Publius Cornelius Tacitus, whose photo of the statue is presented in the article, lived in the period approximately from the mid-50s to the 120s. He is one of the most famous personalities of Ancient Rome.
Cornelius Tacitus: biography
In his younger years, he combined his service as a court speaker and political activities. Subsequently, Cornelius Tacitus became a senator. By 97 he had become consul of the highest magistracy. Rising to the heights of the political Olympus, Cornelius Tacitus observed the servility of the Senate and the arbitrariness of the imperial power. After the assassination of Domitian, the Antonine dynasty took the throne. It was this period that was the first on which Cornelius Tacitus began to express his opinion. The works he planned to create had to truthfully reflect what was happening. To do this, he had to carefully study the sources. He sought to create a complete and accurate picture of events. He processed and reproduced all the accumulated material in his own manner. Spectacular language, an abundance of polished phrases are the main principles used by Cornelius Tacitus. The author focused on the best examples of Latin literature. Among them were the books of Titus Livius, Cicero, Sallust.
Information from sources
The first name I hadhistorian Cornelius Tacitus, is not known for certain. Contemporaries called him by nomen or cognomen. In the 5th century, Sidonius Apollinaris referred to him under the name Gaius. However, the medieval manuscripts of Tacitus himself are signed with the name of Publius. The latter was preserved for him later. The date of birth of Tacitus is also unknown. His birth is attributed to the 50s on the basis of the sequence in the master's studies. Most researchers agree that Cornelius Tacitus was born between 55 and 58 years. The place of his birth is also not exactly known. There is evidence that he was absent from Rome several times. One of them was connected with the death of his father-in-law Agricola, whose life would later be described in one of his works.
Cornelius Tacitus: photo, origin
It is believed that his ancestors were from southern France or Italy. The cognomen "Tacitus" was used in the formation of Latin names. It comes from the word, which in translation means "to be quiet", "to be silent". Most often, the cognomen "Tacitus" was used in Narbonne and Cisalpine Gaul. From this, the researchers conclude about the Celtic roots of the family.
Training
Cornelius Tacitus, whose works would later become widely known throughout ancient Rome, received a very good education. Presumably, the teacher of rhetoric was first Quintilian, and then Julius Sekund and Mark Apr. Apparently, no one taught him philosophy, since he subsequently rather restrainedlyapplied to it and to thinkers in general. Cornelius Tacitus achieved great success in public speaking. This is evidenced by the words of Pliny the Younger.
Caesar's Candidate
In 76-77, Cornelius Tacitus married the daughter of Gnaeus Julius Agricola. At the same time, his career began to actively develop. In his notes, Tacitus admitted that three emperors contributed to the rapid success: Domitian, Titus and Vespasian. In political language, this means that he was included in the lists of the praetor, quaestor and senate. Usually the latter included magistrates from the quaestor or tribune. Tacitus was included in the list ahead of schedule. This testified to the special confidence of the emperor. So Tacitus got on the list of "Caesar's candidates" - people who were recommended for office and approved by the Senate, regardless of ability and merit.
Consulate
In 96 Domitian was overthrown. Instead, Nerva became emperor. From the sources it is not entirely clear which of them formed and approved the lists of the consulate. Presumably, the compiler was Domitian. The final approval was already carried out by Nerva. One way or another, in 97, Cornelius Tacitus received the post of suffect consul. For him, it was the pinnacle of his fairly successful career. During the period of the consulship, Tacitus became a witness and a direct participant in attempts to suppress the revolt of the Praetorians. Around the year 100, with Pliny the Younger, he de alt with the case of African provincials who opposed Marius Prisca, a consul known for abuse.
Last years of life
From sources found in Milasi at the end of the 19th century, it is known about the proconsulship of Cornelius Tacitus in Asia in 112-113. His position and name were recorded in the inscription. The province was of particular importance to Rome. Emperors sent only trusted people to it. At the same time, the appointment of Cornelius Tacitus was especially responsible. The importance was associated with Trajan's planned campaign against Parthia. Throughout his life, Tacitus was friendly with Pliny the Younger. The latter was considered the most famous Roman intellectual of the late 1st century. Unfortunately, the exact date of Tacitus' death is unknown. Based on his efforts to document the reigns of Trajan, Nerva, and Octavian Augustus, but failed, researchers conclude that he died some time after the publication of the Annals. But there are no mentions of Tacitus in Suetonius either. This may indicate death around the year 120 or even later.
