Tacitus Intentions In Agricola

This essay will attempt to explain the motives that have led to the rise and fall of the brothers Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus in the late second century B.C. Although very few sources remain of these accounts, which are based mainly on works of the historians Appian and Plutarch, the Gracchi have been the subject of study by several scholars. If on the one hand earlier historians tend to represent them as heroes and revolutionaries, on the other, more recent ones have regarded them as two controversial figures which were politically motivated by personal gains. They proposed and passed a series of legislations and the most controversial one is the agrarian law about the redistribution of the land. It can be argued that their motives have been certainly and thoroughly selfless for the good of the people of Rome in the specific period of history which spans from 133 B.C to 121 B.C. On the contrary, as it will be explained below, their methods have not always been ‘orthodox’. There could be three main areas that will help this essay to conclude if they were truly heroes of the people or political opportunists; the first is to evaluate what their true motives were, the second is to assess if there was an agrarian crisis and the third to establish who the beneficiaries of their legislations were. Overall, as all political figures, the Gracchi have to be taken in the context of the specific roman society of their time.

In the letter, Adams argued that Cicero would have shone “if he had, not been roused, kindled, and enflamed by the tyranny of Catiline, Verres and Mark Antony,” Adam proposes what Cicero could have been like if it didn’t not happen and she explains that everyone will face difficulties over time. All gone to France “I should have not urged you to accompany your father and brother when you appeared so averse to the voyage,” Adam explains why she didn’t mean for him to go with his father which shows that we would do anything for his family. Minds can be changed, but heroes “would otherwise lay dormant, wake into life and form the character of the hero and the statesman,” Adam compares her son to people who were great in the past to persuade her son to follow in people’s footsteps and become a great man as he ages.

Another clear point of difference between the two passages is their treatment of the deaths of Gaius Vibius Panse and Aulus Hirtius, the two consuls who Octavian was sent to fight with in Mutina. While Augustus relates that “both consuls had fallen in battle”, Tacitus plants a seed of doubt by saying “Soon both consuls had met their death by enemy action or perhaps in one case by deliberate poisoning of a wound and in the other at the hand of his own troops, instigated by Octavian”. The advantages (as well as te convenient coincidental nature) of the deaths of both of the consuls for Augustus are clear and while Augustus (obviously) stands by the belief that they died in battle – as historians have also come to believe due to the lack of evidence of any foul play – Tacitus voices the fears of many Roman citizens. However, in this case, it is Augustus’ claim which received more historical vailiduty, as lack of evidence can be evidence in itself; while Tacitus’ ideas towards the deaths of Pansa and Hirtius were mere speculation.

Tacitus’ motivations for writing The Annals are multifaceted. First, he was promoting the stance that the empire, despite its shortcomings, was necessary for the stability of Rome at the time. Secondly, he wanted to give an honest and fair account of Rome during the reigns of four emperors of the principate: Tiberius, Gaius, Claudius and Nero.

Ultimately the tone of each account is tremendously different; Suetonius is more concerned with its relation to history while Tacitus is intertwining his own spin on it by blaming the emperor for his unreliability and foolishness.

The Flames of Rome by Paul Maier is a documentary-fiction that has not only brought to life the evolution of Christianity in Rome but has also painted a clear picture of what it was like to live in Rome at the time. Understanding the Roman’s way of life and reasoning behind their actions plays a major role in the reasoning for Maier writing this book. The Flames of Rome is equivalent to reading a textbook but Maier makes it much more enjoyable and intriguing by adding plausible details of his own. Maier’s portrayal of the death of Claudius Caesar, in chapter nine of the novel, closely follows the primary sources of Tacitus and Suetonius but also loosely follows that of the secondary sources. It is important to compare Maier’s version to other

Tacitus’ Agricola, though it traverses a significant part of Rome’s conquest of Britain, is primarily about the man from whom the book takes it title. Tacitus used British conquest to show the reader Agricola’s many virtues, and he explained why Romans should strive to follow Agricola’s example. At the same time, however, Tacitus echoed Agricola’s virtues to Rome, which, before and during the writing of his book, endured several tyrannical emperors. Tacitus’ book, besides praising an individual, suggested hope for an improved future to many troubled Romans when the virtues of the empire had decayed, and freedom that they once loved had largely disappeared.

