Undeniably one of Rome's most important historians, Tacitus was also one of its most gifted. Ideal for college students, this newly revised edition of two seminal works on Imperial Rome is now available.

In this volume, eminent scholar and translator Herbert W. Benario provides faithful, readable translations of three short works of Tacitus: Agricola—the fullest ancient account of Rome's conquest of Britain and of the public career of a senator in the service of a Roman emperor—Germany, a valuable source on the ancient land and its people, and Dialogue on Orators, an examination in the tradition of Cicero's rhetorical essays of the decline of oratory in Rome's early empire. Together, these works illuminate an important phase in Tacitus' development as Rome's foremost historian. Introductory essays, chapter summaries, notes, a bibliography, maps, and an index are included.

Ancient Roman senator and historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus is known throughout Western history as one of the greatest historical writers of the Silver Age of Latin literature. He lived during the first century AD and was the son of a wealthy aristocratic family. Not much is known about his personal life; however, it is clear that both Tacitus and Pliny the Elder were acquaintances and even possibly childhood friends, though there is no substantial evidence to support this. Tacitus studied rhetoric in order to create a career in law and politics. He steadily rose throughout the ranks due to his strong speaking style and oration skills. However, his language skills did not stop with verbal speeches. He was also an accomplished writer who focused on the history of the Roman Empire. He created five works, "The Annals," "The Histories," "The Agricola," "The Germania," and "A Dialogue on Oratory." His works delve deep into the facts as he knew them, rarely ever embellishing history to create a story. He also stayed true to chronological order and laid history out in visible steps. It is also notable that Tacitus knew that his fellow politicians were corrupt; he believed that they gave up their strong voice in order to please a usually corrupt emperor. These five great works are brought together in this collection of "The Complete Works of Tacitus."