Suetonius (Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, Σουετώνιος) was a Roman biographer and scholar active during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. Born c. 69 CE into an equestrian family, he was a friend of Pliny the Younger and held several high imperial posts, including director of the imperial archives (a studiis) and correspondence (ab epistulis) [2][3][4]. He was dismissed around 121/122 CE and likely lived into the reign of Antoninus Pius [2][4].

His most famous surviving work is De Vita Caesarum (Lives of the Caesars), biographies of twelve rulers from Julius Caesar to Domitian [1][2][3][4]. He also wrote De Viris Illustribus (On Famous Men), with surviving sections on literary figures [2][3][4]. Many other antiquarian and grammatical works, such as Prata and Roman Festivals, are lost [2][3][4].

Suetonius is a crucial historical source for the early Roman Empire. His topical, anecdotal method in the Lives provides vivid social and administrative detail, influencing later historians and the Renaissance biographical tradition [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Suetonius: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/suetonius/ 2. Encyclopædia Britannica: Suetonius: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Suetonius 3. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: Suetonius: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-6109 4. Perseus Digital Library: Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0132