Literature Dr. Rome
By the end of the 1st century, quite a lot of writings were written in the empire, which illustrated its development. They contained evidence of the founding of Rome, the past of the provinces, a significant part of which were once independent states. There were also detailed works about wars. At that time, history was equated with a kind of oratory. This was due to the fact that in Greece and Rome of the ancient period, any compositions, as a rule, were read out and, accordingly, were perceived by people by ear. Historywas considered honorary. Emperor Claudius had several works. Contemporaries of Tacitus left their autobiographical works. Among them were Adrian and Vespasian. Trajan witnessed the events of the Dacian campaign.
Problems of antiquity
However, generally speaking, historiography was in decline at the time of Tacitus. First of all, this was the fault of the establishment of the principate. Because of him, historians are divided into two categories. The first supported the empire. They tried not to record the events that took place in recent decades. The authors usually limited themselves to describing individual episodes, very recent phenomena, and glorified the current emperor. At the same time, they adhered to the official versions of what was happening. The other category was the opposition. Accordingly, they carried completely opposite ideas in their writings. This was very alarming for the authorities. Authors who described contemporary events had difficulty finding sources. The fact is that many of the eyewitnesses kept strict silence, were killed or expelled from the empire. All documents confirming conspiracies, coups, intrigues were at the court of the ruler. A very limited circle of people had access there. Few of them dared to give out secrets. And if there were such people, they asked a high price for information.
Censorship
In addition, the ruling elite began to understand that the authors, fixing past events, invariably draw a parallel with modern realities. Accordingly, they expressed their own opinion about what was happening. In this regard, the imperial court introduced censorship. Tacitus, who described the tragic events associated with Cremucius Kord, was well informed about this. The latter committed suicide, and all his writings were put on fire. Everything that Cornelius Tacitus wrote testifies to the reprisals against the oppositional thinkers of our time. For example, in his writings, he mentions Herennius Senecion and Arulen Rusticus, who were executed. In his Dialogue on the Speaker, the author voices the opinion, widespread at that time, that publications that the ruling power can interpret as an attack against it are undesirable. Active pressure began on potential writers for their desire to reveal the secrets of court life and the activities of the senate. For example, Pliny the Younger testifies that Tacitus, who was reading his work, was interrupted by the friends of "one person." They begged not to continue, because they believed that information might be revealed that could negatively affect the reputation of their acquaintance. The writing of stories thus began to be accompanied by various complexities. That is why relatively neutral writings did not appear by the end of the 1st century. It was Tacitus who undertook to write such works.
Review of essays
What did Cornelius Tacitus write? Presumably, the idea of creating an essay about the recent past came to him some time after the death of Domitian. Nevertheless, Tacitus began with small works. He first created a biography of Agricola (his father-in-law). In her, inamong other things, Tacitus collected many ethnographic and geographical details about the life of the British peoples. In the introduction to the work, he characterizes the period of Domitian's reign. In particular, Tacitus speaks of it as the time that was taken by the emperor from the Romans. The same preface indicates the intention to present a comprehensive essay. Subsequently, in a separate work "Germany" Tacitus describes the northern neighbors of the empire. It is worth noting that these first two works echo the general idea of his later works. Having finished "Agricola" and "Germany", Tacitus began a large-scale work on the events of 68-96. In the process of its creation, he published the Dialogue on Speakers. At the end of his life, Tacitus began the creation of the Annals. In them, he wanted to describe the events of 14-68 years.
Conclusion
Cornelius Tacitus had the brightest writing talent. In his writings, he did not use hackneyed clichés. Honing his skills with each new work, Tacitus became the greatest chronicler of his time. This is largely due to the fact that he conducted a deep analysis of the sources he used. Moreover, in his writings, he sought to reveal the psychology of the characters. The works of Tacitus in modern times gained immense popularity in European countries. Despite the imposed censorship and pressure, he was able to create the greatest works. The works of Tacitus had a huge impact on the development of political thought in European countries.
