This course will be an introduction to Tacitus for graduate students and upper level undergraduates (with permission of the instructor) who have limited experience of the author. Class time will be largely devoted to issues of interpretation of the text in the broader context of Roman historical writing and the documentary record of the early empire, especially those texts which relate directly to the matter of the Annals. Attention will primarily be paid to Tacitus' accounts of the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius.

Course Requirements:

Course requirements will include two in-class translation exercises, an oral presentation and a paper.

Intended Audience:

Graduate students and upper level undergraduates.

Class Format:

Two meetings per week.