Book Description
In The Histories Cornelius Tacitus, widely regarded as the greatest of all Roman historians, describes with cynical power the murderous `year of the Four Emperors'--AD 69--when in just a few months the whole of the Roman Empire was torn apart by civil war. W.H. Fyfe's classic translation has
been substantially revised and supplied with extensive historical and literary notes. The Introduction examines the subtleties of Tacitus's writing and gives the necessary political and social background.Download Description
Covers Rome from 69 to 70 AD. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

There is nothing to be gained by lying
Cornelius Tacitus knows perfectly what the cardinal human characteristic is: `From time immemorial, man has had an instinctive love of power.' And, `the reward for virtue was inevitable death.'
His book is a mighty illustration of the ruthless fight for the top spot: emperor. The ambitious and the wealthy fight one another without mercy. `The truth is that revolution and strife put tremendous power into the hands of evil men.' The vanquished are brutally slain.
For Tacitus, the most important factors in the power struggle are money (`money was the sinews of civil war') and control of the military (`the lesson that an army can create an emperor'). If you could `reward` your soldiers, you could win. However, the legions were not interested in war itself only in looting, plundering, raping and enslaving. `The men wanted campaign and set battles, as the prizes here were more attractive than their normal pay.' The victims were innocent peasants, women and children.
Overall, `Italy found it hard to put up with such hordes of infantry and cavalry, and with violence, financial loss and acts of lawlessness.'

While the `Annals' contain more human touch, the `Histories' are nearly completely centered on military, diplomatic and tactical manoeuvres, followed by terrifying and merciless violence after the battles (`the fury of the soldiers').

This for mankind severe and pessimistic book is a must read for all those interested in the lessons of history and for lovers of great classical literature.

Still a benchmark
Every now and then a pivotal moment in history is witnessed and recorded by a master communicator. The mid-first century of Rome was such a time and Tacitus was such a communicator.The Histories will forever be a benchmark of good history with its observations on human nature and behaviour along with their impact on history. The historian will do well to read Tacitus not just for the historical lessons but for his approach to history as a record of human activity. While observing and commenting on the human element in history, Tacitus avoids making moral judgements and remains as objective as possible in the midst of turmoil, wars, and rumors of wars.His beloved nation and people were suffering under the barbarity of fratricidal war yet he remains above the madness and records the events with passion tempered with objectivity.His example is one that has remained difficult for others to follow.

A word on this translation in particular - I found Mr. Wellesley's translation very readable and poetic.He seems to have captured the literature value of the text as well as the content.Well done.

corrupting effects of power
Reading Tacitus' Annals I oft remembered Thucydides' account of the Peleponnesian wars. An important theme of the latter work was the corrupting effects of prolongedwar on the morals and intellect of the Athenian people, who were ultimately degraded so much that they voted the destruction of the people of a small island just because they had chosen to remain neutral. Tacitus, on the other hand, seems to have dedicated himself in this work to examining the corrupting effects of absolutism on the Roman people after the fall of the Republic. He shows how absolute power brought out the worst traits in the character of rulers like Tiberius and Nero, who grew more and more tyrannical with every year on the throne, and how members of the illustruous Roman senate and other sections of the Roman political society turned into a horde of spineless sycophants, informers and debauches. There were still a few honourable individuals, but as Tacitus shows in an endless series of judicial and non-judicial murders, most of these paid the price of sticking to the ancient traditions of liberty and honour with their lives. Tacitus also deals at length with the relations of the Romans with the subject peo-ples. I may be wrong here, but it seems to me that in such passages Tacitus draws a parallels between the fate of these enslaved peoples and that of the enslaved Roman people -the first a slave to the Romans, the second a slave to the emperor and his bureaucracy made up of ex-slaves. Many subject peoples rebelled and some like the Cherusci under Arminius (towards whom he does not seem averse at all) could successfully preserve their liberty against the in-trusion of the Romans. Those Romans who dared defy the tyrant on the other hand, and especially those who could wisely remain independent and yet stay alive, were far fewer, Tacitus seems to imply. Insofar as it demonstrates how closely liberty (including liberty of thought) and morals are intertwined, this work is still relevant today as a central work of liberal humanism.

fascinating reading
Tacitus Histories deals with the turbulent year 69AD the year of four emperors. Tacitus eye for detail which allows us to understand the personalities of Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespatian and their motivations and ambitions in this trully chaotic time in Rome's history. The sinister role of the Praetorians in these events is faithfully accounted. I found I could not put it down! Very readable compared to the Annals. The translation is first rate. The work is also supported by numerous foot notes and maps. Anyone interested in this period of Roman history must read this book.

