Lives of the Caesars was translated by Catherine Edwards, and is a pretty good read, if you're into classical history, like I am.

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  • Frank [he/him, he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Comrades I have nothing going on in my life right now and it's weighing on me. I'm sliding in to middle age single and disabled, no job or career, nothing to get out of bed for. It's easier when I'm severely depressed because then everything hurts and the details don't seem important, but when I'm doing okay it's like "What am I even doing?" I'm not going to go hungry in the next decade or so, but I also have nothing going on. Fuck.

    • ButtBidet [he/him]
      cake
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      You can DM me if you like. We can swap stories. We're both old and depressed communists.