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Rome's most scandalous emperors
Historian and podcaster Tom Holland discusses Suetonius' enormously influential Lives of the Caesars and considers whether it counts as ancient fake news
- Rob Attar
Published: February 14, 2025 at 7:00 AM
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How cruel was Caligula? How depraved was Tiberius? And how monstrous was Nero? The dark reputations of these emperors owe a great deal to the Roman writer Suetonius, whose 121 AD work Lives of the Caesars offered intimate portraits of 12 rulers of Rome – from Julius Caesar to Domitian. The popular historian and podcaster Tom Holland has just produced a new translation of the Lives and he speaks to Rob Attar about the profound influence of Suetonius' work – and whether it's an example of ancient fake news.
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Tom Holland is the translator of The Lives of the Caesars (Penguin, 2025).
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Authors
Rob AttarHead of content and editor of HistoryExtra magazine
Rob Attar is head of content and editor of HistoryExtra magazine
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