The

by Cornelius Tacitus is a work of Latin narrative history covering Roman events from the years 14 to 68 ce, during which time the Julio-Claudian emperors Tiberius, Gaius (Caligula), Claudius, and Nero ruled Rome. It is our fullest and most important source for the events of this period, and its striking picture of tyranny and the political culture it creates have made the

a classic among political scientists as well as historians of ancient Rome. Like Tacitus’ earlier historiographical work the

, the

does not survive in full and cannot be dated with certainty, though a publication date of c. 120 is likely.

In the fifth century St. Jerome wrote that the historical works by Tacitus that we refer to as the Histories and Annals totaled thirty books. The

2338 words

Citation: Joseph, Timothy. "Annals". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 November 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=13473, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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