Condicionantes do tempo nas Vidas dos Césares de Suetónio

Abstract

Suetonius’ Caesars reflect the changing of perspective towards historical records: the Republican year (used as reference in the Annales) is substituted by the emperor’s time of life. So, as used to be done with the narrative of the Republican year, the most important moments (especially the emperors’ birth, acclamation or dead) were determined by presages. In that way the emperors are somehow inserted in the sacred History of Rome. And if we except the narrative of ascension towards the power and dead, in what concerns the emperors’ timetable Suetonius does not respect chronology. When the biographer makes out descriptions of achievements and behaviours, he prefers the gradation of the exempla following an ethical perspective.