Cornelius Tacitus & Suetonius Tranquillus

1. Cornelius Tacitus & Suetonius Tranquillus Historians of Ancient Rome By: Isaac Ilivicky

2. Cornelius Tacitus

3. What We Know About Him • Realistically, very little • Born to an equestrian family in 56 AD • Loved hunting and the outdoors • Married Julia Agricola, daughter of the famous general Agricola • Began his political career in 82 AD as a quaestor under Titus, and acquired significant political status very quickly, including being a senator and an orator • Died 117 AD

4. The Fives Works That Have Survived • (98) De vita Iulii Agricolae (The Life of Agricola) • (98) De origine et situ Germanorum (Germania) • (102) Dialogus de oratoribus (Dialogue on Oratory) • (105) Historiae (TheHistories) • (117) Ab excessu divi Augusti (TheAnnals)

5. Literary Style • Known for his dense prose that covers all of the facts • Clear descriptions that often include a great use of rhetoric • Terse, powerful, and abrupt • Focuses on the small details, focusing on the connection between the political and psychological aspects of politics • Does not fear to praise and to critique the same person, often noting what he takes to be their more-admirable and less-admirable properties • "indeconsiliummihi ... tradere ... sine ira et studio, quorum causasproculhabeo.” • “my purpose is to relate ... without either anger or zeal, motives from which I am far removed.”

6. The Histories • Covers the period from the civil wars of the Year of the Four Emperors, 69 AD (Galba, Otho, Vitellis, and Vespasian) and ends with the rule of the Flavians • The fifth book is known for its invaluable record of Roman attitudes towards the Jews, as described in the period right before Titus’ suppression of the Great Jewish Revolt

7. Sample from the The Histories • “Galba was weak and old. Titus Vinius and Cornelius Laco, the former the worst of men, the latter the laziest, proved his ruin, for he had to bear the burden of the hatred felt for the crimes of Titus and of men's scorn for the lethargy of Cornelius.” (Book 1.6) • Sample of his concise rhetoric

8. The Annals • Tacitus’ final work, covering the period from the death of Augustus Caesar to Nero • He wrote at least 16 books, but books 7–10 and parts of books 5, 6, 11 and 16 are missing • Considered his greatest writing, and often the pinnacle of Roman history writing

9. Importance and Influence • Often considered the greatest Roman historian • Scrupulous historian who paid very careful attention to his sources • His accounts of these time periods are often considered the most accurate in comparison to other writings • Found great interest in discussing the corruption within the power balance between the Senate and the Emperors, and greatly explored the great imperfections within the Roman political system • Political lessons from his work have been taken in different directions – “Red Tacitists” and “Black Tacitists” • Moral foundation vs. Practical Foundation for Government

10. Suetonius Tranquillus

11. What We Know About Him • Born in 69 AD to a family of the equestrian order • Wrote during the Imperial era of the Roman Empire • Also schooled in rhetoric • Came into favor with Emperors Trajan and Hadrian • Under Trajan, he was the secretary of studies and director of Imperial archives • Under Hadrian, he was his personal secretary, but was dismissed in 119 AD for having an affair with the Empress Vibia Sabina • Died in 122 AD

12. His Most Famous Work • (121 AD) De Vita Caesarum (The Twelve Caesars) • He had numerous other works that have been lost over time, with parts of other historical accounts surviving, including; • The Life of Claudius • Lives Of the Grammarians • Lives of the Rhetoricians • Lives of the Poets

13. Literary Style • Did not include much rhetoric and was unpretentious in his descriptions • Capable of molding complex events into simple expression • Also included lots of detail • Did not order his work like most other authors (chronologically,) but by subject manner

14. The Twelve Caesars • A collective biography of the Roman Empire’s first twelve emperors; Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian • Each Caesar’s life is told in the same manner, focusing on descriptions of appearance, omens, family history, and other topics within their lives

15. Sample from The Twelve Caesars • Book 1.63 • “His presence of mind was no less renowned, and the instances of it will appear even more striking. After the battle of Pharsalus, when he had sent on his troops and was crossing the strait of the Hellespont in a small passenger boat, he met Lucius Cassius, of the hostile party, with ten armoured ships,and made no attempt to escape, but went to meet Cassius and actually urged him to surrender; and Cassius sued for mercy and was taken on board.” (Book 1.63) • Example of Suetonius’ ability to portray a vivid scene with little embellishment

16. Importance and Influence • The Twelve Caesars is considered a primary source of Roman history, often considered one of the most accurate reports of this era • Considered the main source for the life of Caligula, his uncle Claudius, and Vespasian • Discusses a critical period while focusing on other aspects often overlooked by other writers, such as the heritage, personal habits, and the physical appearance of each of the emperors • Includes much of the gossip and more personal stories of the time, which other contemporaries chose not to include • Through his other literary accounts, he provided great insight into many different lives present within Roman society

17. What I Chose to Overlook Until Now

18. Their Many Similarities and True Lasting Impact • They were both very close with Pliny the Younger, who acted as a source of information and also helped aid them both in their political spheres • Despite their different writing styles, their accounts are often compared as two leading primary sources for the same era of Roman history concerning the first Emperors • Their Lasting Impact by being two of the first reliable secular accounts of Jesus

19. References to Jesus in their Texts • “…on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus…” (Cornelius Tacitus, Annals 15.44). • “Since the Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, [Nero] expelled them from Rome.” (Suetonius Tranquillus, The Life of Claudius 25.4)

20. The Profound Importance of These Passages • They Establish Three Separate facts concerning Rome 60 AD • There were many Christians in Rome • It was possible to distinguish between Christians and Jews • Pagans realized the connection between Christianity in Rome and its origin in Judea • They both connect Jesus with the harshness of Nero, with Tacitus explaining how Nero blames the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD on the Christians and for that reason they were expelled from the city, while Tranquillus reflects upon Nero’s punishment towards early Christians • They are both direct accounts from non-Christian sources that confirm the existence of Christians and the crucifixion of Jesus by Pontius Pilate

21. Blibliography • http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/historianstacitus/a/Tacitus.htm • http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Tacitus/home.html • http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Suetonius/12Caesars/home.html • http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/571641/Suetonius • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tacitus • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suetonius • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Caesars • http://www.ourcivilisation.com/smartboard/shop/tacitusc/about.htm