Agricola and Germania: Tacitus (Penguin Classics)

I absolutely loved these two works of Tacitus. It’s amazing to think you are actually reading first hand accounts of the very first encounters, discoveries and recorded histories of Britannia and Germania. Germania is the better work as Agricola is more of a biography or eulogy to Tacitus’ father-in-law and his governorship of Britannia and his conquest of Caledonia (modern day Scotland) etc. Agricola has a brief description of Britannia, while Germania is a full, detailed and in depth ethnography of all of Northern Europe. Tacitus describes the myriad of different tribes that inhabit modern day Holland to Germany, the Czech Republic, all the way to the Black Sea and all the way up to Sweden, Lapland and the Baltic states (although none of those modern day names are used). To reiterate, it’s truly awesome to get first hand accounts of the very first discoveries and recorded histories of Northern Europe. Definitely highly recommend this short book!

This is a great translation of a text that i had to read for a university seminar. It is clear and conicise. A great read also if you want to find out more about the Roman conquests in Britain as well as some of the people involved.

This is the 2009 edition of the original Penguin Classics edition and translation of 1948. The introduction and notes were completely rewritten by J B Rives for the 2009 edition. The introduction and notes are very helpful in explaining things that might be meaningless to a 20th century general reader interested in learning something about Roman history and Roman historical writing. In fact the notes must be approaching the length of the translation of the original text by Tacitus. The maps are clearer and more useful than the original maps of the 1948 edition. The book may not be of interest to the average reader of history, but is a good start for someone who is interested specifically in Historical writing of the Classical era. It deals with very specific topics in the 1st century AD relating to the Roman Empire.

Easy read classic

This is a set book for a course I am doing. It arrived promptly and, as atranslation if an historical and biographical text, it is interesting to me. With copious accompanying notes. Just the job.

Very interesting indeed. It gives us a valuable insight into the world of both Germanic tribes and The British peoples in first and second century AD. The book arrived in good time and the sevice was excellent.

Quick arrival, good product

For those intersted in what England and Germany were like in the times of the Romans this book is for you. I would have liked more Details but, what is available satisfied my curiosity to a Point. I found the introduction a bit Long, and the continual Need to follow the references and annotations in the back was a bit tedious. Worth a read though.

Nice print .. good standardized format some additional things are missing like maps and some pages are shortened but still a good read. Very good translation altho the german one is better

The Mattingly translation is an accessible way to read these ancient texts! The book itself is a paperback like described, and contains both Germania and Agricola by Tacitus, originally written in Latin and translated into English. 0 complaints, why not get this book and learn about European history?

Loved the notes in the back that offered deep insights into the main text. Should be required reading in high schools.

I really loved this revised book. Nearly the first half is written by J.B. Rives, who gives an elucidating breakdown of Rome, and creates an easy to read/understand narrative that frames the original works by Tacitus, perfectly. I truly felt engaged and like I was reading a story. His understanding of Tacitus, and his works, and the culture of the time was so enlightening, and really added depth to my comprehension. Plus, he gives a bibliography for other reads about the European tribal peoples of the time, which I really appreciated. By the time I got to through the introduction, I felt like I had a good basis and background for which to interpret the words of Tacitus. I bought this book because of what Tacitus writes about, but what I got was SO much more, thanks to the extra effort and work of J.B. Rives. Thank you so much.

Excelente cobertura y análisis de Tacito