Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus was probably born in AD 69--the so-called "year of the four Emperors." He was described by Suetonius's patron Pliny the Younger as a reserved and scholarly man whose great passion in life was literature. His abilities won him a high position in the imperial secretariat. He served the emperor Hadrian as the emperor's personal amanuensis, before being dismissed in obscure circumstances following a scandal that involved Hadrian's wife. Suetonius seems to have lived to a good age and probably died around the year 140.

Tom Holland is an award-winning historian, biographer, and broadcaster. He is the author of Rubicon, Persian Fire, Millennium, In the Shadow of the Sword, and Dynasty. His most recent book, Pax, covers the heyday of the Roman Empire, from the death of Nero to Hadrian. His translation of The Histories by Herodotus was published by Penguin Classics in 2013. He presents the world's most popular history podcast, The Rest Is History.