Agricola and Germania

'You were fortunate indeed , Agricola, not only in your glorious life, but in your timely death' Agricola is both a portrait of Julius Agricola the most famous governor of Roman Britain and Tacitus' well-loved and respected father-in-law and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. It offers fascinating descriptions of the geography, climate and peoples of the country, and a succinct account of the early stages of the Roman occupation. The warlike Germanic tribes are the focus of Tacitus' attention in the Germania, which, like the Agricola, often compares the behaviour of 'barbarian' peoples favourably with the decadence and corruption of Imperial Rome. Harold Mattingly's translation, now revised and updated, brings Tacitus' extravagant imagination and incisive wit vividly to life. In a new introduction, J. B. Rives examines Tacitus' life and literary career, the political background to Rome's rapidly expanding empire and the complexities and themes of the two texts. This edition also includes notes, a chronology, suggested further reading, maps, notes and indexes. Translated by Harold Mattingly Revised with a new introduction and notes by J. B. Rives

Tacitus (c. 56-c. 120 AD) studied rhetoric in Rome and rose to eminence as a pleader at the Roman Bar.
Harold Mattingly (1884-1964) is the author of more than four hundred articles and books on the Roman world.
James B. Rives is the author of Religion and Authority in Roman Carthage and Religion in the Roman Empire.