Tacitus stands as a Roman historian and senator, celebrated for his penetrating and sharp prose that often employs unconventional Latin syntax. His surviving works delve into the reigns of emperors and the political machinations of the early Roman Empire, offering a critical perspective despite significant gaps in the texts. He is a distinguished author of Latin literature's Silver Age, known for his bold wit and compact style. His writings provide crucial insights into Roman imperial history and society.
In AD 68, Nero's suicide marked the end of the first dynasty of imperial Rome. The following year was one of drama and danger, with four emperors—Galba, Otho, Vitellius, and Vespasian—emerging in succession. Based on authoritative sources, The Histories vividly recounts the details of the "long but single year" of revolution that brought the Roman empire to the brink of collapse.
Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome recount the major historical events from the years shortly before the death of Augustus up to the death of Nero in AD 68. With clarity and vivid intensity he describes the reign of terror under the corrupt Tiberius, the great fire of Rome during the time of Nero, and the wars, poisonings, scandals, conspiracies and murders that were part of imperial life. Despite his claim that the Annals were written objectively, Tacitus' account is sharply critical of the emperors' excesses and fearful for the future of Imperial Rome, while also filled with a longing for its past glories.
Agricola, Germania, Dialogus