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When i received it, i had already got my grade C+.:( I frequnetly shop for books from amazon,it usually takes not more that a week. I urge you. The good part is that they sent the right book with decent condition But, this is the worst shipping experience i have ever had. if you decide to buy books, you have to order it at least a month an advance. I ordered the book for my school paper.
Suetonius was a master historian, and the material he has to work with here--the insanity, sheer brutality, and fabulous riches of the Roman emperors--falls into the category of: nobody could make this stuff up. The biographies of Nero and Caligula are frankly superb. Even if you didn't know you were interested in Roman history, you're still going to be glued to the page. I found it far superior to anything else I have read.
Take, for example, "An ancient superstition was current in the East that out of Judaea would come the rulers of the world. Even if you've read them before, it is simply staggering to read it all again and revel in the lunacy of their reigns. Then, finding innocent men on their way "home from dinner, stab them if they offered resistance, and then drop their bodies in the sewers" (p 195)). This prediction, as the event later proved, referred to a Roman Emperor, but the rebellious Jews, who read it as referring to themselves" (p 242) and not Vespasian. The emperor was a serial killer.Suetonius shows every evidence of weighing the facts carefully. It's that strange.
Nero left the palace at night to stalk the dark streets of Rome. Hmm. Robert Graves, the translator, does a brilliant job. Also, those people who have seen the PBS series "I, Claudius" will be fascinated to learn that Robert Graves used history here as background for that series (albeit with a good deal of fictionalizing of Livia).
This was in fact from 1979 rather than 2003 The service was fine- but there are various editions of this work with relatively minor changes in the introduction and other minor matters. There was no way of determining the date of this edition or any of the others from the listings.
it made an awesome gift for my love who is always expanding his vast knowledge.
Caesars were above the law. He also invented a torture of tying the genitals of a victim after tricking them into drinking a lot of wine. They did not hide their immorality they way politicians do today. Gluttony was on display. Incest, pedophilia, prostitution, homosexuality, and adultery were all practiced and there seems to be just mild disapproval against such things. He tried to kill her in many different ways that seem cartoonish and comical, including pretending that he had forgiven her and inviting her to a party so that he could kill her.
Julius Caesar was referred to as "Every woman's man, and every man's woman". I got a good chuckle out of it. He was jealous of anyone who had a better voice than him. He turned into a dirty old man and was sexually interested in men, women, boys, and babies. But the Caesar would not set a good moral example by remaining chaste or faithful. One could easily be killed by the Caesar over trivialities, even though there was supposedly rule of law.
Sort of proves that being highly literate does not make you ethical. Romans loved a good show. Added to this, he was also mad. When Nero married a boy and turned him into a girl, a joke was made that the world would have been a better place, if Nero's father had done the same. Eventually, he did kill her, though he felt guilty about it afterwards. Tiberius raped two young men and then broke their legs for complaining about it. He sniffed her breasts one last time before seeing her off.
But she got out of his trap that time too. Roman society was nearly pansexual. Some were good rulers with some vices such as Julius Caesar and Augustus. Like most Caesars, he was known for lust, greed, and cruelty. He entered and won all the contests because no one wanted to offend him. He was a primadonna with no talent.
For example, a law was made to keep noble women from becoming prostitutes by choice. At his death, he mentioned amusingly, "Dead, and such a great artist.", mourning his own passing. Suetonius gives us several characteristics of Roman society and the Caesars themselves.He gives us the vices and virtues of the Caesars. Violence was a way of life and occurred frequently. But just because Caesars might torture people, does not mean that were not students of the liberal arts. Entertainment on a colossal scale frequently occurred. The greatness of a Caesar was determined by building colossal buildings, winning wars and territory, ruling justly, providing good entertainment, reducing taxes, and being generous with the public treasury, Caesars were often judged by how generous or stingy they were with the public purse or how much they taxed or cheated the populace. He would then administer an enema on himself.Everything was done on a grand scale.
Caesars took omens and the way the entrails lay seriously. They had a sensitive side that the others lacked which made them better rulers. Later on, he turned against her because of her controlling ways and her inability to keep her mouth shut. With their great power, great was their good and great was their evil.
When he fell asleep, servants would try to induce vomiting. After ordering torture, a Caesar might read or write a good book. No one could do decadence with such artistry as Nero. (Nero would not have been born in a homosexual relationship).
Some were good rulers with good morals, such as Titus and Vespian. Caesars had to be careful that they were not killed by those around him. The captive audience would often fall asleep or try to escape somehow. Caesars were artists who painted with bold strokes and their canvass was their empire. A chef was set in irons for serving the wrong kind of bread.
There was a lot of arbitrary cruelty and violence in Roman society. And some were bad rulers with bad morals such as Nero and Caligula.Nero's chapter is the most entertaining. He took up singing, although he was not very good at it. There were many instances of torture and killing innocent people.
They would enforce morality, but were not necessarily moral themselves. Only assassination was a punishment that they could not avoid. Many portents are given that are said to predict winning, losing, dying, and becoming a Caesar. Caesars used astrologers. One Caesar ate to the point of puking. This made it impossible to urinate.Vespian and Titus were remarkable in that they did not knowingly put innocent people to death, unlike the other Caesars. Chariot races, plays, gladiator shows, fake battles, feasts, and wild beast hunts were some of the entertainments. Nero was also the vainest Caesar.
Laws were made, enforced, and broken by the Caesars. Supernatural events are recorded as factual. Nero also lusted after his mother. Tiberius was a good general, but he was remembered more for his greed, cruelty and lust.
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