P. Cornelius Tacitus (c. 56 – c. 120? CE) is best known for writing, in Latin, narrative histories of first-century CE Rome. His work is our most important source for much of that era, and its dark tones and cynical outlook have defined our impression of elite life under the emperors.
Born perhaps in southern Gaul or northern Italy, he enjoyed a very successful career as a politician and orator under the Flavian dynasty (69-96 CE) and under the emperors Nerva (96-98 CE), Trajan (98-117 CE), and perhaps Hadrian (117-138 CE). By 75 CE, Tacitus was in Rome, and in c. 76 CE he married the daughter of the general Gnaeus Julius Agricola; around this time he will also have held his first political appointment, on the “Board of Ten for Civil Cases”. Around 82 or so, he was a quaestor
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Citation: Sailor, Dylan. "Cornelius Tacitus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 March 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=4305, accessed 25 November 2024.]
