Tacitus on the Pattern of Roman History - Book Report/Review Example

'The Annals of Tacitus', as the well suggests, was a book which was written by an eminent d Tacitus. It was supposedly a tribute to the Roman history, with special significance to the four great emperors succeeding Caesar Augustus and described in detail the overall governance pattern of the Roman Empire. The historic details of the Roman Empire, with special reference to the Annals of Tacitus, were in reality the yearly details of the reign which were compiled after the death of Augustus. It is interesting to note that while the book was undoubtedly compiled by the author himself, the title 'Annals' was in fact advised or suggested by a close friend, possibly a co-writer (Tacitus & Barret, The Annals: The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero, 2008) (McCulloch, 1984). This report further discusses Tacitus' writing, and bestows answers to questions such as Why When and How. A Brief Introduction Tacitus was possibly a teenager when Nero died and was supposed to be living at the time of the civil war. The onset of the civil war initiated the budding author in Tacitus to pen down an unbiased account written on the basis of first hand information, which described the administration and life in the Roman Empire. Although, the total number of written books is still a mystery, it is believed that Tacitus wrote at least 16 different books, of which, book seven to book ten is amiss, while parts of book five, six, eleven and sixteen, are known to have been destroyed by an unseen hand. Tiberius's death in book six gives rise to the reign of Caligula and Claudius, which in turn are described in detail in book seven to twelve and while the reign of Claudius is not of valid relevance, the worship of orgy and a poor administration, with special respect to excessive coerce and the brutal dictatorship, has been narrate to perfection while detailing the hideous accounts of perhaps the most controversial emperors of all times, Caligula. (Tacitus, Woodman, & Martin, The Annals of Tacitus: books 1-6, 1996) With the second half of book 16 amiss, there is no living record of Augustus Caesar and hence the annals are said to finish amidst a heap of controversies. It is still a mystery whether this great author did in reality pen down the details of Augustus Caesar or not and although some historians claim that Tacitus did manage to give a written account of his so called 'historically significant emperor of Rome', the absence of written records have put a curtain to all unjustified speculations. The only reason why historians swear by the annals is the style in which they were written. Often considered the most gripping and narrative description of all times with special regards to the administration of the Roman Empire under its four glorious kings, the annals of Tacitus is regarded with high esteem from the point of view of both the historians as well as the ordinary readers. (Ross, 2007) (Pliny & Orrey, 1752) Tacitus And The Roman Administration Tacitian Studies, written by Tacitus, who was perhaps Rome's greatest historian, is based on a first hand view of the author and are stated to be unbiased in their approach. The only question which remains unanswered is the need for such a voluminous text. Well, the very next question which arises in the minds of just about any historian, with special regards to historians who are particularly influenced with the Roman Empire, is the authenticity of the published work. Who can vouch that the written material, mentioned in his so called 'historical memoirs', is based on true facts As it is, the account was written when Rome was being ruled by four of the greatest emperors of all times and this in turn was a great influence to trigger a bias for at least one of the emperors. Besides, the latter books, which are supposedly the storehouse of information, are missing and hence we cannot by any means try and fathom the exactness of what Tacitus wished to portray through his detailed studies. The well written thesis, which starts after the civil war, describes Augustus as a peace loving individual who managed to restore the lost peace and tranquility in an empire which was forever plagued in terror and atrocity. Likewise, the reign of Caesars has been described as filthy and full of vices. The administration has also been known to suffer and the deplorable state of the common masses has been wonderfully depicted in the following paragraph from the first book. (O'Gorman, 2006) In accordance to book1, chapter1, the introductory paragraph is in itself a bitter reminder of the fact that the author had a clear bias against the king, which with time, transformed into a fond liking as they became the emperors of Rome. Tacitus was particularly bias towards the senate and this was possibly owing to his alleged relationships with the emperors, whom he was known to have served as a humble and loyal servant. His devotion, often conceived as an open depiction of a clear favoritism towards the senate, is clearly visible in the opening lines of the first paragraph itself. "I myself knew nothing of Galba, of Otho, or of Vitellius, either from benefits or from injuries. I would not deny that my elevation was begun by Vespasian, augmented by Titus, and still further advanced by Domitian; but those who profess inviolable truthfulness must speak of all without partiality and without hatred. I have reserved as an employment for my old age, should my life be long enough, a subject at once more fruitful and less anxious in the reign of the Divine Nerva and the empire of Trajan, enjoying the rare happiness of times, when we may think what we please, and express what we think." (Church, 1995) (Tacitus, Woodman, & Martin, The Annals of Tacitus: books 1-6, 1996) And of course [] "I am entering on the history of a period rich in disasters, frightful in its wars, torn by civil strife, and even in peace full of horrors. Four emperors perished by the