Gaius Cornelius Tacitus, the first historian, was born in 55 A. At this time, Nero was emperor of Rome. One can deduce the date of his birth from the time it took for the people of Rome to promote him consul, based on a system known as the cursus honorum, or the course of honor. (http://www.umd.edu/, Online) Tacitus's family claimed membership to the equestrian, or wealthy, class, and they resided in Gaul (modern-day France), a decidedly wealthy province of Rome. In 77 A.D, Tacitus married the daughter of Cornelius Iulius Agricola; Tacitus would later write about her father in one of his famous works, Agricola. Tacitus acquired the rank of praetor, or treasurer, in 88 A.D, at the age of 33. In 97 A.D, the Roman citizens elected Tacitus to the position of consul, the highest elected office in the Roman Empire. In 100 A.D, Tacitus prosecuted Marius Priscus with the help of Pliny the Younger, another noted literary figure of ancient Rome. From the year 112 A.D. to 113 A.D, Tacitus served as proconsul (governor) of a province in Asia. Historians believe Tacitus died in 117 A.D. Although many historians and scholars praise Tacitus as one of the greatest literary figures of the ancient world, many of the authors around his time period did not brand him as such, save for his friend, Pliny the Younger (Complete Works of Tacitus, Hadas). Over the course of his life, Tacitus wrote four major works: The Histories, The Annals, Germania, and Agricola.
The Annals, known in Latin as "ab excessu Divi Augusti," tells of the reign of Tiberius, the last years of Claudius, and the first years of Nero. (http://www.encyclopedia.com/, Online) Parts of books five, six, eleven and sixteen disappeared, while books seven through ten went missing. Books one through six cover the entire reign of Emperor Tiberius, books seven through twelve cover the reigns of Emperor Gaius and Emperor Claudius, and books thirteen and on cover the early reign of Emperor Nero.
