The Germany and the Agricola of Tacitus by Cornelius Tacitus

Two short works, nearly two thousand years old, that still speak with startling freshness. In the Agricola, Tacitus honors his father-in-law, the Roman general who completed the conquest of Britain, weaving a moving portrait of integrity amid imperial tyranny. In the Germany, he turns his piercing gaze northward, describing the tribes beyond the Rhine with a mixture of curiosity, admiration, and unease — and holding a mirror up to Rome itself. This edition presents the complete, unabridged original text of both treatises, paired with a new introduction that situates them in their historical moment and reader's notes that illuminate names, places, and allusions along the way. Whether you come as a student of history, a lover of fine prose, or a curious traveler into the ancient north, you will find here some of the most vivid writing to survive from antiquity. Part of The Founding Texts Library.