Lives of the Later Caesars

Description

One of the most controversial of all works to survive from ancient Rome, the Augustan History is our main source of information about the Roman emperors from 117 to 284 AD. Written in the late fourth century by an anonymous author, it is an enigmatic combination of truth, invention and humour. This volume contains the first half of the History, and includes biographies of every emperor from Hadrian to Heliogabalus – among them the godlike Marcus Antonius and his grotesquely corrupt son Commodus. The History contains many fictitious (but highly entertaining) anecdotes about the depravity of the emperors, as the author blends historical fact and faked documents to present our most complete – albeit unreliable – account of the later Roman Caesars. 

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.Lives of the Later CaesarsIntroduction
Abbreviations
Chronological table of emperors

The Lives
Nerva
Trajan

The Augustan History
Hadrian
Aelius
Antoninus Pius
Marcus Antoninus
Verus
Avidius Cassius
Commodus Antoninus
Pertinax
Didius Julianus
Severus
Pescennius Niger
Clodius Albinus
Antoninus Caracallus
Antoninus Geta
Opilius Macrinus
Diadumenus Antoninus
Antoninus Heliogabalus

Geneological tables (stemma)
A. Trajan and Hadrian
B. Antoninus Pius
C. Marcus
D. The children of Marcus
E. Lucius Verus
F. Septimius Severus

Map of Italy, showing places names in the text

Map of the Roman Empire, showing places named in the text

Index

Anthony Birley is a renowned translator.GB