The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete

"The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, Complete" by Suetonius is a collection of biographical stories that tells of the first twelve Roman emperors, going all the way from Julius Caesar to Domitian, and was created in the early second century AD. Instead of only looking at the big political events, Suetonius writes about the personal lives, weird habits, and important things that happened during their time as rulers. He focuses a lot on small stories and details that show what these emperors were like as people and how complicated it was to have power in Rome. The reader gets to know Suetonius and how he likes to write history by focusing on individual people instead of just talking about the big historical events. The book starts by explaining why Suetonius wanted to give a more complete picture of the Caesars by looking at how they acted and lived when they weren't in charge. The stories about Julius Caesar and the emperors who came after him show their good qualities, their bad qualities, and how their personalities affected how they ruled. By seeing how they behaved, who they had relationships with, and what people thought of them, the reader can better understand where the emperors came from and what they left behind.