There are really only two ways that history can withstand the test of time; that is for stories to be passed down to each generation by speech, or for those stories to be written so they can be cemented in history for eternity. Much to all of what is known about Rome and the ancient world has been traveled down by great works of art and literature. More importantly, the feelings towards each one of these cultures is essentially a direct product of what is read. This only stresses the importance of Livy and Aeneas’ literary works about the pre-history of Rome.

In The Assassination of Julius Caesar, Michael Parenti highlights the many significant people and events that characterized the late Roman Republic. Specifically, he focuses on the time period between the election of Tiberius Grachus, to the rise of Augustus, the first emperor of Rome. In this account of history, Parenti presents the social, political, and economic aspects of the Roman culture from the perspective of the Roman commoner, or plebeian. Using this perspective, he also spends a great amount of time examining the causes and effects of the assassination of Julius Caesar. The views that Parenti presents in this book stand in sharp contrast with the views of many ancient and modern historians, and offer an interesting and enlightening perspective into class struggle in the society of the Roman republic.

In order to question and reassess Thrasymachus’ view of justice, in this essay, I will first bring up cases for Thrasymachus being accused of being contradictory and inconsistent in his view for justice. For the second part of the essay, I will provide a counterargument in order to prove Thrasymachus’ consistency followed by a discussion on Socrates’ own contradiction in regards to his account of the city.

The Agricola and Germani is a novel that serves two purposes: The Agricola is a eulogy praising Tacitus's father-in-law, and commander of Britian, Agricola. The Germania is an ethnography on German people. Both stories are told through the eyes of Tacitus as he indirectly criticizes Roman politics and society. His reason for snaking in these criticisms in such a crafty manner had been due to his friendship with high ranking Roman officials whom he did not want to upset. His criticisms were derived from his experiences with Agricola, speeches given by Calgucus, and his ability to compare and contrast cultural differences of Rome and Germania, targeting

One way in which Cicero successfully uses epideictic rhetoric is by acknowledging the power and intelligence of his audience. He praises their education, well-roundedness, and civility by saying, “dicentem hoc concurs hominum litteratissimorum, hac vestra humanitate, hoc denique praetore exercente iudicium” (Cicero, lines 31-33). The use of the superlative in “litteratissimorum” when describing his “most cultured” audience emphasizes his feelings of respect and admiration for his peers. Similarly, he also uses this same construction describing Archias a few seconds before, calling him an “eruditissimo homine” (Cicero, line 31). This mirroring of flattering superlatives for both Archias and the jurors illustrates Cicero’s admiration for his audience, his defendant, and for the liberal arts as he emphasizes the importance of an educated

This essay investigates the role of religion and the importance of Roman society and politics. It will show the origin of Roman Religion, such as the pantheon, origin myths and the effect of foreign influence on Rome. This paper will also go into immense study of how religion affected Roman society through the likes of cult worship and domestic religion. It will also show the importance of politics on Roman religion, such as, the Imperial Cult, Vestal Virgins but more or less will also expose the persecution of Christians that were in opposition to Roman paganism.

Intro – Begin by talking about how people often see Aeneid by Virgil as focusing on the events surrounding the Trojan war, but an equally important part of the story is the prevalent theme of duty. For instance, if one looks at Aeneas one can see his devotion towards caring for his people, and his persistence to follow his duty. Because of the emphasize that Virgil places on Aeneas devotion to his people and his duty to obey the gods, one can begin to theorize that Virgil believed duty was the most important quality a man could possess. Thesis: Often times, the Aeneid carries the reputation as a book centering around the founding of Rome, however, without the constant reminder of duty, one cannot fully view Virgil’s story as he intended.

Galinsky adds a new dynamic to the telling of Augustus’ life with his interpretation and depiction of the leadership and the progress made at the time. He is attempting to show the reader a more rounded picture of the life of this young emperor. The strict structure of the overall book is great in reminding the reader that this is a recount of historical events. This along with the inset boxes may at times dry out the entertaining aspects of the story being told. That being said this book is well put together and unlike the average historical text has foudn a way to keep audiences engaged while keeping structure, and fact in unison.