This collection of seminal and lively articles on the Roman historian of the early empire, Tacitus, is written by a wide range of established experts in the field. Tacitus is best known for his extraordinary historical narratives on the Roman emperors from Tiberius to Nero and the civil wars which followed the death of Nero in AD 68. The articles are designed to reflect the main trends in scholarship on Tacitus, particularly as they have developed over the last century, and to situate this Roman author in his literary and historical context.

Beginning with a comprehensive introduction, Ash sets the selected scholarship in context and discusses the history of modern critical responses to Tacitus. Covering the whole of Tacitus' works (the Agricola, Germania, Dialogus, as well as the historical narratives, the Histories and the Annals), this volume also includes articles published in English for the very first time.