Portrait of Cornelius Tacitus
Photo: unknown author · Wikimedia Commons

Author

Cornelius Tacitus

Roman historian and senator (c. 56 – c. 120)

Born
55, Gallia Narbonensis
Died
120, Roman Empire
Nationality
Ancient Rome
Occupation
Historian, politician, military personnel, poet and biographer
Notable works
Annals · Histories · Germania · Agricola · Dialogus de oratoribus

Life and work

Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus (TAS-it-əs, Latin: [ˈtakɪtʊs]; c. AD 56 – c. 120), was a Roman historian and politician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historians by modern scholars.

His two major historical works, Annals (Latin: Annales) and the Histories (Latin: Historiae), originally formed a continuous narrative of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus (14 AD) to the end of Domitian's reign (96 AD). The surviving portions of the Annals focus on the reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors (69 AD).

His other writings discuss oratory (in dialogue format, see Dialogus de oratoribus), Germania (in De origine et situ Germanorum), and the life of his father-in-law, Agricola (the general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain), mainly focusing on his campaign in Britannia (De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae).

Text: “Tacitus”, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, under the license CC BY-SA 4.0. Dates and facts: Wikidata.

Collection

Books by Cornelius Tacitus

3 books