The Germany and the Agricola of Tacitus

Two short works, nearly two thousand years old, that still speak with startling freshness. In the Agricola, Tacitus honors his father-in-law, the Roman general who completed the conquest of Britain, weaving a moving portrait of integrity amid imperial tyranny. In the Germany, he turns his piercing gaze northward, describing the tribes beyond the Rhine with a mixture of curiosity, admiration, and unease — and holding a mirror up to Rome itself. This edition presents the complete, unabridged original text of both treatises, paired with a new introduction that situates them in their historical moment and reader's notes that illuminate names, places, and allusions along the way. Whether you come as a student of history, a lover of fine prose, or a curious traveler into the ancient north, you will find here some of the most vivid writing to survive from antiquity. Part of The Founding Texts Library.