LH2: Lesson - Authentic Latin - Getting Started

Getting Started With Authentic Texts

You will be reading three passages in this module which are divided up based on author. The first two passages, from Suetonius and Eutropius, two historians who wrote in Latin, discuss Augustus in retrospect (they were writing about Augustus many years after his death). The third passage for this module is from the Res Gestae, which is Augustus' own account of his actions. Note the differences in style from the various authors. Suetonius was a master of the monograph, while Eutropius was writing his history in the style of the annals. Think carefully about these two styles as you read each and keep the following question in mind: which style of history is Augustus writing?

Augustus' Legacy

Augustus was an enormously important historical figure: his patronage, influence, and presence could still be felt hundreds of years after his death. We will discuss the legacy of this figure in Roman history and do so through the eyes and words of the Romans themselves.

Image note: This famous statue, called the Augustus of Prima Porta, shows Augustus as Imperator. His pose is a traditional military stance, and his breastplate includes the god Mars.

For a complete picture of Augustus, please download and read the biography written by Suetonius (translated into English): Life of the Caesars: Augustus Links to an external site.. Use this translation as a way to get a better understanding of Augustus' full life and career.

To begin our journey of translation, we will explore Latin selections from two different authors, Suetonius and Eutropius, both writing many years after the death of Augustus. Each historian was trying to put him into his proper place in history. Suetonius, writing around the start of the 2nd century CE, is already mythologizing and creating a larger-than-life figure in his monograph. Eutropius, writing much later, in the late 4th century CE, has taken the view of Augustus as a great figure as a given, and discusses only some basic points of interest in his life. For Eutropius, Augustus was just one part of the larger picture presented in his annals. As you read through each of these passages, try to gather some concept of what lesson they are teaching and what impact Augustus had on the development of the Roman Empire.

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