Caius Cornelius Tacitus

Gaius Cornelius Tacitus (c. AD 56-117) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works--the Annals and the Histories--examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Caudius, Nero, and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69). His other writings discuss oratory, Germania, and the life of his father-in-law, Agricola, the Roman general responsible for much of the Roman conquest of Britain. Considered one of the greatest Roman historians, Tacitus lived in what has been called the Silver Age of Latin literature, and he is known for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power politics.