Character Catalog

A biography of his father-in-law Agricola, governor of Britain. Tacitus's first published work, it contains a veiled but scathing critique of Domitian's tyrannical rule.

An ethnographic treatise on the Germanic peoples, their customs, and their lands. A foundational text that profoundly shaped perceptions of Germanic identity well into the 20th century.

A literary dialogue exploring the decline of oratory in Rome. It examines why rhetoric lost its vitality under the imperial regime.

An account of the civil wars of 69–96 AD, from the Year of the Four Emperors to the death of Domitian. Only Books I through V have survived intact.

Tacitus's masterpiece, covering the reigns of the Julio-Claudian emperors from Tiberius to Nero (14–68 AD). A model of critical historical writing, refined in both judgment and style.

Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero I described while they reigned, out of fear, and then out of resentment still fresh. Now, free from all attachment or hatred, I can set forth a few facts concerning Augustus.

I begin my work with the second consulship of Galba and the consulship of Titus Vinius. Of this age rich in events, I have recorded but few happy things: four emperors slain by the sword, three civil wars, and even more foreign wars.

In the fifteen years that passed — so long in the span of a man's life — he lost much to enforced inaction. Agricola himself survived, through prudence and wisdom, dangers that had swallowed so many others.

The Germans have no cities, as is commonly known; they do not even allow dwellings to be built adjoining one another. They live apart and scattered, wherever a spring, a field, or a woodland has taken their fancy.

Eloquence is not a calm and quiet virtue, as philosophy is; it requires agitation, a platform, adversaries, a city in turmoil, and a free people.

Tacitus served as senator and consul in Rome, the political heart of the Empire. It was in the Senate that he closely observed the workings of imperial power, providing the raw material for his historical works.

Tacitus governed this prosperous province around 112–113 AD, one of the most prestigious posts in the Empire. This experience gave him firsthand insight into provincial administration.

Tacitus never went there himself, but his father-in-law Agricola led campaigns in the region, which Tacitus recounted in detail in the Agricola. This work remains the primary ancient source on the Roman conquest of Scotland.

Tacitus wrote an ethnographic treatise on the Germanic peoples, describing their customs, territory, and fierce independence. This text remains the foundational source on the ancient Germanic tribes.

In the Histories, Tacitus describes the Jewish War and the destruction of the Temple by Titus in 70 AD. His account, though colored by bias, is one of the few surviving Roman testimonies of this pivotal event.