ABSTRACT
The principal literary sources for Nero's life and reign are the Histories and Annals of Publius Cornelius Tacitus, the Lives of the Caesars of Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus and The History of Rome of Dio Cassius. These authors not only composed works which differed considerably in character, but also enjoyed rather different backgrounds. The present chapter will consist of a discussion of the most significant of these sources, and of factors affecting their use. Tacitus and Dio Cassius were both historians, but followed rather different traditions of historiography whereas Suetonius has often been criticised as a historian of inferior quality. Tacitus provides us with an oration that may be regarded as a clear view of the failings of Nero and his Julio-Claudian predecessors. They begin with a survey of family-history, the early life of the subject and his career to the point of accession to power. The main account of Nero's reign is found in Tacitus' later work, the Annals.
