Curiosities of ancient Rome (Historical sources)

Noctes Atticae (“Attic Nights”) is a work written by Aulus Gellius (c. 125 – after 180 CE) in the 2nd century CE during his stay in Athens. It is a list of fascinating information about the ancient world that he obtained in conversation or read in books. The work contains knowledge about grammar, geometry, philosophy, history and many other subjects, as well as anecdotes about famous people.

Titus Livius (59 BCE – 17 CE), one of the most important historians of ancient Rome, left behind a monumental work – “Ab Urbe Condita” (i.e. “From the Founding of the City”, also called “History of Rome”). His work, originally consisting of 142 books, was an attempt to write down the history of Rome from its mythical foundation by Romulus to his contemporary times, i.e. the end of the 1st century BCE. Although only 35 books of the work have survived to this day, its influence on the subsequent history of literature, historiography and the perception of antiquity is enormous.

I am reading “From the Founding of the City” by the ancient historian Titus Livius, and although I am only slowly absorbing the first books of his work, today I would like to share some reflections with you.

Suetonius (c. 69 – after 122 CE), a Roman historian is known in history as the author of the biography of the Roman emperors from Augustus to Domitian, including Julius Caesar – the first of the “Caesars”. This work is “The Twelve Caesars” (De vita Caesarum).

The great work of the Roman writer and scientist Pliny the Elder was “Naturalis Historia” – an ancient encyclopedia. Interestingly, it was the writer’s only surviving work.

The “Augustan History” (Historia Augusta) is a late Roman collection of biographies, written in Latin, of the Roman Emperors from begining of rule of Hadrian (117 CE) to death of Numerian (284 CE). This is one of the historical sources around which, however, still are many doubts.