May You Live in Interesting Times
The year 69 CE, called The Year of the Four Emperors, was awfully busy in the Roman Empire. The Emperor Nero had committed suicide in the previous year, the last ruler to have a family connection to Julius Caesar. His place was taken by Servius Sulpicius Galba, who was murdered early in 69 as part of a revolt by the next emperor, Marcus Salvius Otho. Otho himself committed suicide after being militarily bested by the next emperor, Lucius Vitellius. But by December of 69, Vitellius had been assassinated, and his place taken by Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus, the general who had brutally suppressed the Bar Kochba rebellion in Judea. All this in less than 365 days.

Tacitus was a Roman conservative and, if his spirit could be summoned back from the dead, I would love to see him coming "From the Right" on "Crossfire."He was a tremendous writer, and "The Histories" are full of examples of this. There are his epigrams, such as his observation that Galba would have universally been thought of as worthy to rule had he never, in fact, ruled. There are interesting characters, like the great opportunist Antonius Primus, whose nickname translates roughly as "Beaky" because, well, he had a huge nose. There are a great many people mentioned in this work and therefore it needs to be read carefully, as it's hard to keep track of the Romans without a scorecard.

After the year 69, the Presidential election of 2000 seems pretty tame, doesn't it? ... Read more

Book Description
Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb, Edited, with an Introduction, Moses Hadas ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Definitive Primary Source On the History OfImperial Roman
I read this book for a graduate course in Roman history.It is an indispensable primary source for students of Roman history.

On the first page of his Annals of Imperial Rome, Tacitus wrote that Octavian "seduced the army with bonuses, and his cheap food policy was successful bait for civilians."Tacitus' description of Augustus' transformation of Rome from a republic into an empire is most illuminating as well."Upper-class survivors found that slavish obedience was the way to succeed, both politically and financially.They had profited from the revolution, and so now they liked the security of the existing arrangement better than the dangerous uncertainties of the old regime."

Sir Ronald Syme relied heavily on the work of Tacitus for his cogent narrative of Octavian's rise to power as Augustus.Syme's in-depth study of Tacitus' life and work was published in 1958.Tacitus' historical accuracy was doubted for centuries and Syme made a project of re-evaluating the accuracy of his historical writings.Syme believed that Tacitus was in a unique position to write about the birth and early political history of the Imperial period in Rome due to his very active political life.Tacitus had served as a senator, consul, and proconsul of Asia.In addition, he was known to be an excellent orator in his day.In his writings, Syme believed that Tacitus provided excellent accounts of Augustus' rise to power and his career as Rome's first Emperor.

Tacitus delved into the machinery of the new government, including Augustus' use of patronage as well as his many thwarted attempts at planning for his own succession.What Syme found was a man that grew very adept politically and whose political maturity rapidly developed at an early age.At eighteen, he was named as heir to Julius Caesar.He grew into the greatest Roman princeps spanning fifty-six years until his death.Augustus knew that to retain power he had to maintain the general consent of the governed.He astutely maintained order not by following the constitution or past precedent, but by using the tremendous resources at his disposal.Augustus kept the plebeians in check making sure they were fed, kept them amused with games, and constantly reminded them that he was protecting them from the oppression of the nobiles.

Augustus became the "leader of a large and well organized political party as the source and fount of patronage and advancement."

Recommended reading for those interested in Roman history, military history.

A Decent Translation, but a Poor Edition
My experience with Tacitus in the original was brief and without professorial guidance, so I can't vouch for the accuracy of the translators; however, Church and Bodribb's English is certainly readable if a bit outdated (A trait I like in translations of ancient authors). The lack of footnotes or maps is what dooms this edition, though it probably is directly related to the excellent price. I would only advise purchasing this book if money is that much of a problem for you or if you're only buying as an aid for translation, you dirty cheat you.

