Publius Cornelius Tacitus, [note 1] known simply as Tacitus (/ ˈtæsɪtəs / TAS-it-əs, [2][3] 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. [4][5] His two major historical works, Annals (Latin: Annales) and the Histories (Latin: Historiae), originally formed a continuous ...
Publius Cornelius Tacitus (l. c. 56 - c. 118 CE) was a Roman historian, active throughout the reign of Trajan (r. 98-117 CE) and the early years of Hadrian (r. 117-138 CE). His best-known works are Histories and Annals, which cover the history of the empire from the time of the Julio-Claudians to the reign of Domitian (r. 81-96 CE). Although best known for his historical writings, he also had ...
Tacitus's major surviving works, Annals and Histories, document the Empire from Augustus to Domitian, covering emperors like Tiberius, Claudius, Nero, and the Year of the Four Emperors.
Tacitus lived through the tumultuous aftermath of Nero’s death, the rapid succession of emperors in 69 AD (the Year of the Four Emperors), and the stabilization under the Flavians. These events shaped his historical consciousness. His political career flourished even under the shadow of Domitian’s autocracy, but his writings suggest a deeply critical attitude toward the imperial system and ...
Cornelius Tacitus, often hailed as one of Rome's greatest historians, remains a largely enigmatic figure, with many details of his life, including his birth and death dates, shrouded in mystery. His writings reveal much about his contemporaries and historical figures, yet he offers little personal information, leaving scholars to piece together his biography primarily through the works ...