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Essay of tacitus agricola
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Tacitus was a Roman senator and writer that lived from circa 56-117. He was born in Gaul, a town in what is now modern day France. He had a wealthy father, and his family raised horses. Growing up, Tacitus loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting as a pastime. When he was in school, he studied rhetorics. Tacitus’ friend, Pliny the Younger, also studied rhetorics. This was helpful for Tacitus when pursuing a career in law and politics.
Tacitus became a Quaestor, which was a Roman official, and later became a senator. In 113, Tacitus became the governor of the Roman province called Asia. During this time, Tacitus married a woman with the last name Agricola. Her father was a general by the name Gnaeus Julius Agricola. One of the works Tacitus wrote was a biography on Agricola, his father-in-law.
Tacitus wrote five books over the course of his lifetime: The Life of Agricola, Germania, Dialogue on Oratory, Histories, and Annals. The two most popular writings of his are Histories and Annals. Five books make up Histories, but only half of the fifth book survived. Annals is made up of at least sixteen books, however many books and parts of the books are missing. Tacitus wrote Annals in the year 116 and died a year later in 117, making the Annals his last work. All of Tacitus’ writings usually had a more pessimistic view philosophically.
The Life of Agricola was Tacitus’ first writing. It was written in c. 98 and is a biography of General Gnaeus Julius Agricola, his father-in-law. This book highlights Agricola’s militaristic achievements. Germania was Tacitus’ second work, written in c. 98. This book focuses primarily on the Germanic tribes that surround the Roman Empire. Dialogue on Oratory was a book th...
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...t. The works of Tacitus continue to serve as “textbooks” for the history of the Roman Empire, and it is even greater because it is a primary source. What better way to learn about the Roman Empire than hear it from someone who actually lived in the Roman Empire? Despite missing some books that could have the answers to our most complex questions, as Tacitus said, “Forbidden things have a secret charm.”
Works Cited
"Cornelius Tacitus (AD 55 - 117)." Biography of the Ancient Roman historian Cornelius Tacitus. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .
"Tacitus." - Livius. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. .
"Tacitus." New Catholic encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Detroit: Thomson/Gale ;, 2003. 729-30. Print.
http://thinkexist.com/quotes/publius_cornelius_tacitus/
From ages past, the actions of conquerors, kings and tyrants had brought the Roman Republic to a stance that opposed any idea of a singular leader, of a single man that held total power over the entirety of the state. Their rejection of the various ruthless Etruscan rulers that had previously dictated them brought the Republic to existence in 509 BC , and as a republic their prominence throughout the provinces of the world exponentially expanded. Throughout these years, the traditions of the Romans changed to varying degrees, most noticeably as a result of the cultural influence that its subject nations had upon the republic, as well as the ever-changing nature of Roman society in relation to then-current events. However, it was not until the rise of Augustus, the first of a long line of succeeding emperors, that many core aspects of the Republic were greatly changed. These were collectively known as the “Augustan Reforms”, and consisted of largely a variety of revisions to the social, religious, political, legal and administrative aspects of the republic’s infrastructure. Through Augustus, who revelled in the old traditional ways of the past, the immoral, unrestraint society that Rome was gradually falling to being was converted to a society where infidelities and corruption was harshly looked upon and judged. The Roman historian Suetonius states, “He corrected many ill practices, which, to the detriment of the public, had either survived the licentious habits of the late civil wars, or else originated in the long peace” . Through Augustus and his reforms, the Republic was transformed into an Empire, and through this transformation, Rome experienced one of its greatest and stabl...
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.
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.
Antony Kamm ~ The Romans: An Introduction Second Edition, Published in 2008, pages 47, 93
In Titus Livius’, The Early History of Rome, Livy takes on the task of documenting Rome’s early history and some of the famous individuals who help contribute to the ‘greatness’ of Rome. Livy dedicates an entire portion of his writing to describe the reigns of the first seven kings of Rome; all who influence the formation and governance of Rome in some way. However, of the seven kings in early Roman history, King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius achieved godlike worship and high esteem from their fellow Romans. While both highly important and respected figures in Rome’s history, the personalities and achievements of King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius are complete opposites of one another. Despite the differences found in each king and of their rule over Rome, both Romulus and Numa Pompilius have a tremendous influence in the prosperity and expansion of Rome in its early days.
In the early first century AD, the Roman Empire was subject to autocratic rule and the old Republic was long dead. Augustus had been ruling for forty years and most of that time he was loved and praised by the Senate and the people of Rome. Throughout his reign, Augustus had the one lingering problem of finding a successor to take over the role of Emperor. He had chosen 3 different heirs in his time of rule; however, they all passed before they had the chance to inherit Augustus’ esteemed power. His fourth choice, Tiberius, was the one to succeed Augustus. He was often referred to, by Augustus, as an outstanding general and the only one capable of defending Rome against her enemies. The statement, ‘Tiberius is condemned by many ancient historians (including Tacitus), and his reign is often portrayed as being detrimental to the welfare of the Roman Empire’ is invalid as he treated the senate fairly, created strong economics and security in the state and boosted the empire into an unprecedented state of prosperity. This hypothesis will be proven through this essay by analyzing factors such as Tiberius’ administration of the Empire, his relationship with the senate, his financial control, the effect of Sejanus over his rule and why were his last years as Emperor referred to as a ‘reign of terror’ by Tacitus.
In my opinion this book is not the evaluation of how approximately fifty million people from two thousand years ago thought about the world that they lived in at the time, but about how a few dozen men wrote about it, in a viewpoint illustrative of only a few thousand. In order to support her view, Edith Hamilton tries to bring these people together, threading together their common thoughts and ideologies. Save for the fact that this book only represents a handful of Roman citizens and the way that they saw the world in which they lived, I do feel like I got a better understanding of the “Roman Way” and the way that life was back then. Along with the history that I learned in class on the subject it makes me be able to picture it better in my mind’s-eye.
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,
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.
Each of the Germania's 46 passages deals with a particular area of German civilization among which Tacitus develops a two-tiered theme. The two points he tries to make generally clear are the following:
1. Tim Cornell, John Matthews, Atlas of the Roman World, Facts On File Inc, 1982. (pg.216)
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Gaius Julius Caesar, born 100 B.C.E. in Rome to the impoverished patrician Julian Clan, knew controversy at an early age. Nephew to Populare Gaius Marius, he was earmarked by the Optimate dictator Sulla for prosciption after his refusal to divorce his Populare wife, Cinna. Fleeing Rome, and not returning until after Sulla’s resignation in 78 B.C.E, upon his return he gained a position as a pontificate, an important Roman priesthood. Slowly but surely throughout his lifetime he worked his way up the political ladder, eventually becoming Consul, and finally Dictator Perpeteus – Dictator for life. One of the most influential political and military leaders of all time, Caesar was also a highly intelligent man and an exceptional orator. However, acquiring this absolute power was no mean feat, and Caesar had well equipped himself through previous expeditions with all the resources necessary to gain power in Ancient Rome.