Biography
Cassius Dio was a Roman senator, consul and historian writing in Greek during the late second and early third centuries AD. His vast Roman History covered Rome from its legendary origins to his own lifetime.
Major Works
Read the Original
LacusCurtius provides a public-domain English translation, organised by book, with information on the surviving text.
Reliability and Caution
Dio wrote centuries after the late Republic and interpreted republican institutions through the experience of imperial government. His speeches are literary constructions, but his senatorial perspective and access to earlier histories make him essential when used comparatively.
How Livarva Uses This Source
Livarva uses Dio for constitutional argument, Caesar’s final years, the aftermath of the assassination and the transition from civil war to the Augustan settlement.