The Histories

Content Warning: This section includes descriptions of warfare and attacks against civilians; mentions of sexual violence, suicide, and enslavement; and an antisemitic description of Jewish history and culture.

Rhiannon Ash introduces The Histories. First, Ash explains that Publius Cornelius Tacitus is essential to studying imperial Roman history. Ash then gives a summary of Tacitus’s life, detailing his professional rise and his turn to historical writing later in his life. She theorizes that he waited until later in his life to write historical work because this was seen as the most prestigious genre of writing. It was thus to be tackled once he was sufficiently advanced. He wrote about the civil wars and tyranny of Domitian to warn his contemporary audience of the dangers if Nerva and Trajan did not secure the state.

Ash then moves on to discussing the nature of ancient historiography. Roman writers consciously continued the traditions of the Greeks, writing histories with a focus on investigating the cause of events. To express the thematic elements of their works, they would create speeches and put those speeches in the mouths of historical figures. Ancient readers respected creativity in historical writing, and further creative flourishes were often included.