Lives of the Later Caesars: The First Part of the Augustan History, with Newly Compiled Lives of Nerva & Trajan

ISBN 10: 0140443088 / ISBN 13: 9780140443080

Published by Penguin Classics, 1976

About this Item

Seller Inventory # U9780140443080

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Lives of the Later Caesars: The First Part of the Augustan History, with Newly Compiled Lives of Nerva & Trajan
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication Date: 1976
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0140443088
• ISBN 13: 9780140443080
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1786520884.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: 40046357
• Signed: 8/12/2026 7:48:04 AM
• Seller catalogs:
  • 1
  • U
  • 9780140443080

About this title

Synopsis

One of the most controversial of all works to survive from ancient Rome, the Augustan History is our main source of information about the Roman emperors from 117 to 284 AD. Written in the late fourth century by an anonymous author, it is an enigmatic combination of truth, invention and humour. This volume contains the first half of the History, and includes biographies of every emperor from Hadrian to Heliogabalus - among them the godlike Marcus Antonius and his grotesquely corrupt son Commodus. The History contains many fictitious (but highly entertaining) anecdotes about the depravity of the emperors, as the author blends historical fact and faked documents to present our most complete - albeit unreliable - account of the later Roman Caesars. 

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

About the Author

Anthony Birley is a renowned translator.