John S. Ott
Portland State University
HST 101: Western Civilizations

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In this unit we will be reading two different works, one a historical narrative, the other an historical biography.  Livy (Titus Livius) was born in northern Italy ca. 59 BCE, and died in 17 CE, contemporary to the lifetime of the first emperor, Augustus.  He lived much of his life in Rome.  There is no evidence that Livy held public office of any kind; rather, his life seems to have been devoted to his monumental History of Rome, written in an astonishing 142 books (of which 35 survive).  His work appeared in parts until his death, and was highly regarded by contemporaries.  The parts we are reading were composed c. 29-27 BCE and revised about 24 BCE.

Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (ca. 70-after 130 CE) lived and wrote many generations after Augustus’s (r. 27 BCE - 14 CE) death.  He was born into a family of equestrian rank and entered imperial service at middle age, where he ultimately served in many posts, and finally as secretary of imperial correspondence.  Suetonius was ultimately dismissed from court about 122 CE, however, accused by the emperor Trajan of being insubordinate and possibly disrespectful of the empress.  He wrote his first series of biographies on Roman intellectuals and poets, although only fragments of these texts have survived.  Writing biography was well established in Greek tradition, though Suetonius is the first Latin biographer of consequence whose works are known to us.  His Augustus was part of the De vita caesarum (On the lives of the caesars), which offered detailed biographies of twelve Roman rulers/emperors, from Julius Caesar (d. 44 BCE) through Domitian (r. 81-96 CE).  Augustus's is the second portrait in the series.

Questions:

(1) What are the ideal qualities and virtues of a leader in these works?  Are they the same for Livy and Suetonius?

(2) Examine, too, the role of women (and, more broadly, family) in both works, with an eye toward social ideals.

(3) What elements of Rome's relationship with past civilizations, e.g., the Greeks, does Livy emphasize?

(4) What was Augustus's attitude toward tradition (religious, political, etc.), according to Seutonius?  Do you think his position as the first emperor after the demise of the Roman Republic affected his understanding of Rome's past?

(5) How would you rate Seutonius's biography?  Livy's history?  Are they balanced, heavily biased either in favor of or against their subjects?  Where do their biases, if any, lie?  Collect evidence (including passage and page no.), then consider their roles as historians.  How reliable do you think these texts are as historical sources?  Why, or how, are they reliable?  Who were the intended audiences?

(6) Finally, consider the role of the gods in both texts.  What is the relationship between the historical figures of Augustus, Romulus, et al., and the gods?