Suetonius
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| - | '''Valeria Messalina''', sometimes spelled '''Messallina''', (c. 17/20 – 48) was a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] Empress as the third wife of [[Roman Emperor|Emperor]] [[Claudius]]. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation for [[promiscuity]], she conspired against her husband and was [[executed]] when the plot was discovered. | + | '''Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus''', commonly known as '''Suetonius''' (ca. 69/75 – after 130), was an [[equestrian (Roman)|equestrian]] and a historian during the [[Roman Empire]]. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from [[Julius Caesar]] until [[Domitian]], entitled [[The Twelve Caesars|''De Vita Caesarum'']]. Other works by Suetonius concern 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 are entirely lost. |
| - | ==Reputation== | + | ==Works== |
| - | The ancient Roman sources (particularly [[Tacitus]] and [[Suetonius]]), portray Messalina as insulting, disgraceful, cruel, avaricious, and a foolish [[hypersexuality|nymphomaniac]]. Many women of her age and status enjoyed festivities and parties, but the two historians contended that Messalina unwisely combined her zest for meeting people with a sexual appetite. | + | ===Twelve Caesars=== |
| + | :''[[Lives of the Twelve Caesars]]'' | ||
| - | The oft-repeated tale of Messalina’s all-night sex competition with a prostitute comes from Book X of Pliny’s ''Naturalis Historia''. Pliny does not name the prostitute; the Restoration playwright Nathaniel Richards calls her Scylla in ''The Tragedy of Messalina, Empress of Rome'', published in 1640, and Robert Graves in his novel ''Claudius the God'' also identified the prostitute as Scylla. According to Pliny, the competition lasted for 24 hours and Messalina won with a score of 25 partners. | + | He is mainly remembered as the author of ''De Vita Caesarum'' ("The Lives of the Caesars", best known in English as "The Twelve Caesars"), his only extant work except for the brief lives and other fragments noted below. The Twelve Caesars, probably written in Hadrian's time, is a collective biography of the Roman Empire's first leaders, [[Julius Caesar]] (the first few chapters are missing), [[Augustus]], [[Tiberius]], [[Caligula]], [[Claudius]], [[Nero]], [[Galba]], [[Otho]], [[Vitellius]], [[Vespasian]], [[Titus]] and [[Domitian]]. The book was dedicated to a friend [[Gaius Septicius Clarus]], a [[prefect]] of the [[Praetorian Guard]] in 119. The work tells the tale of each Caesar's life according to a set formula: the descriptions of appearance, omens, family history, quotes, and then a history are given in a consistent order for each Caesar. |
| - | Roman sources claim that Messalina used sex to enforce her power and control politicians, that she had a brothel under an assumed name and organised orgies for upper class women and that she participated much in politics and sold her influence to Roman nobles or foreign notables. | + | ===Other works=== |
| - | + | ====Partly extant==== | |
| - | Juvenal is also highly critical of her in his [[Satire VI]] (first translation by Peter Green and second translation from wikisource): | + | *''[[De Viris Illustribus]]'' ("On Famous Men" — in the field of literature), to which belong: |
| - | + | **''De Illustribus Grammaticis'' ("Lives Of The Grammarians"; 20 brief lives, apparently complete) | |
| - | <div style="font-size: 85%"> | + | **''De Claris Rhetoribus'' ("Lives Of The Rhetoricians"; 5 brief lives out of an original 16 survive) There might be a discrepancy attributing this work to Suetonius because Cicero wrote De Oratore which was his treatise on the lives of Rhetoricians. Someone should clarify. |
| - | : Then consider the God's rivals, hear what Claudius | + | **''De Poetis'' ("Lives Of The Poets"; the life of [[Virgil]], as well as fragments from the lives of [[Terence]], [[Horace]] and [[Marcus Annaeus Lucanus|Lucan]], survive) |
| - | : had to put up with. The minute she heard him snoring | + | **''De historicis'' ("Lives of the historians"; a brief life of [[Pliny the Elder]] is attributed to this work) |
| - | : his wife - that whore-empress - who dared to prefer the mattress | + | *''Peri ton par' Hellesi paidion'' ("Greek Games") |
| - | : of a stews to her couch in the Palace, called for her hooded | + | *''Peri blasphemion'' ("Greek Terms of Abuse") |
| - | : night-cloak and hastened forth, with a single attendant. | + | The two last works were written in Greek. They apparently survive in part in the form of extracts in later Greek glossaries. |
| - | : Then, her black hair hidden under an ash-blonde wig, | + | |
| - | : she'd make straight for her brothel, with its stale, warm coverlets, | + | |
| - | : and her empty reserved cell. Here, naked, with gilded | + | |
| - | : nipples, she plied her trade, under the name of 'The Wolf-Girl', | + | |
| - | : parading the belly that once housed a prince of the blood. | + | |
