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The Twelve Caesars (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Suetonius
Creators: Michael Grant, Robert Graves
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $4.59
You Save: $10.41 (69%)
New (17) Used (41) from $4.59
Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 22535
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0140449213
Dewey Decimal Number: 937.070922
EAN: 9780140449211
ASIN: 0140449213
Publication Date: May 6, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Pages are clean (few or no markings). Back Cover is worn and/or scratched. Front Cover is creased. Corners are worn. Has a USED sticker on cover. Delivery confirmation standard. (SKU #6670-800)
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Translated by Robert Graves and Revised with an Introduction by Michael Grant.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 If you want to rule, you've got to be cruel December 11, 2008
Suetonius gives us several characteristics of Roman society and the Caesars themselves.He gives us the vices and virtues of the Caesars. With their great power, great was their good and great was their evil. Some were good rulers with good morals, such as Titus and Vespian. Some were good rulers with some vices such as Julius Caesar and Augustus. And some were bad rulers with bad morals such as Nero and Caligula.
Nero's chapter is the most entertaining. I got a good chuckle out of it. No one could do decadence with such artistry as Nero. At his death, he mentioned amusingly, "Dead, and such a great artist!", mourning his own passing. Nero was also the vainest Caesar. He took up singing, although he was not very good at it. He entered and won all the contests because no one wanted to offend him. The captive audience would often fall asleep or try to escape somehow. He was jealous of anyone who had a better voice than him. He was a primadonna with no talent. Nero also lusted after his mother. Later on, he turned against her because of her controlling ways and her inability to keep her mouth shut. He tried to kill her in many different ways that seem cartoonish and comical, including pretending that he had forgiven her and inviting her to a party so that he could kill her. He sniffed her breasts one last time before seeing her off. But she got out of his trap that time too. Eventually, he did kill her, though he felt guilty about it afterwards. When Nero married a boy and turned him into a girl, a joke was made that the world would have been a better place, if Nero's father had done the same. (Nero would not have been born in a homosexual relationship). Like most Caesars, he was known for lust, greed, and cruelty. Added to this, he was also mad.
Tiberius was a good general, but he was remembered more for his greed, cruelty and lust. He turned into a dirty old man and was sexually interested in men, women, boys, and babies. Tiberius raped two young men and then broke their legs for complaining about it. He also invented a torture of tying the genitals of a victim after tricking them into drinking a lot of wine. This made it impossible to urinate.
Vespian and Titus were remarkable in that they did not knowingly put innocent people to death, unlike the other Caesars. They had a sensitive side that the others lacked which made them better rulers.
Supernatural events are recorded as factual. Caesars took omens and the way the entrails lay seriously. Many portents are given that are said to predict winning, losing, dying, and becoming a Caesar. Caesars used astrologers.
There was a lot of arbitrary cruelty and violence in Roman society. A chef was set in irons for serving the wrong kind of bread. There were many instances of torture and killing innocent people. One could easily be killed by the Caesar over trivialities, even though there was supposedly rule of law. Violence was a way of life and occurred frequently. Caesars had to be careful that they were not killed by those around him.
Roman society was nearly pansexual. Incest, pedophilia, prostitution, homosexuality, and adultery were all practiced and there seems to be just mild disapproval against such things. Julius Caesar was referred to as "Every woman's man, and every man's woman".
The greatness of a Caesar was determined by building colossal buildings, winning wars and territory, ruling justly, providing good entertainment, reducing taxes, and being generous with the public treasury, Caesars were often judged by how generous or stingy they were with the public purse or how much they taxed or cheated the populace.
Laws were made, enforced, and broken by the Caesars. Caesars were above the law. Only assassination was a punishment that they could not avoid. They did not hide their immorality they way politicians do today. They would enforce morality, but were not necessarily moral themselves. For example, a law was made to keep noble women from becoming prostitutes by choice. But the Caesar would not set a good moral example by remaining chaste or faithful.
But just because Caesars might torture people, does not mean that were not students of the liberal arts. After ordering torture, a Caesar might read or write a good book. Sort of proves that being highly literate does not make you ethical.
Romans loved a good show. Entertainment on a colossal scale frequently occurred. Chariot races, plays, gladiator shows, fake battles, feasts, and wild beast hunts were some of the entertainments.
Gluttony was on display. One Caesar ate to the point of puking. When he fell asleep, servants would try to induce vomiting. He would then administer an enema on himself.
Everything was done on a grand scale. Caesars were artists who painted with bold strokes and their canvass was their empire.
 The Twelve Caesars September 9, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I did not have the time to read the book fully but what I have read sheads light upon the first 12 emperors buy someone who was actually around to know these men.
A must have for Roman history buffs March 30, 2008
Suetonius gives us a fairly level-headed early history of the Roman leaders and gives a very readable narrative. he goes from leader to leader and we consider him to be the best source for early Rome.
A Must Have for Historians January 24, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When I first become seriously interested in the history of Rome, this was one of the first books I read. I really enjoyed it and found it easy to read.
Suetonius has the book is divided up into the first twelve Caesars, staring with Gaius Julius Caesar and briefly discusses their lives prior to becoming Caesar and then spends the majority of the chapter on their time as Caesar. He spares no one in this, if they were morally corrupt (as most of them seemed to be) he completely tells it all. It is easy to tell, however, which Emperors, Suetonius and probably most Romans admired and respected, Augustus being one of them.
This is a must have for anyone who is studying Rome.
Rome for Dummies c119 AD January 22, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It is a sad fact of history that of all the histories of the Roman Emperors that were written, including the contemporary biographies and autobiographies, that most have been lost forever. Suetonius came into Imperial favour riding the coat(or toga) tails of the success of Pliny The Younger - it is quite likely that we may otherwise have never have heard of him. It isn't an entirely useless work, as it does give some interesting insights as to how second century Imperial Rome looked upon its founding fathers. Still, for historians, Suetonius' work is far from an evidentiary goldmine. The best comparison one can give to this work is as a compilation of anecdotes and contemporary reports - many of which are indeed interesting - but do leave the historian in us all pining for that which has been lost.
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