Which figure is described as a Roman historian and lawyer who compiled biographies of several Roman emperors?

Which figure is described as a Roman historian and lawyer who compiled biographies of several Roman emperors?

• A. Tacitus
• B. Suetonius
• C. Josephus
• D. Pliny the Elder

Answer: (B)

Suetonius is the historian who fits this description because he is renowned for writing The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, a set of biographies that chronicles Julius Caesar and the first twelve Roman emperors. This work presents individual portraits of each emperor, sharing details about their personalities, actions, and personal lives, which is exactly what a biographical compilation of emperors would do. Tacitus is also a major Roman historian, but his works are broader histories like the Annals and Histories that analyze political events and governance rather than providing a focused biographical series of emperors. Josephus writes Jewish history and Roman interactions from a different perspective, not a collection of imperial biographies. Pliny the Elder is best known for Natural History and other topics, not for emperor biographies. Therefore, Suetonius is the best match for a historian who compiled biographies of Roman emperors.

Suetonius is the historian who fits this description because he is renowned for writing The Lives of the Twelve Caesars, a set of biographies that chronicles Julius Caesar and the first twelve Roman emperors. This work presents individual portraits of each emperor, sharing details about their personalities, actions, and personal lives, which is exactly what a biographical compilation of emperors would do.

Tacitus is also a major Roman historian, but his works are broader histories like the Annals and Histories that analyze political events and governance rather than providing a focused biographical series of emperors. Josephus writes Jewish history and Roman interactions from a different perspective, not a collection of imperial biographies. Pliny the Elder is best known for Natural History and other topics, not for emperor biographies. Therefore, Suetonius is the best match for a historian who compiled biographies of Roman emperors.