Tacitus

by Tacitus, Mortimer J. Adler (Editor), Clifton Fadiman (Associate Editor)

Tacitus (C. 55-C. 117)
The Annals
This Histories

Genres: History, Classics, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Roman History, Philosophy, Ancient

313 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1852

About the author

born perhaps 55
died perhaps 120

From the death of Augustus in 14 Histories and Annals , greatest works of Publius Cornelius Tacitus, Roman public official, concern the period to Domitian in 96.

Publius Cornelius Tacitus served as a senator of the empire. The major portions examine the reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those four emperors, who reigned in the year. They span the empire to the years of the first Jewish war in 70. One enormous four-books long lacuna survives in the texts.

Publius Cornelius Tacitus discusses oratory in dialogue format in Dialogus de oratoribus , Germania in De origine et situ Germanorum , and biographical notes about Gnaeus Julius Agricola, his father-in-law, primarily during his campaign in Britannia (see De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae ).

Reviews

[Rutger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with Thucydides, Tacitus is the greatest historian ever. I say this with full knowledge of modern historical writing's achievements. Like no other historian, Tacitus grasps the essence of authoritarian politics and the wretched state of man's soul.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woo-hoo, I finally finished this book! It took me awhile because it is jam-packed with people, and information, and all kinds of stuff about the Roman Empire circa 14-70 AD. Tacitus describes all kind of things that went on during this time frame, and it was really interesting to see how the Roman culture was then. For instance, it was commonly accepted that if you had disgraced yourself (even if you hadn't actually but someone accused you), it was best to commit suicide. That was considered the gracious and honorable thing to do. And I love how the emperors were always killing off people they didn't like by poison or other means. It's so crazy! And there were interesting asides about omens and portents and such. I liked the Annals section the best - maybe because it covered more time periods. But it was a very through and interesting coverage of the Roman empire of Nero, Claudius, etc.

[Eliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars for Tacitus, 3 stars for this particular outdated translation.

I'm blown away by how Tacitus' tone and attitude show through the text despite millennia and the barrier of translation. This volume contains the Annals, the History, the Agricola, and the Germania, all of which are fascinating. I just wish the books on Caligula and the deaths of Corbulo and Nero weren't lost. I really like(d) Corbulo, damnit. He was my fav.

Concerning this edition:
I'm disappointed at the quality. There were many typos across the volume, some that potentially confused the meaning of the text. The translation is not at fault for itself, as it is from the 1860s and 70s. But I deem it 'sloppy' to use inherently Christian words like heaven and sin in a pre-Constantine text.
The annotated notes are the only (partially) modernized content, with citations to multiple modern publications for further reading/research.

[Whiskey Tango]

An accomplished orator and public official who rose to a consulship in AD 97, Tacitus brought to the page both rhetorical mastery—his are the most artfully composed of all extant Roman histories—and an informed knowledge of political tactics and intrigue. He also brought a respect for the values of republican Rome that colored his accounts of imperial excess and corruption. The image of ancient turpitude later encapsulated in the phrase “decline and fall” was first sketched in the Histories and the Annals. For Tacitus, moral degradation was the inevitable result of the loss of freedom that the autocratic rule of the emperors—to say nothing of their personal depravities—introduced into Roman governance. Lively, smart, stylish, the works of Tacitus remain, after two thousand years, hard to put down.

[Rob Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

From a historical view point, of course a "chez d'oeuvre" - an attempt to get beyond a haliographic view of the history of the time - blunt, honest and an attempt at historical objectivity,... and to that extent certainly worth reading... Limited excessively to power struggles and war, quite depressing to see what a bunch of turds were the Roman emperors and how power corrupts. Also a kind of chronicle of the Roman military repression of pretty much every one. Of course in this error of Trump there are obvious parallels to power then and now. But for all that, it left me quite empty... not that I wouldn't recommend it for historical purposes. Was surprised at Tacitus' blatant anti-Semitism towards the end... but then I've always found the Romans pretty pompous and boring...a shadow of the intellectual (and political) thinking of the Greeks. This only confirmed it.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an absolute grind at certain points, but sometimes when you truly are passionate or engaged in a given subject, total immersion and intensive reading are the only proper remedy for the itch that comes with the unbridled desire to learn. Tacitus' prose is unparalleled in historical scholarship, and he truly deserves the moniker as Rome's greatest historian, no small praise! His ideas are as real and relevant today as they were in that seemingly distant and alien period. This is a quality work to be studied for all of time for true lovers of ancient and modern history. 10/10. I will read it all again when I become older, greyer, and far more cynical than I already am now. Euge!

