Suetonius(69-140)
- Writer
Latin biographer and antiquarian. His family was of a knightly rank and
probably came from Hippo Regius (Annaba in Algeria). Suetonius taught
literature at Rome for a while. He also practiced law and then served
on the staff of Pliny the Younger in c. A.D. 110-12. Suetonius then
held a post as "Secretary of Studies". Under Emperor Trajan he became
director of the imperial libraries and was finally placed in charge of
Trajan's correspondence (117AD). From 119 to 122 he was a member of the
Imperial service and secretary to the Emperor Hadrian. In 122, however,
he was dismissed from his post for disrespectful behavior toward the
empress Sabina. It was during Trajan's reign that he began to write his
biographies. In 'the Lives of Illustrious Men' he wrote biographies of
Roman literary personalities (21 grammarians and 16 orators, 33 poets
and 6 historians. These include short biographies of Virgil, Passienus
Crispus (stepfather of Nero), Terence, Horace, Lucan, Tibullus, Persius
and Pliny the Elder. His most authoritative work however was the 'De
Vita Caesarum' (Lives of the 12 Caesars - from Julius Caesar to
Domitian). His style was mainly a straight narrative interrupted by
subject matter that dealt with the different characteristics of his
subject. Suetonius loved to write about scandalous affairs.