| - | : She would greet each client sweetly, demand cash payment, | + | |
| - | : and absorb all their battering - without ever getting up. | + | |
| - | : Too soon the brothel-keeper dismissed his girls: | + | |
| - | : ''she'' stayed right till the end, always last to go, | + | |
| - | : then trailed away sadly, still | with burning, rigid vulva, | + | |
| - | : exhausted by men, yet a long way from satisfied, | + | |
| - | : cheeks grimed with lamp-smoke, filthy, carrying home | + | |
| - | : to her Imperial couch the stink of the whorehouse. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | : Then look at those who rival the Gods, and hear what Claudius | + | |
| - | : endured. As soon as his wife perceived that her husband was asleep, | + | |
| - | : this august harlot was shameless enough to prefer a common mat | + | |
| - | : to the imperial couch. Assuming night-cowl, and attended by a single maid, | + | |
| - | : she issued forth; then, having concealed her raven locks under a light-coloured peruque, | + | |
| - | : she took her place in a brothel reeking with long-used coverlets. | + | |
| - | : Entering an empty cell reserved for herself, she there took her stand, under the feigned name of Lycisca, | + | |
| - | : her nipples bare and gilded, and exposed to view the womb that bore thee, O nobly-born Britannicus! | + | |
| - | : Here she graciously received all comers, asking from each his fee; | + | |
| - | : and when at length the keeper dismissed his girls, | + | |
| - | : she remained to the very last before closing her cell, | + | |
| - | : and with passion still raging hot within her went sorrowfully away. | + | |
| - | : Then exhausted by men but unsatisfied, | + | |
| - | : with soiled cheeks, and begrimed with the smoke of lamps, | + | |
| - | : she took back to the imperial pillow all the odours of the stews. | + | |
| + | ====Lost works ==== | ||
| + | *''Royal Biographies'' | ||
| + | *''Lives of Famous Whores'' | ||
| + | *''Roman Manners and Customs'' | ||
| + | *''The Roman Year'' | ||
| + | *''The Roman Festivals'' | ||
| + | *''Roman Dress'' | ||
| + | *''Offices of State'' | ||
| + | *''On Cicero’s Republic'' | ||
| + | *''Physical Defects of Mankind'' | ||
| + | *''Methods of Reckoning Time'' | ||
| + | *''An Essay on Nature'' | ||
| + | *''Grammatical Problems'' | ||
| + | *''Critical Signs Used in Books'' | ||
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Revision as of 09:10, 17 October 2011
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Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, commonly known as Suetonius (ca. 69/75 – after 130), was an equestrian and a historian during the Roman Empire. His most important surviving work is a set of biographies of twelve successive Roman rulers, from Julius Caesar until Domitian, entitled De Vita Caesarum. Other works by Suetonius concern 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 are entirely lost.
Contents |
Works
Twelve Caesars
He is mainly remembered as the author of De Vita Caesarum ("The Lives of the Caesars", best known in English as "The Twelve Caesars"), his only extant work except for the brief lives and other fragments noted below. The Twelve Caesars, probably written in Hadrian's time, is a collective biography of the Roman Empire's first leaders, Julius Caesar (the first few chapters are missing), Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. The book was dedicated to a friend Gaius Septicius Clarus, a prefect of the Praetorian Guard in 119. The work tells the tale of each Caesar's life according to a set formula: the descriptions of appearance, omens, family history, quotes, and then a history are given in a consistent order for each Caesar.
Other works
Partly extant
- De Viris Illustribus ("On Famous Men" — in the field of literature), to which belong:
- De Illustribus Grammaticis ("Lives Of The Grammarians"; 20 brief lives, apparently complete)
- De Claris Rhetoribus ("Lives Of The Rhetoricians"; 5 brief lives out of an original 16 survive) There might be a discrepancy attributing this work to Suetonius because Cicero wrote De Oratore which was his treatise on the lives of Rhetoricians. Someone should clarify.
- De Poetis ("Lives Of The Poets"; the life of Virgil, as well as fragments from the lives of Terence, Horace and Lucan, survive)
- De historicis ("Lives of the historians"; a brief life of Pliny the Elder is attributed to this work)
- Peri ton par' Hellesi paidion ("Greek Games")
- Peri blasphemion ("Greek Terms of Abuse")
The two last works were written in Greek. They apparently survive in part in the form of extracts in later Greek glossaries.
Lost works
- Royal Biographies
- Lives of Famous Whores
- Roman Manners and Customs
- The Roman Year
- The Roman Festivals
- Roman Dress
- Offices of State
- On Cicero’s Republic
- Physical Defects of Mankind
- Methods of Reckoning Time
- An Essay on Nature
- Grammatical Problems
- Critical Signs Used in Books
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