[Binston Birchill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time with this one but much of it is likely due to bad timing. The writing style was not conducive to my lack of ability to concentrate. And there's a LOT of people, tribes and whatnot in these histories. Definitely something I need to come back to, but this first reading, yeah, I didn't get much out of it.

[Kyle Evens]

I checked this out for its paper copy translations of Agricola and Germania. I didn’t read the Annals or Histories that made up the bulk of the compilation.

The translation and formatting was excellent.

[NDH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks and praise to that ghostly army of monks and scribes who copied and passed on to the still living this record of our dim shared past, glimpse of our future, “…on a darkling plain…where ignorant armies clash by night.”

[Andrew Noselli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suetonius, then Livy, is next on my list of ancient Roman classics !

[Chloe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not for a quick read. It is packed with heavy writing, many names, wars, events, all compiled into one.

[Todd N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took this book with me on my European vacation to read the Histories. (I left it in room 510 of the Plaza Hotel Panorama in Abano Terme, Italy. You can get it if you hurry.)

The Histories covers the year of 4 emperors (69ad) and a bit after that before cutting off abruptly in Book 5. Good stuff, though not as tight and satisfying as The Annals.

===
I got impatient waiting for the Landmark edition of this to come out so I bought the Everyman’s edition.

So far I’ve only read The Annals. I have a few books I bought on trips to Ohio and Toronto that I want to read before I circle back and take a stab at The Histories and Germania.

This is my running Apple Note on The Annals. I’m too lazy to work them into an essay though I changed the order around.

- The translation itself is about 145 years old but I found it pretty readable. I now know that there is a 1937 translation and a 2004 translation and 2012 that maybe I should have checked out but this was an impulse buy at Barnes and noble when I was looking for something to replace a baseball book (Ball Four) thatI was having trouble getting into.

- Even through copying by monks and translating by some English dudes I can still feel Tacitus writing. Very compact muscular light touches of humor and irony. He also makes it clear what character traits he admires and what ones he detests.

- It starts with Augustus dying which was a dangerous time for the empire. Succession obviously hadn’t been worked out before. Some remote legions test out the situation to see if they should revolt so there’s drama right away.

- Highly sus that the lost parts are around Jesus death and siege of Jerusalem. They do mention Christians when Nero blames them for the fires. We need more crossovers like this in the Roman Empire Cinematic Universe.

- They need better naming conventions for people in Ancient Rome. I kept getting confused.

- Tiberius was like I’m going to work remotely from now on. He invented remote work. He seemed much happier on his orgy island

- I see why Tacitus was obsessed with the relationship between the emperors and the senate. It was such a complicated relationship.

- Lots of people died needlessly—an interesting approach to fixing wealth inequality. It didn’t pay to be too rich too competent from too distinguished of a family or be married to someone the emperor finds too attractive.

- Germanicus going on a tour of Greece and Egypt on his way out to his post was cool. I’d like to retrace that, though not get poisoned at the end of it. It seemed like Tacitus admirer Germanicus most of everyone he writes about. Seneca is up there too.

- Generals were always putting down revolts near the frontier. I like how Rome would keep a stash of royal natives from the provinces in case they needed a king real quick.

- Tacitus definitely has a Madonna/whore thing going on with women. They are all amoral schemers or perfect innocents. If parts of the Annals were posted on Reddit most of the comments would probably be “Who hurt you incel?”

- It’s a real shame we missed out on Caligula’s reign.

- Being exiled seems kind of nice actually. Just grab some books and chill out on an island.

