The Twelve Caesars

As with any historical source, it is extremely important to consider who the author was. Suetonius’s (circa 69-122 CE) exact place of birth is uncertain, but scholars tend to agree he was born in the Roman province of Numidia in North Africa, which is now part of Algeria. He came from a family that belonged to the equestrian class, which was the second-highest rank in the Roman aristocracy next to the senatorial class. Highly educated, Suetonius worked as the director of the imperial archives and as a secretary under the emperors Trajan (reigned 98-117 CE) and Hadrian (reigned 117-138 CE).

Suetonius was a prolific writer and scholar curious about a range of topics. He wrote books on methods for telling time, famous kings, physical disabilities, Roman fashion, Greek sports, and even insults. Like many ancient texts, most of his works are now completely lost or fragmented. Besides The Twelve Caesars, his only other work that survived mostly or entirely intact was Lives of the Grammarians, “grammarians” meaning teachers.

Livia (59/58 BCE-29 CE) was the first empress of the Roman Empire. She was originally married to her son Tiberius’s father, Nero (not to be confused with the emperor), but divorced him and married Augustus.