Tacitus Essay Tacitus is considered by many to be the greatest Roman historians to ever live. Clearly his knowledge and skills are fully demonstrated in his writings Agricola and Germania. Tacitus captures his readers attention witnessing different ethnic groups and there various customs from each other. Agricola focusses on Tacitus father in-law Julius Agricola. Because of Agricola Tacitus saw ethnography on the many people of the ancient Britain. In Germania Tacitus writes about the different Germanic groups of the time. Tacitus in both of his writings portrays the cultures, traditions, and establishments of many different ethnic groups. Cornelius Tacitus was born 56 AD in southern Gaul which is now modern Providence. In 75 AD he moved to Rome and became an orator. A year later he married the daughter of the consul Cn. Julius Agricola. Tacitus is best known writings included Agricola (97-98), Germania (98), The Histories (110), and The Annals. Harold Mattingly (1884-1964) translated Agricola and Germania. J.B. Rivers published his translation, with introduction, and commentary of Germania in 1999. How does reading Tacitus’s Agricola and Germania help provide a better understanding to classical Rome? Through Tacitus’s writings we can pick out important parts of …show more content…
As Tacitus states in Germania their government and leadership is somewhat democratic, with leadership by example rather than authority and that sentences from crimes are carried out by the priests. Woman’s opinions are also respected very different for the time. Decisions are made by all the men in the tribe together. As Tacitus writes “They choose their kings for their noble birth, their leaders for their valour. But even the power of the kings is not absolute or arbitrary.” (Tacitus Germania 38). Through Tacitus’s writings we see just how different the political system of Germania is for the time
Publius (Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus was a Roman historian and senator who wrote several historical documents, including some discussing ancient Britain. In approximately 98 CE, Tacitus wrote a particular document called, “Galgacus: On Roman Imperialism,” which focused on a speech supposedly delivered by Galgacus, a Briton military leader. If Tacitus in fact did write this speech celebrating the Britons and calling them to fight for freedom, why would he use Galgacus’s name? Firstly, Tacitus was a Roman senator who witnessed imperialism’s negative impact so he imagined this speech to criticize the Roman Empire’s barbarism without incriminating himself. Secondly, this speech celebrates the Britons while demonizing the Romans, which again, would be dangerous to claim as one’s own. Finally, by being a historian, Tacitus was interested in recording the past, so through this speech, Tacitus preserves a history that would have been lost otherwise. Clearly, from the reasons behind using Galgacus’s name and the words he uses, Tacitus did write this speech, and an analysis of the work will show this. Analyzing the words Tacitus uses will also highlight his authorship, but they also provide readers with an insight into both societies.
The government within the monarchical society was populated by the aristocracy. It was they who were depended upon for directing the course of governmental affairs. The controls of all co...
Livy’s The Rise of Rome serves as the ultimate catalogue of Roman history, elaborating on the accomplishments of each king and set of consuls through the ages of its vast empire. In the first five books, Livy lays the groundwork for the history of Rome and sets forth a model for all of Rome to follow. For him, the “special and salutary benefit of the study of history is to behold evidence of every sort of behaviour set forth as on a splendid memorial; from it you may select for yourself and for your country what to emulate, from it what to avoid, whether basely begun or basely concluded.” (Livy 4). Livy, however, denies the general populace the right to make the same sort of conclusions that he made in constructing his histories. His biased representation of Romulus and Tarquin Superbus, two icons of Roman history, give the readers a definite model of what a Roman should be, instead of allowing them to come to their own conclusion.
As in other areas of “The Republic,” Plato carefully outlines the delineations which form the basis for the types of rulers to be installed in the state. “Rulers” (legislative and udicial), “Auxiliaries” (executive), and “Craftsmen” (productive and fficacious) are the titles of the categories and are based, not on birth or wealth, but on natural capacities and aspirations. Plato was convinced that children born into any class should still be moved up or down based on their merits regardless of their connections or heritage. He believes the citizens of the State will support and benefit from such a system and presents the idea in the form of an allegorical myth.
The Roman Way is basically an informal history of Roman civilization as Edith Hamilton interprets the writings of the greatest literary figures from around the time of 200 B.C. to 100 A.D. Some of these writers include Cicero, with his vast assortment of letters; Catullus, the romantic poet; and Horace, the storyteller of an unkind and greedy Rome. They are three affluent white men from around the same period of time, although each of them had very different styles of writings and ideologies. Edith Hamilton does a great job in translating the works of many different authors of Roman literature, discussing each author's exclusive stance in...
There is a fundamental difference between a democracy and a republic as it concerned the political entitlement of the citizenry. The citizens of a republic do not participate directly with governmental affairs. The citizens of a republic can however have a say in who does participate. The Roman republic has two prefect systems to prevent dictatorship which didn’t work.
Tacitus is a Roman contemporary historian who lived approximately during the period 54 A. D. and died after 117. He is well known for his writings of "Annals" and the "Histories," which "covered the history of Rome from the death of Augustus to A. D. 96." Among his fellow historians, he is praised for his unbiased opinions and fairness of judgements. His work, Germania, comprises of his understanding of the Germanic people. Throughout the work, Tacitus describes their values, warfare and weaponry, religion, agriculture, leadership and government, and gender relations within their society. Although Tacitus's respect for the German tribes is perceived when he discusses monogamy in the German society,
Initial evidence to support Agrippina’s influence on Roman society is presented in the early months of Nero’s reign.
Tacitus. The Annals of Tacitus. Edited and annotated by Henry Furneaux. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907.
Shuckburgh, Evelyn Shirley. A history of Rome to the battle of Actium. London: Macmillan and Co., 1917.
Marcel Le Glay, Jean-Louis Voisin, Yann Le Bohec. A History of Rome. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
... Austin: University of Texas Press, 1997. Hopkins, Keith. A. A. Death and Renewal: Sociological Studies in Roman History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983 Johnston, Harold Whetstone. The Private Life of the Romans.
Tacitus's Germania is a thoroughly itemized ethnographic text detailing the geography, climate and social structure of Germany and its people. Unlike his Histories and Annales Tacitus doesn't offer a story line to be followed, but instead, he nudges forth an unspoken comparison to be made between two cultures.
Greece, originally ruled by an oligarchy ("rule of the few"), operated under the premise that those selected to rule were selected based not upon birth but instead upon wealth. Eventually, however, Greek government became democratic. Rome, on the other hand, was a republic that elected its officials, and common citizens were not allowed as many opportunities as Athenians to participate in matters of the state. While Greece had branches of government to represent citizens, Rome implemented branches of government to represent different components of society. For example, Rome had authorities to supervise public works projects, administer justice, supervise recreational activities and conduct a census (text). Rome, who, like Greece, was a polytheistic society, also appointed a priest for life who was in charge of the entire state's religion.
R. Bruce Hitcher. (2008). Globalization Avant La Lettre: Globalization and the History of the Roman Empire. New Global Studies: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 2.