VR: Lesson - Authentic Latin - Suetonius

Suetonius 

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus lived from 70 - 140 CE, meaning he was born 56 years after Augustus' death. There were likely a few people around in Suetonius' childhood that would have been alive during Augustus' reign, but if there were, they were few and far between. Suetonius wrote his history of the Twelve Caesars (De Vita Caesarum) in the early 2nd century CE. Suetonius relies on several contemporaneous sources to try to write a complete picture of Augustus' life and reign.

The illustration of Suetonius to the right comes from a medieval manuscript.

His account of the death of Augustus is distinctly different in its approach from the account told by Eutropius. While Eutropius describes the broad effect of Augustus' death on Rome, Suetonius gives the reader a peek into the personal events surrounding the emperor's death. By using contemporaneous reports and sources, he was able to able to generally describe the day of Augustus' death.

Translation Handout

Translation Guide - Authentic Latin Links to an external site.

This document contains the Latin text for Suetonius and Eutropius. Please download and work on the translation assignment, including answering the analysis questions for each passage. Contact your instructor with questions.

Practice Activity