- I’m surprised emperors didn’t close the loophole where if you kill yourself while still on trial then your kids can inherit your stuff.

- I can see why emperors went insane and/or paranoid. What a stressful life.

- The killing of Sejanus’s kids was truly heartbreaking

- When I was in Rome last summer I made a note to see the Gemonium Stairs but I forgot. I walked past them several times too. For some reason I thought they were down by the Tiber.

- That brief section describing the phoenix was kind of weird and didn’t fit in the rest of it. Reminded me of Herodotus because it was a weird, irrelevant aside.

- I was struck by how Tacitus treats character as immutable and slowly revealed through one’s life. No redemption arcs or hero’s journeys here. Very different from how we think of people now and we should consider bringing it back.

- I’ll end with this quote. Not sure why but I keep thinking of it: Maroboduus was indeed detained at Ravenna, whence his return as king was suggested as a possibility whenever the Suebi became restless: but in eighteen years he never left Italy, and grew old, his reputation greatly tarnished by too tenacious a love of life.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me forever to get through this ancient Roman text that covers the period between the end of the reign of Augustus and the beginning of the reign of Vespasian. The reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, Caligula, Nero, Galba, Otho and Vitellius are also covered. At times, Tacitus seemed to merely be cataloguing the various accusations and trials in the Senate that were the petty disputes between Senators vying for prominence and imperial favor. However, in other parts it was an exciting story of intrigue as various parties plotted for power and the overthrow or installation of a new emperor. I thought it was particularly interesting that such an ancient text spent as much time as he did focusing on the role of women in imperial machinations and politics. All in all, I would recommend a more modern history to the typical reader and would only save this for readers who really want to delve into the original sources. Also, be aware that history has lost significant parts of both the Annals and the Histories - so you will come to the end of each work very abruptly (actually in mid-sentence for the Histories).

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covering the Roman Empire from 14 - 70 AD, the translation and writing was superb for something from almost 2,000 years ago. However, there were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people from that time that was covered with very little introcution of who they were, how they got where they were, etc. Senators, gladiators, centurians, emperors, etc. As a result, it was very difficult to follow.
I liken it to someone writing a 500 page book regarding everybody in Congress today, and then having someone read it 2,000 years from now with little to no knowledge of who the people are. Kinda tough.

[Autumn · Rating 2 out of 5]

too sweeping a history for me, without enough excitement to keep me fully engaged. there were some fun moments, though, and i appreciated occasionally running into a familiar name or event. that it ended with a foray into anti-semitism was an unexpected treat (um, what?).

my next metro read- 'something i should have read in college but didn't 101'- will be something slightly less ambitious, so it won't take quite so long, i hope.

[Masen Production]

“I finally read Tacitius... I feel blessed. Historian who has penned down memoirs of Roman greatness post Augustus era. BRILLIANT !!!! He took me back 2000years to the Great Rome, fantastic feeling of I have read a book that was penned 2000 years back and which has been read by other great luminaries of literature post that. For serious history buffs.....”

[Darwin Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the treatment of Tacitus of things usually overlooked in school. I found the Roman theories about the origins of the Israelites very interesting. Also, I was intrigued about how fractured and contentious Roman government was, as opposed to the normal characterizations about it in school.

[Jhsmith111]

You are going to have to take it slow reading this...very heavy, but well worth your time. Probably not a good book for people with ADD.

[Heather Domin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-reading for research. Tacitus isn't my favorite, but he usually has just the information I need.

[Colin Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to read after I, Claudius or before- ideal supplement for the First Five although missing the most interesting parts of Claudius' reign.

[Dakota]

Books I-VI, XIII-XV. Lots of depressing material, but the presentation (and especially juxtaposition) of events is often enjoyable.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cynical, concise and fascinating. The original 'Game of Thrones'!

[William Crosby]

Two notes to self:
Sometimes I get told that Jesus is never referenced outside the Bible and then I read in Annals Book XV.44:
"Christus, from whom the name [Christians] had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty...at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate..."

In Histories, Book 5, there is an account of the Jews coming from Egypt led by Moyses because of a plague. This sounds similar to the account in the Bible.