- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; 1 edition (24 Feb 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140442413
- ISBN-13: 978-0140442410
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 1.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
173,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #29 in Books > Biography > Historical > Britain > Early British to Anglo-Saxon: BCE-1000 AD
- #54 in Books > Biography > Historical > BCE-500 AD
- #60 in Books > History > Essays, Journals, Letters & True Accounts > Classical, Early & Medieval
Agricola and Germania (Penguin Classics)
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Product Description
Product Description
The 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, nearly fatally undermined by Boudicca’s revolt in AD 61 but consolidated by campaigns that took Agricola as far as Anglesey and northern Scotland. The warlike German 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.
About the Author
Tacitus was born c.56AD. Known in Rome for his impressive oratory, he maintained a political career as a sentor under Vespasian, Titus and Domitian. H. Mattingley (1884-1964) is best known for his study of Roman coinage at the British Museum. S.A. Handford published several books on classical subjects, and translated Aesop's Fables for the Penguin Classics.
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THE Agricola of Tacitus, the biography of the most famous governor of Roman Britain, is part of our national story, and as such has a direct claim on our interest. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
THE Agricola of Tacitus, the biography of the most famous governor of Roman Britain, is part of our national story, and as such has a direct claim on our interest. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This volume is made up of two important works from the Roman empire. The first is a biography of Agricola, who was the most succesful Roman governor of the Britons and the second piece is an account of the Germanic race, both written by Tacitus, who was the son-in-law of Agricola.
'The Agricola' shines a light on the Britons and tells their story to the wider world for the first time. It is in this slim volumne that we learn of the tribes who resisted Roman invasion and we meet Calgacus, the first Caledonian to be recorded a place in history. The speech which Tacitus attributes to this warrior is one of the most poignant I have ever heard. On the eve of battle against the Roman legions, Tacitus places some wonderful words of liberty in his mouth. Of the might of Rome Calgacus says, "To robbery, butchery, and rapine, they give the lying name of government; they create a desolation and call it peace".
Why would Tacitus invent a speech which is so critical of the empire he represents? Perhaps he felt guilty because the Caledonians were not beaten in the battle as we have been led to believe. Perhaps the battle never even took place. Of the empire and those it enslaved, Tacitus is very honest. He speaks about how certain Britons embraced Roman life and its arcades and banquets and tells us that "the unsuspecting Britons spoke of such novelties as 'civilization', when in fact they were only a feature of their enslavement".
'The Germania' is an account of the characteristics and customs of the tribes which stretch from Denmark in the north west to Lithuania in the north east and right down to modern day Romania, so it is not limited to the tribes which make up modern Germany.
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Tacitus writes from the perspective of a Roman citizen, at a time when Rome ruled the known world. To a fan of Roman history, the book is a delight to read, with short, descriptive paragraphs.
The information given allows the reader to build a mental picture of Roman ruled Germany and Britian, with a strong Roman bias. History may have given us a more balanced picture of events, but this book is a true classic for all it represents.
The information given allows the reader to build a mental picture of Roman ruled Germany and Britian, with a strong Roman bias. History may have given us a more balanced picture of events, but this book is a true classic for all it represents.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
The Agricola is an excellent example of biography; the Germania a little bloodthirsty by modern standards
14 Oct 2008
Format:Paperback
The Germania is Tacitus's description of the tribes inhabiting Germania, the area to the north of the Roman empire including modern Germany but also several other areas. It is pretty unremarkable apart from his charming description of a battle between two of the tribes: "they even gratified us with the spectacle of a battle, in which above sixty thousand Germans were slain not by Roman arms, but, what was still grander, by mutual hostilities, as it were for our pleasure and entertainment". Lovely.
The Agricola is a far more civilised work, his biography of his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola, governor of Britannia and conqueror of Scotland. From a literary point of view it is remarkable for the stirring speech that Tacitus writes for Calgacus, one of the leaders of the northern tribes: "When I reflect on the causes of the war and the circumstances of our situation, I feel a strong persuasion that our united efforts on the present day will prove the beginning of universal liberty in Britain" - an opening that is often alluded to even in modern times. What is surprising is the frequent comparisons of life under the Roman empire to slavery, compared to the liberty of those not yet under Roman authority. Rome wasn't exactly reknowned for literary freedom and it's remarkable that he could get away with writing such sedition. Calgacus's speech also contains the even more commonly misquoted passage "To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert they call it peace". Sound like any modern imperial adventures? Agricola's own speech to his troops on the eve of battle is equally stirring, and no doubt equally fictitious. The brief biography ends with another stirring passage, Tacitus's own goodbye to the man whose funeral he could not himself attend - "If there be any habitation for the shades of the virtuous; if, as philosophers suppose, exalted souls do not perish with the body; may you repose in peace and call us, your household from vain regret and [feminine] lamentations, to the contemplation of your virtues, which allow no place for mourning or complaining. Let us rather adorn your memory by our short-lived praises and, as far as our natures permit, by an imitation of your example. This is truly to honour the dead; this is the piety of every near relation". Splendid stuff. Recommended for cutting and pasting at modern funerals.
The Germania is, despite its reputation, nothing special. That reputation is deserved more as a work of historical interest than enything else. The Agricola, however, is fine stuff, an excellent example of un-critical biography verging on hagiography, with some good old-fashioned haranguing thrown in. And it's free, even in translation. I read the Project Gutenberg edition.
The Agricola is a far more civilised work, his biography of his father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola, governor of Britannia and conqueror of Scotland. From a literary point of view it is remarkable for the stirring speech that Tacitus writes for Calgacus, one of the leaders of the northern tribes: "When I reflect on the causes of the war and the circumstances of our situation, I feel a strong persuasion that our united efforts on the present day will prove the beginning of universal liberty in Britain" - an opening that is often alluded to even in modern times. What is surprising is the frequent comparisons of life under the Roman empire to slavery, compared to the liberty of those not yet under Roman authority. Rome wasn't exactly reknowned for literary freedom and it's remarkable that he could get away with writing such sedition. Calgacus's speech also contains the even more commonly misquoted passage "To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert they call it peace". Sound like any modern imperial adventures? Agricola's own speech to his troops on the eve of battle is equally stirring, and no doubt equally fictitious. The brief biography ends with another stirring passage, Tacitus's own goodbye to the man whose funeral he could not himself attend - "If there be any habitation for the shades of the virtuous; if, as philosophers suppose, exalted souls do not perish with the body; may you repose in peace and call us, your household from vain regret and [feminine] lamentations, to the contemplation of your virtues, which allow no place for mourning or complaining. Let us rather adorn your memory by our short-lived praises and, as far as our natures permit, by an imitation of your example. This is truly to honour the dead; this is the piety of every near relation". Splendid stuff. Recommended for cutting and pasting at modern funerals.
The Germania is, despite its reputation, nothing special. That reputation is deserved more as a work of historical interest than enything else. The Agricola, however, is fine stuff, an excellent example of un-critical biography verging on hagiography, with some good old-fashioned haranguing thrown in. And it's free, even in translation. I read the Project Gutenberg edition.
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