Suetonius

The Great Fire of Rome was a devastating urban blaze that began on the 19th of July in 64AD, consuming over half the city and was not contained until six days later. The controversy surrounding this infamous event stems from historical claims that the fire was initiated at the command of Emperor Nero, who “fiddled” while his great city burned. Some contradictory sources such as Tacitus, however, have reasoned that Nero did not torch Rome, a judgement which is shared by several significant modern…

coming into Rome, as well as improving access to imported grain by building a new canal and harbour to service Rome (Boatwright, 2004). Moreover, he nearly halved the number of people who received government grain and imposed duties on foreign goods (Suetonius, 41). Whilst the halving of government grain rations did not benefit everybody, the improved access to overseas grain and better supervision of grain imports had an irrefutably positive impact on the Roman population. As well as improving…

My discussion of Julius Caesar is in fact addressing the larger matter of how he came to rise. When it comes to the topic of Julius Caesar there are a lot of sources where one may find a colossal amount of information regarding this topic. In recent discussions of Julius Caesar, a controversial issue has been whether the senators were right about their accusations they had made about Caesar. On the one hand, some argue that Caesar was such a great ruler hat we was named dictator for life. On the…

The Battle of the Midlands was Boudicca's first and last battle against Suetonius Paulinus, a general who was appointed governor of the province which is now Northern Wales. She obliterated many Roman settlements, including present-day London, and destroyed the Ninth Legion, but she overestimated herself against Suetonius Paulinus. She managed to escape after the defeat of the Battle of the Midlands, where all her followers were killed, and poisoned…

was killed by his “friends” in the Senate, who killed him because of his strong ambitions and rising popularity before he could do much. Before he was killed, Caesar formed a number of projects, some including grand theaters and great temples. Suetonius Tranquillus, a Roman historian, describes these actions in The Lives of 12 Caesars: “... also for the protection and extension of the empire, he formed more projects: First of all, to rear a temple of Mars… and to build a theater of vast…

The history of the Roman Empire spans several centuries, starting with the disintegration of the Roman Republic, as a result of civil wars, until 476 AD, the year of the last emperor of Rome (Gibbon 1829). The Roman Republic (res publica meaning "public affairs") is the conventional term used to define the Roman state and its provinces since the end of the Kingdom of Rome in 509 BC. The Republic lasted until the establishment of the Roman Empire in 27 BC. The Empire was a consequence of the…

This essay will discuss the question of whether equestrians were more important than senators in the running of the empire. In doing so, I shall evaluate the role of both the Senate and individual equestrians under the Julio-Claudian emperors. I will investigate Augustus’ actions towards the Senate and his raising of the Equestrian Order, Tiberius’ relationship with the Senate and the role of Sejanus, Gaius’ relationship with the Senate, Claudius’ actions towards the Senate and his promotion of…

painless and peaceful death. The word euthanasia has been defined with some consistently since the 1700th century as to provide an easy, painless, happy death, and to alleviate the 'physical sufferings associated with dying. The Roman historian Suetonius in The Lives of the Caesars was the first to use the word with meaning directly related to a purposeful death to avoid pain. (ref book page 23) The English scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon has been credited as the first to address the…

In Suetonius’, Lives of the Caesars he talks about Augustus in two different ways. In the beginning he starts out by telling him in a way that is ruthless and merciless, but then this can be explained by the very first part he writes is on Augustus and war. In…

Gallic Wars, and defeating Pompey in the Roman Civil War. Julius Caesar was the kind of man that didn’t hide behind his army; he led. Suetonius once said, “He always led his army, more often on foot than in the saddle.” Caesar placed a lot of trust in his army by letting them do basically what they wanted, unless there was a deserter then they would be punished. Suetonius also said, “He judged his men by their fighting record, not by their morals or social position.” Caesar also lived with his…