Tacitus
His major works are the Histories and the Annals. The Annals was written after the Histories but covers early Roman Emperors. Books 1-4 part of 5 7-10 missing
Tacitus' premise in the Histories and the Annals is how can you functional as a good Roman senator under the corrupting influence of the emperors? Tacitus would have faced this dichotomy personally as he was both a senator Governor of Asia. He writes the Histories and Annals is the style with perhaps more maturity in the Annals in a time preoccupied with Civil War
Tacitus does not focus just on the machinations of Rome. he gives us a wide context and writes extensively on what is happening in Germany, Britain and the Parthaginans. He reminds us thatAugustus's advice was not to extend the boundaries of the Roman Emperor beyond what they were when he dies. In fact he writes that in to his will and largely the subsequent Emperors follow it. However, this leaves a vacuum. Armies are lacking focus in the 1st century and get attached to their generals rather than the Emperors. Stable borders means that the Governors can start to build their own power-bases. Looting and plundering has now been replaced by taxes and grain production in order to continue to fuel the Roman Empire back in Rome
Germany and UK. In 89 Nerva has adopted Trajan and not returned to Rome. T is explaining the region T and the UK. Conquest, battles. He takes the view of the Br. How in the agricula civilized them or was it servitude and decadence. He has the conquered to criticize the Empire. The Caledonian king (calidicus) gets an army together to have last go at Rome he says they are pillagers of the world. He see them have having Sparta virtues and old Roman virtues and T is saying is where is this now in Rome
T sees the best of the Roman virtues was the 2nd C BC – ie not even in Augustus; time. In mans nature to seek power – wealth civil wars and autocracy and decadence The systems to blame, Emperors are to blame and the collusion of the senators. Accuse fellow senators – hauls them physically to prison and watch the torture and killings.
Aug - Princeps the most excellent among many in BC 31 after Cleopatra flees after the battle of Actium
Republican histories wrote about the people in Emperoros time it’s the emperor T is more high minded than Suetonius in his depiction of Tiberius. A lot of it is done by innuendo, rumor and gossip. He repeats the stories but then prefaces it has a rumor Nero and Pythagoras acted out as Nero as the bride Women are manipulative. Messalina – she was lustful bride of Claudius. She pursued to marry her lover while Claudius is still alive. Claudius freemen are scandalized. Claudius races back to Rome. She pleads for mercy. He tells her he will see her tomorrow but she is slaughtered overnight There are few sex scenes because there is no redemption whereas the senatorial stories there is redemption Livia wide Poisons to get Tiberius and Agrippina to get Nero (livia’s great granddaughter). An agregious use of power
Most people come off badly. Vitellius started bad and then when goes out to governorship and does much better
Is this history or gossip. It would fail by the stds of today. Sources and documentation but it is so much more because of its higher expectations. He says work of hstry we should commemorate great deeds and for prosterity of evil deeds. And denounce them. It is didactive, we should learn and we can predict and – kind of moral manual. We should be moved and learn and put it in to practice
We don’t know what happened to T. He influences Marselanus Thom Moore rediscovers T and so does Gibbon. He recounts the Aug restoration – would need the pen of T to describe. Gibbon is decline and fall not rise and fall but then Rome always was decline. The golden age was always error Domitian – T writes severely of him although in comparison he is not as bad – may be because he lived during that reign. We are missing his contemporary histories – did he write them or does it not meet his objectives
Graves takes T as his base but brings in other writers esp the sex
T says rumor is important that is why it is relevant but Graves just presents it as facts. T is following Polio
