The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 03: Tiberius

"The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Volume 03: Tiberius" by Suetonius is a historical account likely written in the early 2nd century AD, providing biographical sketches of the twelve emperors of Rome. This particular volume focuses on Tiberius, the second emperor, and explores his lineage, rise to power, and the complexities of his character and reign, highlighting both his accomplishments and his tyrannical tendencies. The opening of the volume details Tiberius's noble ancestry from the patrician Claudii family, recounting significant contributions and controversies related to his forebears. It sets the stage for the life of Tiberius himself, providing insights into his childhood marked by danger, military achievements, and early political role under Augustus. Through a series of anecdotes and historical references, we see Tiberius's gradual transition from a promising leader to a more reclusive figure characterized by complex relationships, including strained ties with his family and his eventual withdrawal from the public sphere. The narrative juxtaposes Tiberius's earlier successes in government with the cruelty and paranoia that defined his later years. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly referred to as Suetonius, was a Roman historian who wrote during the early Imperial era of the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is De vita Caesarum, commonly known in English as The Twelve Caesars, a set of biographies of 12 successive Roman rulers from Julius Caesar to Domitian. Other works by Suetonius concerned the daily life of Rome, politics, oratory, and the lives of famous writers, including poets, historians, and grammarians. A few of these books have partially survived, but many have been lost.