• To sell more copies• For entertainment• To tell a story• Because truth is not important
What would future historians think about us?
Roman Tabloids
Suetonius
• The Twelve Caesars
•Biographies
•Very exciting
Suetonius Lies Too...
• “He did not want people to think that Agrippa was his Grandad, because Agrippa was poor. He grew very angry if anyone wrote or sang that Agrippa was his ancestor.”
• Suetonius, Caligula: 23.
TRUE OR FALSE?
Good Emperors and Bad Emperors
Augustus = Good
Tiberius = Bad
Caligula = Bad
Claudius = Good
Nero = Bad
Augustus1. True2. False3. True4. True5. False
Tiberius
1. False
2. True
3. True
4. True
5. False
Caligula
1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. False
Claudius
1. True
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
Why does Suetonius Lie?
• To fit his story• For entertainment• For morality• Because the “Truth” is not
important
What did we learn?
• Ancient historians lie (including me)• My job is to find out what’s true• And WHY ancient historians lie• Crazy stories are always fun to read!