Tacitus Archive
-
Primitive or Ideal? Gender and Ethnocentrism in Roman Accounts of Germany
Posted on January 30, 2013 | No CommentsWhen constructing the cultural geography of the world they lived in, the Romans often defined themselves, like the Greeks before them, in contrast to a cultural 'Other' or 'barbarian.' -
Boudica’s Speeches in Tacitus and Dio
Posted on December 10, 2012 | No CommentsSome recent scholarship has argued that ancient Roman historians inevitably cast foreigners as inferior and thereby justified Roman imperialism and colonialism. -
The Roman Family in the Annals of Tacitus: A Consideration of the Family of the Annals and Its Objective Validity
Posted on October 20, 2012 | No CommentsThe purpose of the thesis then is to set forth as clearly and as completely as possible the condition of the family of Rome between the years A.D. 18-68. the period with which the extant portion of the Annals deals. -
Can One Believe the Ancient Sources That Describe Messalina?
Posted on September 29, 2012 | No CommentsOne of the primary sources that discusses Messalina in the most depth is The Annals, by Tacitus. However, Tacitus?s account of Messalina is questionable in several ways. First, Tacitus seems to have distinct motives for writing about Messalina that call into question the accuracy of his depiction. -
Tiberius, Tacfarinas, and the Jews
Posted on September 29, 2012 | No CommentsDespite this relative wealth of sources, their combined evidence does not allow of a clear explanation as to why exactly Tiberius expelled the Jews from Rome in AD 19. Although they preserve broadly similar accounts of the circumstances surrounding this expulsion, they differ among themselves in several points of detail and interpretation. -
Divided We Fall: The Roots of the Great Jewish Revolt against Rome
Posted on September 16, 2012 | No CommentsThe major divide between the advocates and opponents of the war can be drawn along the line of class and religious belief. In general, it was the lower-class, faced with severe economic and religious oppression by -
The tribes of North Britain revisited
Posted on September 9, 2012 | No CommentsPtolemy's list of places in north Britain, arranged by tribe, may include both native sites and Roman forts. -
Romans and barbarians in Tacitus’ battle narratives
Posted on September 7, 2012 | No CommentsA careful analysis of all of his battle narratives in the Annales, Historiae, and the Agricola reveals that Tacitus is concerned with defining ethnic boundaries, or identities, namely those of the Romans and of the barbarians. -
Julio-Claudian empresses
Posted on August 27, 2012 | No CommentsThe social framework in which Romans lived has been reexamined in recent years. One important focus, the study of Roman women and family, has emerged.1 Indeed, social historians argue that the roles generally played by wives and mothers are crucial keys to our understanding their value in Roman society. -
Weavers of Fate: Symbolism in the Costume of Roman Women
Posted on March 11, 2012 | No CommentsWe examined not only artistic representations of Roman clothing, but also actual finds of shoes and woven garments. We consulted passages in classical authors which name or describe clothing or Roman attitudes towards clothing. We learned how wool, cotton, and linen were dyed, where these fibers were produced and what their economic importance for the provinces of the Empire was.
