Tacitus Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Monographs=== Tacitus wrote three works with a more limited scope: ''Agricola'', a biography of his father-in-law, Gnaeus Julius Agricola; the ''Germania'', a monograph on the lands and tribes of barbarian Germania; and the {{Lang|la|Dialogus}}, a dialogue on the art of rhetoric. ====''Germania''==== {{Main|Germania (book)}} The ''Germania'' ([[Latin]] title: ''De Origine et situ Germanorum'') is an ethnographic work on the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic tribe]]s outside the Roman Empire. The ''Germania'' fits within a classical ethnographic tradition which includes authors such as [[Herodotus]] and [[Julius Caesar]]. The book begins (chapters 1β27) with a description of the lands, laws, and customs of the various tribes. Later chapters focus on descriptions of particular tribes, beginning with those who lived closest to the Roman empire, and ending with a description of those who lived on the shores of the [[Baltic Sea]], such as the [[Fenni]].<ref>[[Carl L. Thunberg|Thunberg, Carl L.]] (2012). ''Att tolka Svitjod'' [''To interpret Svitjod'']. University of Gothenburg. p. 44. {{ISBN|978-91-981859-4-2}}.</ref> Tacitus had written a similar, albeit shorter, piece in his ''Agricola'' (chapters 10β13). ====''Agricola'' (''De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae'')==== {{Main|Agricola (book)}} The ''Agricola'' (written {{circa|98}}) recounts the life of Gnaeus Julius Agricola, an eminent Roman general and Tacitus's father-in-law; it also covers, briefly, the geography and ethnography of ancient [[Roman Britain|Britain]]. As in the ''Germania'', Tacitus favorably contrasts the liberty of the native [[Celtic Britons|Britons]] with the tyranny and corruption of the Empire; the book also contains eloquent polemics against the greed of Rome, one of which, that Tacitus claims is from a speech by [[Calgacus]], ends by asserting, ''Auferre trucidare rapere falsis nominibus imperium, atque ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.'' ("To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace."βOxford Revised Translation). ====''Dialogus''==== {{Rhetoric}} {{Main|Dialogus de oratoribus}} There is uncertainty about when Tacitus wrote {{Lang|la|Dialogus de oratoribus}}. Many characteristics set it apart from the other works of Tacitus, so that its authenticity has at various times been questioned. It is likely to be early work, indebted to the author's rhetorical training, since its style imitates that of the foremost Roman orator [[Cicero]]. It lacks (for example) the incongruities that are typical of his mature historical works. The {{Lang|la|Dialogus}} is dedicated to Fabius Iustus, a consul in 102 AD. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page