The Flavian Emperors

The Lives of the Twelve Caesars #10-12

by Suetonius, Brian W. Jones (Translator), R.D. Milns (Translator)

Nero 's suicide in AD 68 was followed by a disastrous civil war that left the empire in a parlous state and saw the demise, in quick succession, of another three emperors (Galba, Otho and Vitellius). Normality returned with Vespasian and his sons, Titus and Domitian, who ruled from 69 to 96. They changed the face of Rome, with massive public works such as the Flavian amphitheatre (later called the Colosseum) and the palace-complex on the Palatine, which provided much-needed employment while at the same time enhancing the city 's status as the capital of the Mediterranean. Suetonius provides the most detailed account of the new dynasty and its achievements. What he has to say about these three Flavians constitutes the best source we have for the period. This edition of the three "Lives" includes a new translation, a general introduction to Suetonius and a detailed commentary that concentrates on the social and political history behind each "Life."

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius (ca. 69/75 - after 130), was a Roman historian belonging to the equestrian order in the early Imperial era. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar until Domitian, entitled De Vita Caesarum. Other works by Suetonius concern the daily life of Rome, politics, oratory, and the lives of famous writers, including poets, historians, and grammarians. A few of these books have partially survived, but many are entirely lost.

Reviews

[Katerina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ο τελευταίος τόμος της σειράς του Σουητώνιου. Ο Βεσπασιανός και ο Τίτος εμφανίζονται πολύ καλοί αυτοκράτορες, που ήρθαν μετά από μια σειρά αυτοκρατόρων δύσκολων, περίεργων και αιμοσταγών σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις και επανέφεραν την τάξη. Ο Βεσπασιανός γίνεται αυτοκράτορας σε αρκετά μεγάλη ηλικία και από απλός στρατιώτης, οπότε δεν έχει τα κουσούρια των προκατόχων του που γεννήθηκαν μέσα στην σειρά διαδοχής και δεν διακατέχονταν από φόβους και φοβίες. Ο Τίτος αιματοκύλησε την Ιουδαία αλλά μετά συμμορφώθηκε. Δεν βασίλεψε για πολλά χρόνια όμως. Και στο τέλος έρχεται ο Δομιτιανός να τα καταστρέψει όλα. Διαβάζεται εύκολα και γρήγορα και βοηθά πολύ η εισαγωγή και τα σχόλια του μεταφραστή.

[John Isles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The volume includes an introduction, a quite accurate translation of the lives of Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian, a detailed commentary on these lives, and a bibliography. The Latin text is not included. The notes in the commentary for Domitian largely duplicate those in the Bristol Classical Press edition of the life of Domitian.