The aim of this essay is to discuss whether the death of Julius Caesar by acquaintances Marcus Brutus and Cassius Longius was due to political or personal motives. The focus will lay in understanding Rome’s political situation at the time, evaluating Caesar’s policies and the possible explanations resulting in Caesar’s assassination. The essay will begin by explaining the political situation in Rome at the time in order to understand the tensions between Caesar and the Senate. The concluding part of the investigation…
‘Claudius had an...... But his firmest devotion was reserved for Narcissus, his sectary ‘Suetonius (Page 197)…
Lives of the Caesars- Diefied Augustus, was written by Gauis Suetonius Tranquilius. It was basically a biography on the life of Augustus, which was written towards the general public in 121 AD (during the reign of Emperor Hadrian). Diefied Augustus has many references to Augustus’ connection to his family and his approach to religion. Suetonius begins by telling us that Augustus (born Gauis Octavius Thurinus) was the son of Gauis Octavius- a man of great wealth and reputation. He had one younger sister Octavia, who was born to the same mother, and an elder half-sister also named Octavia (daughter of Octavius and Ancharia). His mother Aria was the niece of Julius Caesar.…
-Cassius was a Roman consul and also served as a governor of Africa and Dalmatia. This could cause him to be bias in his writings as he might be giving false information about the Romans…
Before reading the book, I must admit I did not know very much about the Caesars that ruled Rome. I had only heard of Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus, and between the two, I only had a vague idea of what they did. Now after reading "The Twelve Caesars" I have a much clearer understanding of who these men were and what they did. Each one of them impacted the world in different ways, and some of their decisions still echo through the modern world. Suetonius has given me a better understanding of the Caesars and Rome.…
Lastly, the other thing that is similar is the plot of each. In short, these two pieces of…
Although often accused of being mere gossip and invention – John D Clare (2013) comments: ‘Suetonius never omits an unlikely piece of juicy gossip unless he can find an even-more-crazy allegation to top it’ – the Lives are vibrant and compelling biographies. They formed – almost verbatim – the backbone for the presentation of the Roman emperors in the book and TV series…
Rome a symbol of strength, empowerment and prosperity for many, leaving no doubt in modern historians thoughts that this utopia was one of the most prominent of the ancient era’s. One dynasty within this epoch stands out, as being one of the most provocative and influential was the Julio-Claudian dynasty. This period was introduced with the instigation of the emperor Julio Augustus, known as one of the most appreciated emperors in Roman history. After Augustus came the rulers Tiberius, Gaius Germanicus (Caligula), Claudius and Nero. With every new ruler the amount of power and wealth in the city swelled, some even say that it was the golden age of Roman literature and arts. Each of these power broker’s have one person in common, apart from imperial extravagance and notoriety, they all have felt the sting of Julia Agrippina’s manipulative powers (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013). When studying Agrippina it is found that many of the sources do not retain a sympathetic view of the During the Julio-Claudian era Agrippina the younger only retained her power through the manipulation of her son, husband and peers. By doing this she made herself on the most powerful women in Rome.…
Catullus was a Roman poet in the 1st century BCE. His poems were known for being differently written from what his contemporaries were writing at the time. While others were writing more “manly” poetry, about their sexual conquests, Catullus was less racy in his writings. In his “Poem 1”, Catullus is dedicating his new poetry to a man named Cornelius. While not a love poem like he usually wrote, “Poem 1” shows several aspects of Roman culture and gives us a glimpse of how Romans tried to make a lasting impression on the world of the future.…
W. M. Murray, (1997), The Evolution of a Public Image: Actium and Augustus, in JRA 10…
He makes it very obvious that he believes that childhood is important in the very first line of Julius’ biography. He says, “He lost his father at the age of 15” (Suetonius 1). Even though he doesn’t jump right into talking about why this is important, he makes it the first line of the biography. He goes on to show that these types of catastrophes happening at a young age have a lasting effect on everyone throughout their lives. He believes that events that shape a person’s childhood really do have an effect on how the rest of their lives will go. This effects how they interact with others as well as the way that they will lead their people. Family connections are important as well. When Suetonius speaks of Divus Augustus he states, “He was certainly born rich enough to achieve office without having to engage in such practices, and he proved a capable administrator” (Suetonius 44). This not only enforces the idea that childhood is important, but it also shows that family connections have a huge importance as well. Even though Augustus did practice the things he needed to be in office, it really was not necessary. Based off of his family connections he would have been able to be in office regardless of his ability. Also a very key component in his writing a biography would be their social standing with others. Obviously, it is important to be liked by others. Suetonius is able to highlight whether or not the people were liked, and even goes on to describe why people felt the way that they felt about them. Caesar was aware of the fact that it was important to be liked by the people. Suetonius shows this by saying, “After thus securing the goodwill of the people, Caesar worked through the tribunes to be put in charge of Egypt by popular vote (Suetonius 5). By Caesar pleasing the people he feels that he has gained the respect of everyone, thus allowing him to extend his power. Wealth was also…
The writings of Cicero are the most crucial pieces of documentation of that period (80BC-43BC) available. They take the form of letters, rhetoric volumes, orations, and philosophy. They provide not only a vivid account of…
The ways in which history is recorded and expressed is an art itself. There is only one truth to the past, but there are infinite ways in which an author can convey the truth. Focusing on a subject like Rome where the records are scarce and the legitimacy of those records are challenged; Livy and Polybius use two different methods to express the past. Although these authors differ in their methods, similar explanations of ideal roman virtues can be seen through comparison. These various records of Rome’s history allow readers to better understand the context based on their interpretive preferences. Essentially, Livy expresses ideal roman virtues through a narrative context, while Polybius uses a more analytical context.…
—William Stearns Davis, ed., Readings in Ancient History: Illustrative Extracts from the Sources, 2 Vols. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1912-13), Vol. II: Rome and the West, pp. 365-367…
A modern historian may use Petronius’ satire as evidence of actual practices at dinner parties if the historian understands the intricacies and exaggerations of Roman satire. Petronius’ satire, The Satyricon, was the first in a new line of literature, it utilised the common techniques and idiosyncrasies of Roman satire however, also introduced an element of realism never before seen, offering societal critiques on commonplace practices. Modern historians examining ancient roman practices and etiquette have gained quite a lot of information from studying roman literature. Roman literature like all literature since carry substantial amount of contextual explanation, which can allow for a modern historian to examine in detail to find the truth…