Annals Tacitus, Annals Tacitus - Content, Annals Tacitus - Style, Plato's <i>Republic</i>, Tacitean studies, <i>I, Claudius</i> and <i>Claudius the God</i> (These books by Robert Graves somehow fill the "gap" between Tiberius' and Nero's reign in the remaining manuscripts of Tacitus' <i>Annals</i>)
The Annals, or, in Latin, Annales, is a history book by Tacitus covering the reign of the 4 Roman Emperors succeeding to Caesar Augustus. The parts of the work that survived from antiquity cover (most of) the reigns of Tiberius and Nero.
The title Annals was probably not given by Tacitus, but derives from the fact that he treated this history in a year-by-year form. The (probably) original title was Ab excessu divi Augusti, "Following the death of the divine Augustus".
Annals Tacitus - ...
The Annals was Tacitus' final work, covering the period from the death of Augustus Caesar in the year 14. He wrote at least 16 books, but books 7-10 and parts of books 5, 6, 11 and 16 are missing. Book 6 ends with the death of Tiberius and books 7-12 presumably covered the reigns of Caligula and Claudius. The remaining books cover the reign of Nero, perhaps until his death in June 68 or until the end of that year, to connect with the Histories. The second half of book 16 is missing (ending with the events of the year 66). We do ...
In contrast to the Historiae, the style leaves behind rules and convention in favor of a strangeness that is achieved by the use of unusual forms, of an archaic and solemn lexicon. The Annales are less fluid than the Historiae. They are also more concise and severe. There is even more predilection for incongruity. The unharmonious verbal forms reflect the discordant events and the ambiguity of the characters' behaviour. There are many violent metaphors and audacious uses of personification. Poetic styles, especially that ...
