love2eight
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- Apr 29, 2007
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- HSC
- 2007
I only know Plutarch, Cicero and Suetonis...But which is the most accurate?
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Ancient Sources of Rome/Caesar (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter love2eight
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How are we supposed to know?
We weren't there when Caesar was alive!
Make sure you read their accounts of Caesars life and identify any bias that their sources contain.
For example, Suetonius was prone to making moral judgements of his subjects actions. He also wrote his accounts well after Caesar had died. However, he did have access to archival information and so his analysis is based mostly on primary sources.
Cicero, on the other hand, was alive and in the senate at the same time as Caesar was. They had a bit of an uneasy relationship. Caesar wanted Cicero in the triumverate, but he didn't join because he thought it would undermine the republic. They had very different political views. Hence Ciceros account would be biased against Caesar's political dealings.
That's not to say that the sources aren't useful, but just make sure you identify bias and understand where it comes from or why it is present.
We weren't there when Caesar was alive!
Make sure you read their accounts of Caesars life and identify any bias that their sources contain.
For example, Suetonius was prone to making moral judgements of his subjects actions. He also wrote his accounts well after Caesar had died. However, he did have access to archival information and so his analysis is based mostly on primary sources.
Cicero, on the other hand, was alive and in the senate at the same time as Caesar was. They had a bit of an uneasy relationship. Caesar wanted Cicero in the triumverate, but he didn't join because he thought it would undermine the republic. They had very different political views. Hence Ciceros account would be biased against Caesar's political dealings.
That's not to say that the sources aren't useful, but just make sure you identify bias and understand where it comes from or why it is present.