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Lives of the Twelve Caesars (Abridged) Audiobook, by Suetonius Play Audiobook Sample

Lives of the Twelve Caesars (Abridged) Audiobook

By: Suetonius
Lives of the Twelve Caesars (Abridged) Audiobook, by Suetonius Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Derek Jacobi Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 4.83 hours at 1.5x Speed 3.63 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: August 2005 Format: Abridged Audiobook ISBN:
3.00445787415571 out of 53.00445787415571 out of 53.00445787415571 out of 53.00445787415571 out of 53.00445787415571 out of 5 (3.00) - 5,626 listener ratings
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Publisher Description

Suetonius wrote his Lives of the Twelve Caesars in the reign of Vespasian around 70AD. He chronicled the extraordinary careers of Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, and Domitian and the rest in technicolour terms. They presented some high and low times at the heart of the Roman Empire. The accounts provide us with perspicacious insights into the men as much as their reigns, and it was from Suetoniaus that subsequent writers such as Robert Graves drew so much of their material.

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"Reading this book makes me kind of thankful that the sociopaths who we choose to govern us are relatively harmless men with only strange dreams of imperialism and desires for fame, riches, and adulation. Sure we have a Vice President who shot a friend in the face and who brazenly admits to authorizing acts that make him a war criminal, and yes there are Greek bastards who have made a living off of sanctioning genocide for their own twisted ends, and this is just naming two high points in the Hall of Fame of War Criminals that we have allowed to consistently run and or advise this country for the past forty years or so. Yes we have allowed a constant stream of sociopaths to be our guiding light for so many unbroken years (I'm trying to come up with a number, I'm having trouble figuring if Carter and Ford were war criminals, all the rest of the leaders since Reagen have been, and the ones before Ford going back quite a bit were too, oh it hurts the mind to think of all the charges our living former leaders could face at Hague and which would put nooses around their necks). We have our fair share of these people, but not one of them even holds a candle to 11 out of 12 of the leaders of Rome covered in this book. Even the 'nice' ones still had a brutality to them that would make Jeffery Dhamer probably say, 'hey wait a minute that shit is just fucked up.' Rape, murder, torture, incest, more torture, more murder, all kinds of killing of family members, add some more torture and then throw in a whole bunch of sexual deviancy and you get the outlines of the Caesars. Fun times."

— Greg (4 out of 5 stars)

Lives of the Twelve Caesars Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 4.33333333333333 out of 54.33333333333333 out of 54.33333333333333 out of 54.33333333333333 out of 54.33333333333333 out of 5 (4.33)
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  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " The mad, the bad and the dangerous to know. I don't care if he's a gossip. It's hilarious, and I gluttoned on the worst bits in my teens. "

    — Bryn, 2/19/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " The Twelve Caesars has very mature material... some information which I didn't feel that I necessarily needed to know about the personal lives of the Caesars... Oh well. The book was well-written, though! "

    — Rachel, 1/28/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Should be read by anybody who wants to see politics at their dirtiest. As fucked up as things are today, we haven't reached the heights of depravity as these boys did in ancient Rome. There's a lot of blood in this book. "

    — Brian, 1/24/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " This was an ok listen. I don't think I would have liked it as much as a read. It was a bit confusing but I was really only interested in the scandal and drama so I enjoyed it. "

    — Maria, 1/16/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I used one particular chapter in this book for describing some events in my debut novel Pont du Gard. "

    — Helena, 1/8/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Terrifically entertaining even though quite a lot of it is unfounded rumor. "

    — Melissa, 1/6/2014
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " If your a history, human nature, or TMZ fan. You'll like Suetonius. Fascinating read. The Roman emperors were demigods. This book could read like any biography of powerful men during any age. Kinda of an ancient Tell All for the Caesars. "

    — Mike, 12/7/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Definately entertaining. Basically an ancient tabloid. "

    — Brian, 11/22/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I've loved this book since my History teacher put me onto it way back in high school. "

    — kiraniumbra, 5/30/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Suetonius is the best of the biographers in terms of not dancing around facts in fears of losing their skin. He covers Roman leades Roman "

    — Calilibrarian, 5/1/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Basically, it's an ancient National Enquirer, but there are gems within the gossip and the gossip is fun to read anyway. "

    — Laura, 3/21/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Read this on the beach in Jamaica after I finished Robert Graves' 'Claudius the God'. Both highly recommended! "

    — Holly, 2/25/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " I enjoy ancient Rome this was an enjoyable book. Starts with Julius and continues on. Brings them to life very well. "

    — Paulkelly05, 1/13/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " meandering thru as the mood strikes. Mostly Sunday afternoon reading. "

    — Bcoghill, 9/5/2010
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Contemporary Roman history (with a good bit of editorializing by Suetonius), readably and eloquently translated. "

    — Nathan, 9/29/2007
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Read for HISTAM 313: The Roman Empire "

    — Katharyn, 9/10/2007
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Loved it...but you'd have to love Roman history to enjoy it. It's long, but I loved hearing the story of the Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors. "

    — Mark, 8/23/2007
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Frankly, I'm an ex-History teacher, so I eat these kinds of books up for dessert. By modern standards of form an style this book is very stodgy in construction. But the images Suetonius paints of these twelve emporors is fascinating! "

    — B.R., 4/1/2006

About Suetonius

Suetonius (AD 69–AD 122?) was a Roman biographer and antiquarian whose writings include De viris illustribus (“Concerning Illustrious Men”), a collection of short biographies of celebrated Roman literary figures, and De vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars). The latter book, seasoned with bits of gossip and scandal relating to the lives of the first eleven emperors, secured him lasting fame.

About Derek Jacobi

Sir Derek Jacobi has had a long and distinguished career. He has toured in Becket and Uncle Vanya, and he received a Tony Award for his performance as Benedick in the RSC’s production of Much Ado about Nothing. His work in television includes the lead roles in Cadfael and I, Claudius, and his film credits include Henry V, Gosford Park, and Hamlet. His narrations have won him eleven Audiofile Earphones Awards.