Tacitus

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

The historian Tacitus was the supreme storyteller of imperial Rome. In his Annals he gives a sizzling exposé of the Roman ruling class under the early emperors. Tacitus highlights the gap between what emperors and their supporters said and what they actually did. Only the historian’s careful study of the record and deep understanding of long periods of time can uncover the true workings of institutions and the motives behind people’s actions. This course starts with an introduction to the life, times, and works of Tacitus, a successful trial lawyer, senator, and priest, before he became a historian. We then explore Tacitus’ depiction of the emperor Tiberius in the first six books of The Annals. Topics for consideration include Tacitus’ sources of information, the construction of his narrative, and his style; and Tiberius the man, the nature of his succession, the rise of an imperial court, the development of treason trials, and the governance of the Roman empire. Tacitus’ later influence, especially on Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, is also discussed.