Divus Augustus by Suetonius

Divus Augustus by Suetonius

This useful edition of Suetonius' Life of Augustus, one of twelve imperial biographies contained in that author's De vita Caesarum, was first published by Oxford University Press in 1927. Part of a series which includes a volume on each of the Julio-Claudian emperor. It includes the Latin text, Chronology, detailed Notes on the text and comprehensive indexes. In 1982 it was substantially updated with an Introduction including an overview of Suetonius' life and works and an assessment of the value of the Divus Julius, a Bibliography and Additional Notes by J. Carter for this edition.

The aims of the commentary are primarily 'historical', and though the Latin text is provided, it should be usable to students of history who may prefer to read Suetonius in translation. Suetonius is every bit a literary figure as a historical source - genre, style and composition are covered in the Introduction.

Suetonius: - Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (c. 69 - after 122 AD), was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. He was probably born about 69 AD, a date deduced from his remarks describing himself as a young man twenty years after Nero's death. His place of birth is disputed, but most scholars place it in Hippo Regius, a small north African town in Numidia, in modern-day Algeria. It is certain that Suetonius came from a family of moderate social position, that his father, Suetonius Laetus, was a tribune belonging to the equestrian order (tribunus angusticlavius) in the Legio XIII Gemina, and that Suetonius was educated when schools of rhetoric flourished in Rome. Suetonius was a close friend of senator and letter-writer Pliny the Younger. Pliny describes him as quiet and studious, a man dedicated to writing. Pliny helped him buy a small property and interceded with the Emperor Trajan to grant Suetonius immunities usually granted to a father of three, the ius trium liberorum, because his marriage was childless. Through Pliny, Suetonius came into favour with Trajan and Hadrian. Suetonius may have served on Pliny's staff when Pliny was Proconsul of Bithynia and Pontus (northern Asia Minor) between 110 and 112. Under Trajan he served as secretary of studies (precise functions are uncertain) and director of Imperial archives. Under Hadrian, he became the Emperor's secretary. But Hadrian later dismissed Suetonius for the latter's alleged affair with the empress Sabina. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar to 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 have been lost.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780906515556
ISBN 10	0906515556
Title	Divus Augustus
Author	Suetonius
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	1991-06-01
Number of pages	236
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.