Category: Roman Biography Research

• January 2, 2017

  Part One (b): Who was Suetonius?

  Now that we’ve gotten to know Plutarch, let’s ask: Who was Suetonius? Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was born ca. 70 AD, at the ascendancy of the Flavian dynasty (emperors Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian). Unlike Plutarch, Suetonius was born a Roman citizen into an equestrian family. His father initially served as tribune in the short-lived faction of emperor Otho…
• December 28, 2016

  Part One (a): Who is Plutarch?

  In the introduction, we established that in order to conduct a valuable, critical reading of ancient literature, the reader must take time to understand who is writing, why they are writing, and who was the author’s intended audience. Let’s start here with the first “Who?” The information I have gathered here can primarily be found…
• December 14, 2016

  Introduction: Researching Roman Biographical Literature

  As mentioned before, one of the primary focuses of my research is to conduct a critical reading of classical  literature to address the question: “How did the Ancient Romans perceive the sociopolitical changes of the last century BC and first century AD, summarized by the end of the Republic and beginning of the Empire?” For those…