Selections from Tacitus Annals I: An Edition for Intermediate Students (Bloomsbury Classical Languages)

185 Pages·2019·1.989 MB·

by  Katharine Radice (editor), Roland Mayer (editor)

Selections from Tacitus A nnals I
i
Th e following titles are available from Bloomsbury
Selections from Apuleius M etamorphoses V : An Edition for Intermediate Students,
with introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by Stuart R. Th omson
Selections from Cicero Philippic II : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by Christopher Tanfi eld
Selections from Cicero Pro Milone : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction by Lynn Fotheringham and commentary notes and vocabulary by
Robert West
Selections from Horace Odes : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by John Godwin
Selections from Horace Satires : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by John Godwin
Selections from Ovid A mores II: An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by Alfred Artley
Selections from Ovid H eroides : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by John Godwin
Selections from Propertius, Tibullus and Ovid: An Edition for Intermediate
Students, with introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by Anita Nikkanen
Selections from Tacitus A nnals I : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction by Roland Mayer and commentary notes and vocabulary by
Katharine Radice
Selections from Tacitus H istories I : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction by Ellen O’Gorman and commentary notes and vocabulary by
Benedict Gravell
Selections from Virgil A eneid VIII : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by Keith Maclennan
Selections from Virgil A eneid X : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by Christopher Tanfi eld
Selections from Virgil A eneid XI : An Edition for Intermediate Students, with
introduction, commentary notes and vocabulary by Ashley Carter
Supplementary resources for these volumes can be found at
www.bloomsbury.com/ bloomsbury-classical-languages
Please type the URL into your web browser and follow the instructions to access the
Companion Website. If you experience any problems, please
contact Bloomsbury at [email protected]
ii
Selections from Tacitus A nnals I:
An Edition for Intermediate
Students
Chapters 3–7, 11–14, 16–30,
46–49
Introduction by Roland Mayer
Commentary notes and vocabulary by
Katharine Radice
iii
BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC
Bloomsbury Publishing Inc
1385 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, USA
50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK
BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY ACADEMIC and the Diana logo are trademarks
of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
First published in Great Britain 2016 as T acitus Annals I : A Selection
This edition fi rst published in the United States of America 2019
Copyright © Katharine Radice and Roland Mayer, 2016, 2019
Cover image © Marco Lamberto / EyeEm
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior
permission in writing from the publishers.
Bloomsbury Publishing Inc does not have any control over, or responsibility for,
any third-party websites referred to or in this book. All internet addresses given
in this book were correct at the time of going to press. The author and publisher
regret any inconvenience caused if addresses have changed or sites have ceased
to exist, but can accept no responsibility for any such changes.
A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: PB: 978-1-5013-5002-3
ePDF: 978-1-5013-5004-7
eBook: 978-1-5013-5003-0
Series: Bloomsbury Classical Languages
Typeset by Refi neCatch Limited, Bungay, Suffolk
To fi nd out more about our authors and books visit w ww.bloomsbury.com

and sign up for our n ewsletters .
iv
Contents
Preface vii
Introduction 1
Text 41
Commentary Notes 57
Vocabulary 131
Index of place names 169
Index of members of the Imperial Household 171
Index of other named Romans 173
v
vi
Preface

Th is edition is designed to support students reading these sections of
Tacitus for the fi rst time. In pithy, acerbic prose, Tacitus writes of the
awkwardness and impact of the beginning of Tiberius’ principate and
the rebellions of opportunistic soldiers. Th is edition aims to provide
an understanding of the signifi cance of these events in the context of
Roman history, and of the punchy vitality of Tacitus’ prose.
Th e Introduction surveys the historical background, the impact of
autocratic government, and the historical sources. Th e events of the
accession of Tiberius and the mutinies abroad are summarized. Th e
Roman historiographical tradition is then described, as is Tacitus’
own career. Closer analysis of the extracts set for examination follows.
Th e fi nal section aims to promote appreciation of the quality and
chief characteristics of Tacitus’ extraordinary prose style and syntax.
Th e notes are primarily designed to help students understand
the Latin accurately. Explanations are included of less familiar
constructions and idioms particular to Tacitus are highlighted
and explained. Analysis of literary style, therefore, concentrates
on aspects which might be lost in translation (the power of the
impersonal passive, for example, or Tacitus’ compressed and oft en
surprising sentence structure). Aspects which shine through even
aft er translation (such as emotional intensity, use of direct speech,
construction of dramatic scenes, use of contrast, choice of detail,
authorial comment etc), are typically not noted.
Th ere is a comprehensive vocabulary; we have tried to off er basic
meanings of the words in order to help general vocabulary learning,
and also meanings which will suit the context of the words in this text.
Since it is impossible to do justice to a word’s meaning in a brief list,
readers are strongly encouraged to make use of a full- sized dictionary.
vii
viii Preface
Maps of Germany and Pannonia are provided, along with an index
of persons and places. Members of the Imperial Family are separately
listed, with notes on their relation to Augustus; the family tree will
help readers negotiate this notoriously confusing family!
Roland Mayer wrote the Introduction, and Katharine Radice the
commentary and vocabulary. Maps and the family tree are reprinted
with thanks from N. P. Miller’s excellent edition of Tacitus Annals I,
and much of the material in this edition has been guided by her
superb introduction and notes. Our thanks are due to Nicola Devlin
and Dominic Rathbone for advice on the Introduction, to Stephen
Anderson for his incisively accurate comments and observations on
the fi rst draft of the notes, to the anonymous readers for their helpful
suggestions, and to Alice Wright and her team at Bloomsbury
Academic.
Katharine Radice
Roland Mayer
September 2015
Introduction
Th e historical situation
Th e extracts from Tacitus’ Annals presented in this book focus on a
specifi c moment in the history of Rome: the beginning of Tiberius’
absolute control of the government of Rome in the year 14*. But
Tacitus’ readers, especially those in the senatorial elite, already knew a
good deal about how the government of Rome came to be concentrated
in the hands of one man, not least because they lived under just such
a form of government. To understand why the accession of Tiberius
was so signifi cant, it will help to give a brief sketch both of the
transition of government to its autocratic form and of some of the
fl aws integral to the nature of the principate.
Tacitus himself saw the need for just such a sketch and he provided
it at the very beginning of the fi rst book of the A nnals . Rome was
originally ruled by kings, the last of whom was expelled for tyrannical
behaviour. Th us for ever aft er the word king, r ex , and monarchical
control were unacceptable in political life. In 509 bc what we call the
republican form of government was adopted with the election of two
consuls. Th e chief principles of this republican system were: collegiality
– no individual had absolute power, which was shared among the
annually elected magistrates; l ibertas – a fl uid concept perhaps best
rendered by ‘political freedom’; and fi nally open debate – policy and
legislation were to be discussed and decided by the free adult male
citizenry. One institution survived from the days of the kings, namely
the Senate. Th e Senate’s function had been, and remained aft er the
expulsion of the kings, advisory: senators held elective offi ce and
* All dates are ad , unless otherwise designated.
1