Cornelius Tacitus, an ancient Roman historian, can be regarded as an important contributor to humanity’s collective knowledge of the past. His seminal works A Treatise on the Situation, Manners and Inhabitants of Germany as well as The Life of Cnaeus Julius Agricola provide an important, if biased, perspective on ancient Germanic tribes and early British governor Agricola, respectively. These two documents combine to revealingly showcase a unique perspective on warfare, leadership, and culture as they relate to various facets of the time period. Throughout both Germania and Agricola, the art of warfare is constantly discussed as it relates to individual Germanic tribes, the author’s Roman civilization, and the native population of Britain. Ultimately, Tacitus works to establish …show more content…
Throughout the entire book, it is extremely clear that the Germanic tribes place the utmost value and pride upon military achievement. Agricola, meanwhile, effectively states the opposite about the Roman army during the time period. “Sedition however infected the soldiers, who, instead of their usual military services, were rotting in idleness,” Tacitus said of the Roman Army under Trebellius (21.) Even after Vettius Bolanus succeeded the indolent, inexperienced Trebellius during the civil wars, the same insolent lack of action continued, with no proper ruling authority. According to Tacitus, Agricola managed to ultimately promote discipline in the army, but the fervor with which the Germans fought simply did not come natural to the Romans. Even under Agricola’s leadership, the Roman Emperors (especially Nero) were described as tyrannical beings who rewarded military achievement with disgrace and disapproval, much unlike any of the Germans. As Tacitus recounted Agricola’s woes, “The source of his danger was not any criminal action, nor the