Originally published on May 28, 2025 (Episode 409)
Introduction
Sometime in the 800s, an anonymous monk in the abbey of Fulda—now in modern Germany—copied out a Latin history. Thanks to that monk, 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 first was when we discussed his book The Battle for the Classics: How a Nineteenth-Century Debate Can Save the Humanities Today (Oxford University Press, 2020).
About the Guest
Eric Adler is Professor and Chair of Classics at the University of Maryland. He specializes in Roman historiography, Latin prose, and the history of the humanities.
For Further Investigation
Related Episodes
Eric Adler on The Battle for the Classics
Adrian Goldsworthy on Julius Caesar as historian
Rory Naismith on Bede, another historian who defined a tradition
Suzanne Marchand on Leopold von Ranke and the origins of modern history
Suggested Reading
Eric Adler recommends the following scholarship on Tacitus’s Agricola. I’m not giving you links. If you want to read most of the following you probably already know where to search for these:
Clarke, Katherine. “An Island Nation: Re-Reading Tacitus’ Agricola.” Journal of Roman Studies 91 (2001): 94–112.
Liebeschuetz, W. “The Theme of Liberty in the Agricola of Tacitus.” Classical Quarterly n.s. 16.1 (1966): 126–139.
Momigliano, Arnaldo. “Tacitus and the Tacitean Tradition.” In Tacitus, edited by Rhiannon Ash. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012 (orig. 1990), pp. 411–433.
Sailor, Dylan. “Becoming Tacitus: Significance and Inconsequentiality in the Prologue of Agricola.” Classical Antiquity 23.1 (2004): 139–177.
Syme, Ronald. Tacitus, vols. 1–2. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1958.
Listen & Discuss
Tacitus claimed to write without “anger or partiality”—do you believe him? Why might his work remain so influential, even in modern times? Share this episode with someone who loves history, and see if they think Tacitus was Rome’s greatest historian.
