Annals

One of the greatest accounts of ancient Rome, Tacitus's "Annals" recounts the major historical events from the years shortly before the death of Augustus to the death of Nero in A.D. 68. With clarity and vivid intensity, Tacitus describes the reign of terror under Tiberius, the great fire of Rome under Nero, and the wars, poisonings, scandals, conspiracies, and murders of imperial life. His account is sharply critical of the emperors' excesses and fearful for the future of Rome, while filled with a longing for its past glories.