HAI Publius Cornelius Tacitus

(OK.58-OK.117)

Tacitus was born in the base things of the family in Narbonne, Gaul tion and received a traditional education for the environment. His outstanding ability and hard work enabled him already in his youth to become a famous orator. 'fame Tacitus was already in bloom'.

Marriage to the daughter of a famous military leader Julia Agricola accelerated and political career of Tacitus, as well as introduced him to the senators class. Tacitus was the first quaestor in 97 g. - Consul, and in 112-113 years. - Proconsul of the province of Asia. As a member of 'board of fifteen men', managed the cults of foreign origin, he held the position of priestly life.

. The literary heritage of Tacitus is great: it has a 'small' works ( 'Julius Agri-Cola', 'Dialogue on the orators', 'On the Origin of the Germans and the whereabouts of Germany') and the product of 'significant' - 'History' and 'Annals'
. Portrait of a historical figure in the 'Agricole' and the image of the people in 'Germany' had not yet emerged, in terms of ancient history, beyond the 'oratorical exercises'. But in 'Agricole' already contains a brief, significant expressive sketches domitsianovskogo terror and helpless submission to the Senate. 18 я?п?пҐя?я?п?я€я? 96 g. Domitian was murdered. In Rome, the coup was met with jubilation, it was marked 'recovery of trampled freedom'. But hopes were justified: the political situation in Rome had changed little. Apparently, this explains the pessimism of all subsequent tatsitovskih creations. Like his great predecessors, Thucydides and Polybius, Tacitus is trying to 'Stories' and 'Annals' to identify a causal connection between events of Roman history. In the 'Dialogue of the orators' he convincingly explains the reasons for the decline of oratory in Rome. 'The great eloquence of a pet willfulness, which fools called freedom, satellite perturbations, instigator of unrestrained people. When public issues were resolved the national assembly, where the trials were often political in nature, eloquence was an important engine of social life, is a general interest, stimulated talents. In the Empire's eloquence can not play the former role. Now that the government resolve the matter 'the wisest and one' when a crime so rare and mercy of the ruler makes unnecessary functions defender, while the great eloquence gone '(kn. 1,. 41). So already in the early works of Tacitus was born the famous 'tatsitovsky style', whose merit lay not only in the perfection of literary exposition, but also the ability to bypass the 'controversial subjects' through allegory, irony, poetic metaphors.

. The true development of this method receives the two major works of the historian - 'Annals' and 'Stories', in the aggregate representing the history of Rome since the death of Octavian Augustus (14) before the murder of Domitian (96)
. They are compositionally very similar and even in ancient times were considered as a single composition. In skill Tacitus harmoniously art writer and historian, and his descriptions of the era of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero are authentic masterpieces. Like many thinkers of antiquity, Tacitus, the enemy of tyranny, hatred of tyranny pervades all his works. The historian, according to Tacitus, to dispassionately describe good deeds and deeds of crime and a shame that the reader has chosen for himself examples and role models, and to censure. The main condition for the success of the historical writings, considered Tacitus, is a vivid, fascinating picture of events of political and military history of the Roman Empire. Paying tribute to the traditions, many of the causes of defeats and victories, the killing of tyrants and the atrocities of the Romans in the provinces, he explains the influence of the gods, fate, destiny, and not the laws of historical development.

. The eminent historian Tacitus in Rome belongs to the representatives of artistic and didactic directions in ancient historiography
. Dialectical conception of history in its contradictions is the most valuable feature of Tacitus as a historian.