The Annals & The Histories

Tacitus's *The Annals* and *The Histories* together constitute the most penetrating surviving account of Rome's early imperial age. *The Annals* traces the reigns from Tiberius through Nero, while *The Histories* examines the civil wars and political upheavals of 69 CE and the rise of the Flavian dynasty. Written in compressed, aphoristic prose marked by irony, dramatic characterization, and moral...