Of what is now known as "History of Rome", the description of Tacitus is mostly adopted during the period from the first emperor Augustus to the time of the three emperors.
Tacitus's writings are the history of Rome as they are, and we know the history of Rome through Tacitus.
Senator Tacitus
Often we do not know the origin of Tacitus himself.
Especially regarding his birth, it is a complete mystery, and it seems that he is from Asia Minor. It is said that he was born not in the traditional Patrician class but in the second class, the Equites class.
As is often the case with his historians, Tacitus may not have been very interested in his own records.
It seems that he learned rhetoric in Rome from some time, and learned law and politics. He probably studied at a private school of a man named Marx Quintius, who married the daughter of Agricola, a leading Roman figure, in 77 or 78 AD and became a son-in-law.
His career began probably during the time of Emperor Vespasian, when he was elected Quaestor (Treasurer) in 1981 under Emperor Titos and took the Roman career course called Cursus Honorum in 1988. Was elected Praetor (legal officer) and secured his position.
In 1997, he was elected to the Auxiliary Consul and apparently experienced a consul position later in his term.
Historian Tacitus
Tacitus actually experienced from the reign of Claudius to the reign of Hadrian, and he wrote various books during the period of widespread freedom of speech.
Among them, he left behind numerous books such as "Germania" and "Chronicle" that appear in history textbooks, "Agricola" with his father-in-law as the main character, and "Contemporary History" that wrote from the emperor era to Domitian. ing.
Although a considerable part has been dissipated in modern times, it is considered to be a first-class material that describes the situation at that time, and it is said that the ideal is republican politics, and Emperor Trajan, who conducted politics under the leadership of the Senate. While the evaluation of Emperor Tiberius is high, the evaluation of Emperor Tiberius is very low.
The part of the time of Emperor Domitian that Tacitus actually experienced is also dissipated, but if there is a description of Tacitus, it may be understood a little more.
Tacitus's writings can be read even in modern Japan in the 21st century, and in modern times, it has been evaluated so much that no one disagrees with its reputation as the best historian of the ancient Roman Empire.