The Twelve Caesars

The Twelve Caesars From the beginning of the Roman Empire a series of imperial archives was kept, records which covered the rulers of Rome including their personal behavior, their interaction with those around them, and most importantly their achievements during their reign over the empire. Suetonius, the author of The Twelve Caesars, produced the biography during the reign of Emperor Hadrian for whom he served as the imperial secretary gaining access to the imperial archives. Suetonius used the imperial archives and a series of first hand accounts to produce his work which covered in vast detail the inner working and personal aspects of their roman leaders beginning in 70 BC to 96 CE. Divius Julius and Augustus were the first two of the twelve Caesars which began the development of Rome, beginning with Julius’ first consulship and coming to an end with Augustus’ passing. During their reign Rome became the most powerful and prosperous empire at the time through the conquering of territories such as Africa, Egypt, Spain and parts of Germany. Following the death of Augustus in 14 CE., the reign of the last four Caesars of the Julian bloodline began. These final four Caesars of the Julian bloodline included Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius, and Nero. All of these Roman rulers had their own differing personalities, vices and means of ruling the Roman Empire. This paper will thoroughly explore the development of the final four Caesars over the course of 14 AD to 68 CE. Along with the changes that the Roman civilization experienced during the Caesars reign, the decisions of these Roman Emperors that lead to Rome’s changes, the analysis of their decisions, the personalities of the four Caesars, how the public viewed the Caesars and finally my own opinion on the Caesars. The successor of Augustus and inheritor of the largest Roman Empire was Augustus’ stepson Tiberius. Tiberius gained his status as Emperor following Augustus’ death in 14 AD. Tiberius was born on