'The Lives of the Twelve Caesars' Summary

The book can be described as racy, overly sensationalist, packed with gossip, drama, and sometimes humor. The book heavily relies on hearsay and rumor, and at times the author subjectively expresses his opinion and knowledge. Several important events are omitted.

Although he was never a senator himself, Suetonius took the side of the Senate in most conflicts with the princeps, as well as the senators' views of the emperor. That resulted in biases, both conscious and unconscious. Suetonius lost access to the official archives shortly after beginning his work. He was forced to rely on secondhand accounts when it came to Claudius (with the exception of the letters of Augustus, which had been gathered earlier) and does not quote the emperor.

The book still provides valuable information on the heritage, personal habits, physical appearance, lives, and political careers of the first Roman emperors. It mentions details which other sources do not. For example, Suetonius is the main source on the lives of Caligula, his uncle Claudius, and the heritage of Vespasian (the relevant sections of the Annals by his contemporary Tacitus having been lost). Suetonius made a reference in this work to "Chrestus", which could refer to Christ. During the book on Nero, Suetonius does mention Christians (see Historicity of Jesus). As with many of his contemporaries, Suetonius took omens seriously and carefully includes reports of omens portending imperial births, accessions, and deaths.