Description
Tacitus is one of ancient Rome’s greatest historians. Known best for his voluminous work The Annals of Rome, as well as some of his personal letters and correspondence with other important figures of first century A.D. Rome, these two very short historical pieces are a great way to meet him. The first, Agricola, gives the modern reader a glimpse into Rome’s attempts to conquer and settle Brittania (Great Britain) and the difficult challenges they met from a spirited people. The latter, Germania, tells us about the northern tribes beyond the formal boundary of the Roman Empire, many of which Rome never managed to gain control of. In both of these histories we see Tacitus’ obvious love and pride for the Roman Empire, but also his criticism of certain leaders who lacked virtue and certain decisions on Rome’s part which lacked prudence. All things considered, Agricola and Germania allow us to experience a bit of the furthest reaches of the Roman Empire at the height of their power.
