This discussion features Eric Adler, a Professor and Chair of Classics at the University of Maryland, who delves into the life and works of the Roman historian Tacitus. They examine Tacitus's unique style, his critical perspectives on emperors, and the complexity of his narratives, particularly in 'Agricola.' The conversation highlights themes of resistance and power dynamics within the Roman Empire, alongside Tacitus's nuanced views on culture and assimilation, drawing parallels with modern issues of authoritarianism. Adler's insights shed light on why Tacitus remains a pivotal figure in historiography.
00:00
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
menu_book Books
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
insights INSIGHT
Tacitus' Background and Works
Tacitus was a Roman senator and historian with a likely provincial origin, not an old Roman patrician.
He wrote complex works blending history, biography, and oration under the Roman Empire.
insights INSIGHT
Tacitean Latin Style
Tacitus has a unique, cryptic Latin prose style, different from Cicero's flowing style.
His writing is considered the hardest Latin prose, serving as a gold standard for Latin proficiency.
insights INSIGHT
Cryptic Style as Political Critique
Tacitus may have used cryptic prose deliberately to express veiled criticism of the Roman Empire.
His style reflects the difficulty of discerning true political realities under imperial secrecy.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
How a 19th Century Debate Can Save the Humanities Today
Eric Adler
Histories
Herodotus
The Histories by Herodotus is a foundational work in Western historical literature. It chronicles the Greco-Persian Wars (499–479 BCE) and provides a comprehensive background on the rise and organization of the Persian Empire. The work is divided into nine books, each named after one of the Muses. Herodotus describes the conflicts between the Greeks and Persians, including key battles such as Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Plataea, and Mycale. He also delves into the cultural, ethnographical, geographical, and historiographical aspects of the civilizations involved, offering a rich tapestry of historical and mythological narratives. Despite some criticisms for including legendary accounts, much of Herodotus's work has been validated by modern historians and archaeologists[1][2][3].
Agricola
P. Cornelius Tacitus
The 'Agricola' is a biographical work written by Tacitus around 98 AD, honoring his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola. The book details Agricola's life, his military campaigns in Britain, and his governance of the province. It also serves as a critique of Roman imperial policies and a manual on good leadership and counterinsurgency strategies. Tacitus describes Agricola's military successes, his approach to governance, and the cultural and political context of Roman Britain. The work includes notable speeches, such as that of the Scottish rebel Calgacus, and reflects on the themes of power, governance, and morality within the Roman Empire[2][4][5].
Sometime in the 800s, an anonymous monk in the abbey of Fulda–now in modern Germany–copied out a Latin history in one of the great inventions of the age, the handwriting known as Carolingian miniscule, which is more or less they system that we use today to print the English alphabet. Thanks to that monk, today we have the first part of the Annals of P. Cornelius Tacitus, arguably the greatest surviving history of imperial Rome.
But who was Tacitus? Why is he important? How could such an opinionated historian proclaim that he was writing without “anger and partiality”? Was he a champion of Roman liberty, or simply a grumpy aristocrat?
With me to discuss Tacitus is Dr. Eric Adler, Professor and Chair of Classics at the University of Maryland. His scholarly interests include Roman historiography, Latin prose, the history of classical scholarship, and the history of the humanities. This is his second time on the podcast. His last appearance was in Episode 195, which dropped on January 20, 2021, in which we discussed his then third book, The Battle for the Classics: How a Nineteenth-Century Debate Can Save the Humanities Today.
For Further Investigation
Eric Adler recommends "some scholarship" on Tacitus's Agricola:
Clarke, Katherine. 2001. “An Island Nation: Re-Reading Tacitus’ Agricola.” Journal of Roman Studies 91: 94-112.
Liebeschuetz, W. 1966. “The Theme of Liberty in the Agricola of Tacitus.” Classical Quarterly n.s. 16.1: 126-139.
Momigliano, Arnaldo. 2012 (1990). “Tacitus and the Tacitean Tradition.”In Tacitus, edited by Rhiannon Ash. 411-433. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sailor, Dylan. 2004. “Becoming Tacitus: Significance and Inconsequentiality in the Prologue of Agricola.” Classical Antiquity 23.1: 139-177.
Syme, Ronald. 1958. Tacitus, vols. 1-2. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Historically Thinking 
