The Agricola and the Germania

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educated reviewer - Rated
Perhaps one of the most entertaining military histories ever told, Tacitus's "Agricola" is almost certainly a work of fiction. Agricola was of course Tacitus's late father-in-law, and the work is an attempt to vindicate the former British governor after he had fallen from grace. Suffice to say that if Agricola had been half the military genius he appeared to be in his son-in-law's book, he would never had been summarily recalled to Rome.

Recent archaeological evidence from the Gask Ridge has shown that the Roman frontier was well established in Scotland long before the arrival of Agricola in 78AD. The dendrochronological evidence leaves no room for error on dates. So Tacitus's story about Agricola pioneering into Scotland is simply a lie. Of course, his intended readership would have no knowledge of events in the remotest region of the empire, and would not have questioned the story.

If Tacitus cannot be trusted on this aspect of the tale, why should any of his writings be accorded anything other than scorn? He is the only source for events such as the battle of Mons Graupius. Did the battle ever happen? It seems unlikely; no other evidence exists to substantiate Tacitus's claims. It is also established that Tacitus is not beyond writing creative history. In his anxiety to underline the success of Agricola's campaign, Tacitus may well have exaggerated the significance of some skirmish or other in the attritional war the norhtern tribes would undoubtedly have waged against any Roman expedition into the north. For the Britons to have met the Romans in a pitched battle such as that described in The Agricola, their leaders would have had to have taken collective leave of their senses.

It is surely more likely that Agricola was recalled to Rome, not through the jealousy of the Emperor as Tacitus suggests, but rather to explain his unsatisfactory performance as governor.

The Britons and Germans take on the Roman Empire. - Rated
This volume is made up of two important works from the Roman empire. The first is a biography of Agricola, who was the most succesful Roman governor of the Britons and the second piece is an account of the Germanic race, both written by Tacitus, who was the son-in-law of Agricola.

'The Agricola' shines a light on the Britons and tells their story to the wider world for the first time. It is in this slim volumne that we learn of the tribes who resisted Roman invasion and we meet Calgacus, the first Caledonian to be recorded a place in history. The speech which Tacitus attributes to this warrior is one of the most poignant I have ever heard. On the eve of battle against the Roman legions, Tacitus places some wonderful words of liberty in his mouth. Of the might of Rome Calgacus says, "To robbery, butchery, and rapine, they give the lying name of government; they create a desolation and call it peace".

Why would Tacitus invent a speech which is so critical of the empire he represents? Perhaps he felt guilty because the Caledonians were not beaten in the battle as we have been led to believe. Perhaps the battle never even took place. Of the empire and those it enslaved, Tacitus is very honest. He speaks about how certain Britons embraced Roman life and its arcades and banquets and tells us that "the unsuspecting Britons spoke of such novelties as 'civilization', when in fact they were only a feature of their enslavement".

'The Germania' is an account of the characteristics and customs of the tribes which stretch from Denmark in the north west to Lithuania in the north east and right down to modern day Romania, so it is not limited to the tribes which make up modern Germany.

An facinating snapshot of Europe 2000 years ago - Rated
Tacitus writes from the perspective of a Roman citizen, at a time when Rome ruled the known world. To a fan of Roman history, the book is a delight to read, with short, descriptive paragraphs.
The information given allows the reader to build a mental picture of Roman ruled Germany and Britian, with a strong Roman bias. History may have given us a more balanced picture of events, but this book is a true classic for all it represents.