The hurt long arm of history
You simply cannot beat these collected works for witticisms.And all of those sorts of phrases like what the kids mock, in Proust, at the beachhouse- "they ridiculed his Greek attendants" for example, describing the relations between the natives of some blah-stonia and their Roman legate sent to rule over them from a reclined couch strewn with sausages and succulent roast meats - you get the idea.It really is a hoot.The best part though, is that Tacitus is mindful, when writing the history of the emperors, of the moments when the old freedoms of the republic were gladly handed over by their owners to the flattery of the emperor's representatives, He appeals to their vanity and self-righteousness; chest-thumping, etc.It's all so very analogous to the changes the U.S. is undergoing today.Worth a read for anyone interested in politics.There's some stuff about Jesus in it too sort of indirectly, so if you're into all that evangelistianity, it's a new text you can cite predicting the apocalypse.

Paperback not Hardback.
This book is advertised as being in a hardback edition.However, as the back cover says, it is "paperbound".

"Impressive and Pristine Translation...The Best Out There"
While Tacitus remains the most brilliant, eloquent, and important of all the Roman historians, his translators Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb have purged the excessive verbosity and superfluity of style common in other translations to form a complete and precise representation of Tacitus' original.An amazing anthology at an affordable price...there's no better deal or collective genius of works available. ... Read more

Book Description
One of the most important historical records from classical antiquity, "The Annals of Imperial Rome" chronicles the history of the Roman Empire from the reign of Tiberius beginning in 14 A.D. to the reign of Nero ending in 66 A.D. Written by Cornelius Tacitus, Roman Senator during the second century A.D., "The Annals of Imperial Rome" is a detailed first-hand account of the early Roman Empire. Presented in this volume is the classic translation of Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Tactius Part of the Whole
An excellent piece of work on it's own. However, because it's by an "ancient historian" we should always remember that it needs supplementation by other writers of the time.

Definitive Primary Source On the History OfImperial Roman
I read this book for a graduate course in Roman history.It is an indispensable primary source for students of Roman history.

On the first page of his Annals of Imperial Rome, Tacitus wrote that Octavian "seduced the army with bonuses, and his cheap food policy was successful bait for civilians."Tacitus' description of Augustus' transformation of Rome from a republic into an empire is most illuminating as well."Upper-class survivors found that slavish obedience was the way to succeed, both politically and financially.They had profited from the revolution, and so now they liked the security of the existing arrangement better than the dangerous uncertainties of the old regime."

Sir Ronald Syme relied heavily on the work of Tacitus for his cogent narrative of Octavian's rise to power as Augustus.Syme's in-depth study of Tacitus' life and work was published in 1958.Tacitus' historical accuracy was doubted for centuries and Syme made a project of re-evaluating the accuracy of his historical writings.Syme believed that Tacitus was in a unique position to write about the birth and early political history of the Imperial period in Rome due to his very active political life.Tacitus had served as a senator, consul, and proconsul of Asia.In addition, he was known to be an excellent orator in his day.In his writings, Syme believed that Tacitus provided excellent accounts of Augustus' rise to power and his career as Rome's first Emperor.

Tacitus delved into the machinery of the new government, including Augustus' use of patronage as well as his many thwarted attempts at planning for his own succession.What Syme found was a man that grew very adept politically and whose political maturity rapidly developed at an early age.At eighteen, he was named as heir to Julius Caesar.He grew into the greatest Roman princeps spanning fifty-six years until his death.Augustus knew that to retain power he had to maintain the general consent of the governed.He astutely maintained order not by following the constitution or past precedent, but by using the tremendous resources at his disposal.Augustus kept the plebeians in check making sure they were fed, kept them amused with games, and constantly reminded them that he was protecting them from the oppression of the nobiles.

Augustus became the "leader of a large and well organized political party as the source and fount of patronage and advancement."

Recommended reading for those interested in Roman history, military history.

