The Annals

Translated by Alfred J. Church. This edition is NOT a "mass market printing" but a high-quality edition printed on white paper. The Annals is without question one of the most important sources of early Roman history, written by a serving Roman senator who had access to the official senate records from AD 14-68. As a result, it provides one of the most complete records of Roman politics, foreign policy, domestic issues from AD 14-68. This record starts with the death of the emperor Augustus, the feats of famous General Germanicus, and the reigns of emperors Claudius and Nero. Topics covered in this fast-paced work include the mutinies in Pannonia and Germany; the activities of Germanicus and Agrippina; the epic battle between Arminius (Hermann) and Varus in the forests of Germany; Tacfarinas and the African wars; the uprising in Britannia under Caractacus and his eventual defeat, capture, and pardon; the revolt in Britain under Boudica; the great fire of Rome and Nero's blaming of the Christians for the city's destruction; the Parthian War, and many more of history's great turning points. In internal matters, the Annals provide details of the nature of Roman society: the huge number of slaves (and slave uprisings), the censor Claudius and his introduction of new letters for the alphabet, the purpose of history, the origin of writing, Gauls as Roman magistrates and senators, Claudius's speech on the extension of Roman citizenship, ineffectual Senate decrees demanding the expulsion of astrologers from Rome, and even a mock naval battle, with real blood, on the Fucine Lake. The Annals originally comprised at least 16 books, but books 7-10 and parts of books 5, 6, 11 and 16 have been lost. This edition contains all the original paragraph numbering and is thus suitable for recreational and academic purposes alike. About the author: Publius Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 56¿117 AD) was a Roman senator and is widely regarded as Rome's greatest and most reliable historian.