Suetonius (c. ad70–122) Life and relevant background Suetonius was born in Africa c.ad70 into a wealthy equestrian family. He trained as an orator (the usual education for an aspiring politician) and was an expert in rhetoric. He became a close friend and client of the Senator Pliny the Younger‚ who described him as ‘quiet and studious‚ a man dedicated to writing’‚ and ‘a man of the highest honesty and achievement’. Pliny introduced him to the Emperor Trajan‚ and Suetonius got jobs in the
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History has been written in many different forms throughout the past. Some historians choose to write based on empirical evidence‚ while others choose to write it as a timeline. Suetonius chose to write about figures in history by using the method of biographies. Suetonius was able to access information that others were not able to access‚ and this was possible due to his position as the private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian. In his biographies‚ his goal was to be as detailed as possible so that
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daemon is‚ what generally comes to mind is an evil guy trying to tempt people into doing things but the Greeks had a different concept of what a daemon is. When comparing what daemons are‚ there are variations based on area and time period. Alpheus‚ Plutarch‚ and Iamblichus seem to agree on three concepts when referring to daemons: they rank between Gods and men in cosmic level‚ there are different types of daemons‚ and they can directly influence our life. However they disagree on several matters‚ such
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Suetonius "The Twelve Cesars" If a friend asked me to tell him if it is worth it to read Suetonius’ book "The Twelve Cesars"‚ I would say it is. This book‚ though old‚ is still very interesting and informative today. It is important to note however‚ that the writing style of Suetonius’ day was much different from our own. Some readers might be confused and exasperated with Suetonius’ diction and syntax. He uses very long expressions and details to describe people and events that may not even be
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Plutarch An Innovator 2/16/2014 Plutarch is one of the most well-known ancient Greek philosophers. Born around 45 CE in Chaeronia‚ a settlement in the region called Boeotia‚ he lived during the rise of both the Roman Empire and Christianity. Many historical events occurred during his lifetime‚ including the reign of the ruthless Roman emperor Nero‚ the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine‚ an eruption of Mount Vesuvious‚ and the Parthian War (Jones‚ “Roman History Timeline”). Plutarch
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When Suetonius rapidly retreated from London‚ he was vulnerable to attack and his primary mission was to secure reinforcements for his own small force (Fraser 92). It is important to note that many of the specifics of the battle are at times unclear. There are accounts from two Roman historians (Dio and Tacitus) from the first century‚ which are inconsistent at times. They likely represented the battle from a biased Roman perspective and there is limited archaeological evidence to dispute their
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The ancient historian Suetonius was born in the year AD 69‚ when his father‚ a Roman knight‚ served as a colonel in a regular legion and took part in the Battle of Baetricum. From the letters of Suetonius’s close friend Pliny the Younger we learn that he practiced briefly at the bar‚ avoided political life‚ and became chief secretary to the Emperor Hadrian. The historian Spartianus records that he was one of several Palace officials‚ including the Guards Commander‚ whom Hadrian‚ when he returned
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The Roman Empire began around 27 BC‚ the same time the Julio-Claudian Dynasty began. The Julio-Claudian Dynasty one of the things Suetonius writes about in his book The Twelve Caesars. Suetonius wasn’t the only historian during this time that wrote about this dynasty. A historian named Tacitus wrote about the 12 emperors in his historiography. Tacitus wrote “But the successes and reverses of the old Roman people have been recorded by famous historians; and fine intellects were not wanting to describe
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Ancient writers have assumed a subjective point of view regarding historical figures. Reading through three different manners to engage a speech about Cleopatra‚ it’s possible to draft a comparison between Horace’s‚ Cassius’s Dio and Plutarch’s pieces of literature. (in) The Roman historian Cassius Dio ( born c.164‚ died after 229 CE) describes Cleopatra’s appearance as outstanding and exceptional ‘she was a woman of surpassing beauty’ and ‘she was most striking’. He remarks a well-planned encounter
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classic literatures‚ Plutarch gives us his view of women and the roles they played back in his time. He illustrates how caring and encouraging‚ how determined‚ powerful and manipulative women can be. But this is only relative to the roles that women play in their personal and social life. The first example of how Cornelia is illustrated as a caring mother‚ the read says she take “upon herself all the care of the household and the education of her children.” Also‚ Plutarch illustrates how women
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