Genealogies and Mothers in Suetonius’ Caesares

Molly M. Pryzwansky (Duke University)

In the Caesares, Suetonius is mindful of his subjects’ family trees.  The opening of almost every book contains genealogical information, if not a full-blown stemma.  Yet, unlike traditional Roman epitaphs which focus on male lines, Suetonius considers matrilineal descent as well.  For example, he tells us that Galba was related to Catulus through his mother Mummia Achaica (Gal. 3.4) and that “even the [Claudian] women” accomplished great deeds (et feminarum exempla diversa aeque, Tib. 2.3). 

Suetonius’ interest in genealogies serves both structural and thematic purposes.  In terms of structure, annotated stemmata are an economical way for the biographer to explain who his subject is, from what gentes he is descended, and where the emperor fits into his family’s—and Rome’s—history at large.  As for moral themes, genealogies bear on character as well.  As C. Gill (1983) has shown, Roman authors considered character to be a combination of innate qualities and a carefully guided upbringing.  Along these lines, Suetonius thinks that an emperor ought to have a natural nobilitas if he comes from eminent stock.  Especially in respect to “bad” emperors like Tiberius, Suetonius contrasts the leader’s illustrious lineage with his scandalous behavior to highlight the emperor’s depravity.  Family also helps to shape the subject’s adult self for good or ill.  In the genealogy of the Domitii (Nero 1-5), Suetonius states that Nero’s father was a “repugnant” man (detestabilem, Nero 5.1) in order to show both that the emperor was of bad blood to begin with, and that he lacked suitable moral guidance as a youth (to say nothing of his mother on both accounts). 

Because Suetonius considers maternal descent, we may also use these family trees to examine his ideas about imperial women.  First, a woman ought to bear children and perpetuate the family.  Second, she should be high-born and contribute positively to her son’s social standing.  If a mother is of humble origins like Flavia Domitilla (Vesp. 3), Suetonius notes the fact.  Third, the women of the family belong in the domestic—not political—portions of the Life.  By introducing the maternal ancestral figure so early in each Life, Suetonius sets up a model of feminine virtue for the rest of the book through which we may view the emperor’s wife, sisters, and daughters.  Though Suetonius endorses mostly conventional behaviors for women, his biographies still acknowledge the important role of women in handing down property and good lineage, both of which can be put to political use.  Women, moreover, helped to mold the emperors’ characters since they provided some of his innate qualities and contributed to the atmosphere in which he was raised.