Tacitus

Publius or Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56–ca. 117), Roman orator, lawyer, and senator, is considered one of antiquity's greatest historians. His major works—the Annals and the Histories—took for their subject the history of the Roman Empire's first century, from the ascension of the emperor Tiberius to the death of Domitian.

Studies and reception history

:"Auguror nec me fallit augurium, historias tuas immortales futuras" "I predict, and my predictions do not fail me, that your histories will be immortal." —Pliny the Younger, to Tacitus (Letters 7.33)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tacitus is remembered first and foremost as Rome's greatest historian, the equal—if not the superior—of Thucydides, the ancient Greeks' foremost historian; the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica opined that he "ranks beyond dispute in the highest place among men of letters of all ages". His influence extends far beyond the field of history. His work has been read for its moral instruction, its gripping and dramatic narrative, and its inimitable prose style; it is as a political theorist, though, that he has been (and still is) most influential outside the field of history.{{ref|remembrance}} The political lessons taken from his work fall roughly into two camps (as identified by Giuseppe Toffanin): the "red Tacitists", who used him to support republican ideals, and the "black Tacitists", those who read him as a lesson in Machiavellian realpolitik.{{ref|redandblack}}

Related Topics:
Thucydides - 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica - Giuseppe Toffanin - Republican - Realpolitik

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Though his work is the most reliable source for the history of his era, its factual accuracy is occasionally questioned: the Annals are based in part on secondary sources of unknown reliability, and there are some obvious minor mistakes (for instance confusing the two daughters of Mark Antony and Octavia Minor, both named Antonia). The Histories, written from primary documents and intimate knowledge of the Flavian period, is thought to be more accurate, though Tacitus's hatred of Domitian seemingly colored its tone and interpretations.

Related Topics:
Mark Antony - Octavia Minor - Antonia - Primary documents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~