The history of Caesars that Suetonius provides us with is one of the most important pieces of work regarding the specific Caesars he wrote about. So much so that almost all historians today refer to Suetonius when discussing one of the twelve Caesars that he covers. Although his work is very informative, it is agreed that it tends to be biased. Many historians have worked to correct his biases, but in many cases his biases can show how a majority of Romans may have felt or believed in regards to the Caesars.
However, Suetonius" personal views may have tainted his biographies slightly. This paper will attempt to compare and contrast certain aspects surrounding the life of the emperor Domitian, according to Suetonius and a modern historian and biographer, David A. Wend.
One of the first statements that Wend makes is that our perceptions of the emperor Domitian come through the eyes of his enemies - he was assassinated after all. This may be one reason that contributes to Suetonius" biases of Domitian. Right at the beginning of Suetonius" biography of Domitian, he speaks of his birthplace and poverty-stricken childhood, and then mentions for no particular reason that Domitian promised Clodius Pollio in a letter to go to bed with him. Also, that he may have been sexually abused by the emperor Nerva, his eventual successor. It seems as if Suetonius mentions this unimportant gossip as if only to demean Domitian. Wend omits this useless piece of information in his biography and vows to dispel many long held rumors and discuss Domitian's character and achievements as emperor. In other instances, Suetonius fails to give Domitian credit when it is due. For example, Suetonius mentions that Domitian went .
to a great deal of trouble restoring burned libraries and that he had a lively turn of phrase, but he doesn't credit his poetry, merely mentioning that he didn't even bother learning the rudiments of a style.
Domitian is described as having really nice eyes, and being very handsome. ... When Titus died, Domitian took control of the empire. ... Domitian even kills some senators just to have peace at mind. ... Meanwhile, Titus and Domitian inherited the throne through their family. ... Domitian's father and brother both died from illness, while Domitian was assassinated. ...
When examining persons such as these in ancient Rome, three stand out in particular: Nero, Caligula, and Domitian. ... Though demented, Nero and Domitian never attempted anything as brutally extreme as this. ... Instances such as these are relatively absent in the lives of Nero and Domitian. ... /5 Domitian was by no means a madman. ... Occasions such as this took place only rarely during the reigns of Nero and Domitian. ...
Effectiveness of the staging What was extremely effective was the little black book Domitian carried around with him where he would scribble down the names of his upcoming quarry. ... But by the end of the play you can see that the guards have lifted up their masks so you can see their faces, making them more human and also showing how their allegiance to Domitian is withering away, and how they now have a mind of their own. The sound effect of the fly buzzing around was extremely well placed, because this would make you reflect on the time when Domitian as a child used to pull the wngs o...
In contrast, as the title of 'Princeps' became more deeply embedded in Roman society, and there were no longer calls for a return to the republic, emperors were more willing to flout their power and ignored the facade, for example Gaius, Nero and most notably Domitian who made no attempt to mask his power and wished to be referred to as 'Lord'. Under emperors who failed to honor the facade, it could be argued that the senate became more a of a focus for opposition to the emperors, demonstrated through the assassination of Gaius, Nero and Domitian. ...
To further show his miss-approval of the Roman Empire imperial ways; Tacitus talks about the fact that every major decisions concerning the empire rested into Domitian's hands. With such powers between his hands explained Tacitus, Domitian had the ability to silence both his opposition and citizens who disapproved of his way of ruling. Both senators and citizens had the right to express their disapprovals in philosophy about something that they believed did not suit them as a whole; but again that was something that almost never took place in that time period because people were moreove...
(http://www.umd.edu/, Online) The Histories began in 69 A.D, where The Annals left off, and continues (hypothetically, as the rest of the work disappeared over time) through the reign of Domitian, ending with his death on September 18th, 96 A.D. ... Agricola governed Britain for seven years under the rule of Domitian. ...
Vespasian started the building in around AD 75, Titus dedicated it in AD 80, and Domitian added some finishing touches during his rule (AD 81-96). ... At least during the reign of Domitian as emperor, there is evidence that female gladiators fought to the death in the arena (see Fig. 4). According to Suetonius: Domitian presented many extravagant entertainments in the Colosseum and the Circus. ...
The Roman Empire was plagued by tyrannous rulers, whose actions did not favor the people. However as Gibbon states, "to resist was fatal, and it was impossible to fly" (73). This empire, as massive and supposedly great it was, had the word "fall" written all over it because its entirety was based up...
The Emperor Vespasian was followed by his sons Titus and Domitian. ... Not until after the assassination of Domitian, did Rome turn their attention to this problem. ... Nerva was appointed emperor by the assassins of Domitian, but the others were adopted heirs. ...