Most of the historical works written by the Romans disappeared long ago. But while other books were lost, Tacitus' works were often copied, studied and preserved. Can you guess why this might be so? Please read the first few paragraphs of Tacitus' Histories, and see if you can find a line or two that explains the appeal of Tacitus and his approach to history.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Selections from Tacitus (Extra Credit)
Most of the historical works written by the Romans disappeared long ago. But while other books were lost, Tacitus' works were often copied, studied and preserved. Can you guess why this might be so? Please read the first few paragraphs of Tacitus' Histories, and see if you can find a line or two that explains the appeal of Tacitus and his approach to history.
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"But while we instinctively shrink from a writer's adulation, we lend a ready ear to detraction and spite, because flattery involves the shameful imputation of servility, whereas malignity wears the false appearance of honesty."
I think Tacitus hits the nail on the head with this statement. We too often assume that for a writer to flatter a subject, he must be doing them some service, and perhaps receiving something in return. For certain, he is seen as less reliable if all he does is praise the subject of his works. However, if he is condemning him & potentially risking himself by upsetting someone in power who can choose to strike back.
Tacitus is smart enough to realize and flat out state this, using it as his rational for a balanced history.
"I am entering on the history of a period rich in disasters, frightful in its wars, torn by civil strife, and even in peace full of horrors. Four emperors perished by the sword. There were three civil wars; there were more with foreign enemies; there were often wars that had both characters at once. There was success in the East, and disaster in the West. There were disturbances in Illyricum; Gaul wavered in its allegiance; Britain was thoroughly subdued and immediately abandoned; the tribes of the Suevi and the Sarmatae rose in concert against us; the Dacians had the glory of inflicting as well as suffering defeat; the armies of Parthia were all but set in motion by the cheat of a counterfeit Nero."
I picked this line because it is a very colorful in wording, and in rhythm, and it is a very good synopsis of what happened. It seems like Tacitus was good at appealing to a wide array of people with his wording as well as being able to get to the point and not having a whole bunch of excess flak that slows down the overall feel of the piece. Instead of making it feel like boring ol' history it makes it have an epic feel almost, and when people feel something is grandoise in importance they want to copy it down and study to see if they can make their works have the same feel.
"Yet great was the joy to think that the men whom Nero had enriched would be as poor as those whom he had robbed."
Nero was known to choose the men that he personally liked for gaining the riches of Rome and being the upper class. It did not matter how intelligent they were. They could be idiots, but still be rich if Nero liked him. Knowing the way Nero was the rich men were most likely Pagans and the ones that he hated were most likely Christians.
After the fall of Nero as the emperor of Rome that would change. Many of the rich men that were favored by Nero were persecuted by the Romans just because they were supporters of Nero. Some people who lost their estates to Nero regained them once Nero lost his power. Alex Mason
"Besides the manifold vicissitudes of human affairs, there were prodigies in heaven and earth, the warning voices of the thunder, and other intimations of the future, auspicious or gloomy, doubtful or not to be mistaken. Never surely did more terrible calamities of the Roman People, or evidence more conclusive, prove that the Gods take no thought for our happiness, but only for our punishment."
These statements are evidence of just how the Roman people really felt about their current situation. They truly felt that they were being punished by the gods. They were facins invasion, rebellions, civil wars, and some emperors weren't even making it one year on the throne. This belief that they were in the gods disfavor was what led to their prosecution of christians.
"Besides the manifold vicissitudes of human affairs, there were prodigies in heaven and earth, the warning voices of the thunder, and other imitations of the future,auspicious or gloomy, doubtful or not to be mistaken.Never surely did more terrible calamaties of the Roman people, or evidence more conclusive, prove that the gods take no thouhgt for our happiness, but only for our punishment."
These statements almost completely show how many Romans truley felt. These people believed that the gods were truly angry at them and were punishing them in horrible ways. Civil wars, rebellions, and emperors that sometimes weren't surviving a year on the throne were signs of the gods dsifavor. It was this belief that led to the prosecution of the christians.
I am entering on the history of a period rich in disasters, frightful in its wars, torn by civil strife, and even in peace full of horrors. Four emperors perished by the sword. There were three civil wars; there were more with foreign enemies; there were often wars that had both characters at once.
This personifies why Tactius was a popular writer of the time and why he is remembered, he chronicled the down fall of people. If you look what people read today it is mostly of how celebrities and athletes are screwing up and making mistakes. The emperors and senators were the celebrities of that time so it makes sense that they were the subjects of his writings because he was a gossip. But his gossip was of the men who dominated the most remembered time/era/empire in the history of the world at a time where it was relitivly hard to be remembered so he stands the test of time.
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