Suetonius

Born around AD 69, probably during the early Roman Empire, Suetonius was a Roman biographer and antiquarian whose full name is usually given as Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. He is thought to have moved in educated and well-connected circles, and ancient sources link him with Pliny the Younger, who supported his career.

Suetonius is most famous for De vita Caesarum, usually known in English as The Twelve Caesars. In that work, he wrote biographies of Julius Caesar and the first eleven Roman emperors, arranging much of his material by topic rather than strict chronology. The result is a lively blend of public record, personal habits, scandal, and court rumor that has made the book one of the most readable surviving works from ancient Rome.

He also wrote other works, including De viris illustribus, a collection on notable literary figures, though much of that survives only in fragments. Even when modern readers question some of his stories, Suetonius remains one of the essential sources for the personalities, reputations, and private lives of Rome's early rulers.