The Annals of Imperial Rome

TheAnnals of Imperial Rome offers a dramatic vision of imperial Rome during roughly the first half of the first century AD. Starting with the death of Augustus, Tacitus describes how the Julio-Claudian dynasty consolidated its grip upon the empire, only to end suddenly in AD 68 with the suicide of its last representative, the emperor Nero. Tacitus explores how increasingly decadent behavior by the emperors alienated the upper classes. He spares the reader no court intrigue, even while expressing his own scepticism about the accuracy of reports of scandals such as Nero’s incest with his mother. Tacitus also describes the impact of the dynasty upon Rome’s provincial subjects and its wars of expansion, including Claudius’ conquest of Britain and the subsequent revolt led by the British queen Boudicca.