Not the best Roman history
In his introduction, Michael Grant tells us Tacitus ranks among Livy and Caesar as one of the best stylists of Roman histories.Either his translation loses this style or Grant is mistaken.I found the 'Annals' to lack many of the features I have come to love about Roman histories.There is little moral instruction.Reading Livy or Plutarch, you can't help but to marvel at the lives of great men and learn either from their virtues or vices.Tacitus does not dwell on such issues.Instead, his history reads more as a catalog of events.First this conspirator died, then this one, then this one, etc.Tacitus defends himself by saying each person deserves to have his name mentioned -- "let each receive his separate, permanent record."But reading the long list of people killed is like visiting a graveyard, the endless gravestones emitting a feeble sense of transience.

Part of the problem may be Tacitus's choice of time period.The bloody and mismanaged era begins with Augustus's death in A.D. 14 and concludes with Nero's 54 years later.This is a time marked by indecency and blood.The emperors, including Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius, are as wasteful as they are licentious.The most complete figure to emerge is Tiberius, who though he avoids Rome because of his debauchery with Roman children comes across as well-spoken and involved in state affairs.Subsequent emperors go no further than stick-figures, their reins filled with internal divisiveness and forced suicides.

I would recommend this book to readers who already have some knowledge of Roman history.There are some parts, such as the only mention in pagan Latin of Christ's killer, Pontius Pilate, that will interest readers.But for new readers I would recommend Livy and Plutarch.They are the true stylists of ancient Rome.

The Beautiful Sarcasm
I read Tacitus for a college humanities course, and although I had to read the entirety of the Annales over two days, it was quite an enjoyable, if daunting, task. The other reviews discuss his historical importance, so I'll limit myself to commenting that his sarcasm and turns of phrase (particularly in this translation) are biting and funny (at least for those of us for whom Nero and the corrupt emperors are not a reality). Plenty of interesting happenings for someone who is not a classics scholar.

Find a Different Publication of this Book!
This is a monumentally bad translation and Penguin should be ashamed of themselves for having kept publishing it for forty odd years. While Grant's style is quite good, his awful, clashing, illogical translations of familiar Roman terms renders it unreadable. Everyone who has any interest in Roman History (and let's face it, who else would be reading this book?) knows what a legion is. But how many people know what a division is, or a brigade? The same goes for company commanders instead of centurions. This is not only confusing and anachronistic, its simply innaccurate. As far as i'm aware a modern company numbers about 120 men (please let me know if i'm wrong!) whereas a century had only 80. Also to call a Roman legion either a division or a brigade is also innaccurate. A division is made up of several brigades but a full legion is not made up of two or three smaller legions. Grant is just being difficult. Also the index infuriatingly insists on listing people by their correct family names instead of the names by which they are commonly called. Hence, you look up references to Corbulo and find "See Domitius" so you look up Domitius, go to one of the pages mentioned and there you find "Corbulo", repeatedly called Corbulo on every page by Tacitus. Finally, the maps. Penguin Classics maps are generaly bad and these are no different. A one page map of all of Northern Europe with all the various placenames and features squeezed awkwardly in through lack of space, and with no outstanding line to dilineate the roman frontier, then on another page a whole page map of africa with a grand total of SEVEN places mentioned on it. This may all seem picky, but it spoils the whole reading experience. I'm afraid it's symptomatic of Penguin Classics who have been resting on their laurels for far too long. They've been very good at constantly changing the covers and folio size of their books but seem to have no real interest in the CONTENT. ( I have binned my copy and bought a very nice secondhand Dent and Sons edition, with "legions" in it! ) ... Read more

Book Description
This book is a literary analysis of the language and style of Tacitus' Annals. The political context of first-second century AD Rome is also taken into consideration. In analysis of particular passages close attention is given to the structure of the Latin, which is fully translated. Issues relating to the study of narrative, Roman politics and theories of history are addressed in the course of the discussion.Download Description
This book examines Tacitus' Annals as an ironic portrayal of Julio-Claudian Rome, through close analysis of passages in which characters engage in interpretation and misreading. By representing the misreading of signifying systems - such as speech, gesture, writing, social structures and natural phenomena - Tacitus obliquely comments upon the perversion of Rome's republican structure in the new principate. Furthermore, this study argues that the distinctively obscure style of the Annals is used by Tacitus to draw his reader into the ambiguities and compromises of the political regime it represents. The strain on language and meaning both portrayed and enacted by the Annals in this way gives voice to a form of political protest to which the reader must respond in the course of interpreting the narrative. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library’s preservation reformatting program. ... Read more