The Twelve Caesars

The Twelve Caesars is a set of twelve biographies of Julius Caesar and the first 11 emperors of the Roman Empire written by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus. The book provides valuable information on the heritage, personal habits, physical appearance, lives, and political careers of the first Roman emperors as it mentions details which other sources do not.

As with many of his contemporaries, Suetonius took omens seriously and carefully includes reports of omens portending Imperial births, accessions, and deaths. The Twelve Caesars was considered very significant in antiquity and remains a primary source on Roman history. The book discusses the significant and critical period of the Principate from the end of the Republic to the reign of Domitian.