Introduction
Cornelius Tacitus was a renowned historian and senator in the ancient Roman Empire. Apparently, there are only two of his major works in the world today. These include the annals and the histories. These two major works were meant to examine the conduct of three Roman emperors: Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. Similarly, he examined the conduct of those in the reign in 69 AD, a year that many historians refer to as the Year of Four Emperors. His works mainly reflect on the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Emperor Augustus in 14 AD to 70 AD, which was known as the Year of the Initial War between the Jews and Romans. It is worth pointing out that there also exist some gaps in Tacitus’s works, especially in the annals (Ash 12). His other works display an oratory, which is a form of speech to the entire public. These oratory statements are meant to educate, influence, and entertain the audience. This rare style of writing leaves a lot to the imagination as any reader would want to summarize the works of Tacitus. His works also cover various topics including Germania, his father-in-law’s life, and the general responsibility of Romans.
Analysis
Tacitus is one of the most coveted historians in the Roman Empire. When taking a closer look at his historical writings, he is often viewed as a pessimist. This is seen in his approach to various topics including psychology and the power of politics. Although Tacitus is pessimistic in his writing, he blends those writings with straightforward events and moral lessons at that time. He is a historian who is focused on dramatic accounts in every historical event he writes about.
Secondly, Tacitus is a historian that focused on facts in every event, unlike some other renowned historians who would sway from facts. This makes his writing interesting and real as the readers decipher what the writer has to tell (Ash 15). Tacitus exposes his facts with the brevity of description, which ensures the reader is in the plot of the story. For instance, he explains the events that took place when the Roman army was almost defeated in the war. Consequentially, his writings display utter bravery, especially when stating the events that exposed the Roman army.
Thirdly, Tacitus writes the events in a chronological order, which makes his writings easy to follow and understand. He is a writer that focused on understanding events from the reader’s perspective. As such, his approach was to organize the events while at the same time ensuring he does not bring out the bigger picture. It was his belief that the reader has to be involved in constructing the bigger picture as it occurred in the historical events. For instance, the annals display such historical writing which enhances the concentration of the reader. In the first paragraphs of the annals, he uses condensed phrases, which are used to take the reader to the ancient times where the story began.
Conclusion
Many historians existed during the reign of the Roman Empire. But Cornelius Tacitus comes out as a respected and coveted historian and author. He has only two major writings to his name. These writings expose vast ideas, events, and situations in the early times. Conversely, his writings have a lacuna that sparks the reader’s imagination.
Works Cited
Ash, Rhiannon. Tacitus. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.