Tacitus

We read Book 11 (47-48 CE) during Claudius’ reign as emperor, focusing on the downfall of Claudius’ wife, Messalina, who plots to replace him with her lover, and his depiction of Claudius’ censorship, especially the admission of Gallic citizens into the Roman Senate (and we compare Claudius’ speech on this subject to the parts of the oration that are preserved on the Tabula Lugdunensis, a bronze tablet found in Lyon, France). We also read most of Book 15 (64-65 CE), with its reportage of Nero’s reign, especially the Great Fire of Rome and the Pisonian conspiracy. We consider Tacitus’ masterly style, historiographic methods, Tendenz, and an overarching question: how did the imperial system ever survive these regimes?