Divided into sixteen books, some of which were partially or entirely lost over time, the Annals narrate sequentially the various events and deeds of two rulers of the Roman Empire. Long considered a valuable source, the Annals provide insight into the workings of the Roman Empire and how its Emperors interacted with the democratically elected Senate and other arms of the bureaucracy.

Modern scholars of antiquity hold the belief that Tacitus, as a serving Roman Senator, had access to the Acta Senatus – a record of lawmaking procedures – as a source for this work. As such, the reliability of the Annals is generally thought strong compared against other, more corrupted histories of the Roman Empire.

A digitized 1906 edition is available for free at Archive.org.

Category: Origins of Christianity

Subjects: history, politcal history, Roman history