Augustus and the Julio-Claudians

Suetonius' Lives of the Caesars is one of the most important sources for the early days of the Principate. Suetonius includes all sorts of fascinating biographical details about the men he describes--along with plenty of sometimes unverifiable gossip and rumor.

For Thursday's class, please read Suetonius' account of Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius (Caligula), Claudius, or Nero. Pick a line that illustrates particularly well either the emperor's achievements or the way in which that emperor's life was a personal traagedy, or a tragedy for the people of Rome.

The 2nd Triumvirate (Extra Credit)

Please read this abridged edition of Plutarch's Life of Antony. Pick out a line that seems to you a particularly good example of action, drama, romance, or "game show" in the story of the 2nd triumvirate.

Caesar the general and politician

Please skim through Plutarch's Life of Caesar. Pick out a section that particularly well shows Caesar's ability and his versatility or a section that shows particularly well why Caesar is such a controversial figure. Explain your choice.

Some of you might find particularly interesting the accounts of Caesar's battles, something I didn't talk about in class much. Note Sections 15-20, for instance, a summary of Caesar's campaign in Gaul.

Caesar the God (Extra Credit)

Two years after his death, the Roman Senate declared Caesar a god. This gave Roman biographers the unusual task of recounting the life of a man who was, by official proclamation, a divine being. By the time the biographer Suetonius writes his Life of the Deified Julius, the Roman people has worshipped Caesar as a god for more than 150 years. Please read through Divus Julius, and pick out a line that shows especially well why the Roman people might have accepted Caesar as divine or a line that shows that regarding Caesar as a god was more than a little strange.

Crassus, Pompey, and Their Contemporaries

Please read Plutarch's account of one of the many "ambitious young men" who lived during what is sometimes called the age of Cicero. Pick out a key line that shows how this man's work might have tended to support or destroy republican government in Rome. Explain why you chose this particular line. Useful are these abridged biographies of Crassus, Cicero, Pompey, Sertorius, Cato the Younger, and Lucullus.

One More Plautus Play

Please read The Pot of Gold, Psedolus, or The Brothers Menaechmus. Cite a line or two that shows something one might learn about Roman history from the plays of Plautus. What does this play have to say about Roman values, family relationships, romantic relationships, day-to-day life, religion, etc.?

Note that there are *two* blog assignments for Tuesday's class. If your study time is limited, read The Prisoners carefully and skim the play you read for this assignment.

The Prisoners

Please read Plautus' The Prisoners (Captivi). Cite a line from this play that shows something about Roman society or Roman history one might not learn from a more conventional historical source, e.g., something about day-to-day life in Rome, something about Roman values, or something about the Roman sense of humor. Explain why you chose this particular line. Alternatively, note somethng Plautus has done with one of the five "narrative essentials" (plot, character, theme, setting, and tone) that shows something important about Roman history.