sword. There were three civil wars; there were more with foreign enemies; there were often wars that had both characters at once. There was success in the East, and disaster in the West. There were disturbances in Illyricum; Gaul wavered in its allegiance; Britain was thoroughly subdued and immediately abandoned; the tribes of the Suevi and the Sarmatae rose in concert against us; the Dacians had the glory of inflicting as well as suffering defeat; the armies of Parthia were all but set in motion by the cheat of a counterfeit Nero." (Church, 1995) (Tacitus, Woodman, & Martin, The Annals of Tacitus: books 1-6, 1996) Likewise, the country was in utter chaos. There was no rule or law to govern the state and the citizens, with special reference to the poor sections of the society, were left to suffer under the tyrannical rule of the excessively oppressive and egoistical rulers. Sacred sites were destroyed, markets looted on a regular bases, innocent people murdered for as little a crime as 'stealing a loaf of bread', women were subjected to 'animal like' treatment and were considered am object of desire, the richer got richer while the poor got poorer, anarchy reigned supreme and there was a lack of social set up. (Tacitus, Tacitus, & Jackson, 1970) The Contradictions The background of the annals of Tacitus is rather bleak and it explicitly highlights the plight of the Roman Emperors, all of whom were said to have been brutally murdered. While passion and ambiguities have been the highlight of his work, Tacitus seemingly never intended to showcase his work as an emotional outburst. Besides, he has depicted each social class as one which is full of defects and has not spared even a single individual from its wrath. He claims that each and every citizen was ambitious with the desire to hold power and was thus a storehouse of hypocrisy, contempt and jealousy. Vanity and cupidity have also been stated to be the governing forces behind the slacking morals and while most of his work is centered on failure of humanism, there are a few instances of paradoxical portraits as well. (Ginsburg, 1981)One such figure, as per the annals, happens to be Petronius. This contradictory character is blessed with a charming personality and unlike the other kings, he is depicted as a man possessed with the competence, bravery and self control of an ideal citizen and has the will to oppose the negativities in public administration. He was also showcased as a practical man who was opposed to the concept of 'Stoics suicides' and is said to have welcomed death with a smiling face. Although he was not intended to be a role model, Petronius is shown as a man of many qualities and an ideal suitor for the Roman administration. (Benario & Tacitus, 1983) The linguistic skills in the annals have been appreciated by all who cared to go through the entire text. Nonetheless, the question which still remains at large is why has the author tried to sound archaic and vitalized while trying to appear peregrine and solemn. A poetic style, with special reference to Virgil and the author's description of the characters with great ambiguity, raises many unanswered questions relating to the factual functioning of the Roman Empire and numerous historians as well as ordinary students, with no degree of immense repute, are often left wondering whether the prose, coupled with a few verses, is in reality a work of authenticity or just some blind imagination which has been influenced by group behavior or a preconceived notion, which in reality, never really existed. (O'Gorman, 2006) Conclusion The biggest question mark is the authenticity of the author himself. Well, who has given him the authority to describe the social as well as administrative life of the Roman Empire, with special significance to the four rulers, and what guarantee do the readers have in relation to the written material. I mean, how can they fathom whether the facts were not influenced by the author's bias or written and edited by a third part, of which the readers as well as the present generation has no clue. Besides, was the author a part of the administration or was he a close aide of the four kings whom he has described in such detail (Ross, 2007). As far as we know, the author was an ordinary human who lived and enjoyed his life like any other, nonetheless, it could be possible that the facts we have are not real and may have been a resultant of false Chinese whispers. Nonetheless, the overall depiction of the Roman administration, with special regards to the four glorious emperors, provides the minutest details of the day to day activities and The Annals Of Tacitus is therefore considered the greatest historically compiled thesis of all times. Works Cited Benario, H. W., & Tacitus, C. (1983). Tacitus Annals 11 and 12. University Press of America. Church, A. J. (1995, November 7). The Histories by Publius Cornelius Tacitus. Retrieved November 20, 2008, from Tacitus - HISTORIES: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/txt/ah/tacitus/TacitusHistory01.html Ginsburg, J. (1981). Tradition and Theme in the Annals of Tacitus. Los Angeles: Arno Press. McCulloch, H. Y. (1984). Narrative Cause in the Annals of Tacitus. Hain. O'Gorman, E. (2006). Irony and Misreading in the Annals of Tacitus . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Pliny, & Orrey, J. B. (1752). The Letters of Pliny the Younger: With Observations on Each Letter; and an Essay on Pliny's Life, Addressed to Charles Lord Boyle. James Bettenham. Ross, J. W. (2007). Tacitus and Bracciolini: The Annals Forged in the XVth Century. BiblioBazaar, LLC. Tacitus, C., & Barret, A. A. (2008). The Annals: The Reigns of Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. Oxford: Oxford Univ Press. Tacitus, C., Woodman, A. J., & Martin, R. H. (1996). The Annals of Tacitus: books 1-6. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Tacitus, P. C., Tacitus, C., & Jackson, J. (1970). The Annals: Books IV-VI, XI-XII. Heinemann. Read More