Annals
by Tacitus · Annales
Assigned by 5 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 115-120
- Era
- Roman Empire
- Form
- History
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- Long · 450 pp300 to 700 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Annals of Imperial Rome, translated by Michael GrantPenguin Classics, 1996Fluent and long assigned; A. J. Woodman's Hackett translation is closer to the Latin for those who want it.
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Tacitus' history of the Julio-Claudian emperors from the death of Augustus in AD 14 to the last years of Nero, of which about two thirds survive. Books one to six cover Tiberius, the mutinies on the Rhine, the death of Germanicus and the rise and fall of Sejanus. The lost middle books covered Caligula and the beginning of Claudius. The surviving later books show Claudius ruled by his wives and freedmen, and Nero murdering his mother, the burning of Rome, the persecution of the Christians and the Pisonian conspiracy.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Annals are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
