Born around AD 56, Tacitus is perhaps one of the greatest of Roman historians. He, as was expected of men of his social standing, pursued a career in Rome, gaining a reputation as a great orator. His surviving works range from an ethnographic history of Germania (modern Netherlands and Germany), discussions on oratory, and biographies.

The biographies, or Annals, are perhaps the most famous of Tacitus' surviving works. They were intended to serve as a history of Rome from the death of Augustus to the death of Domitian (AD 13-AD 96). However, only portions survive covering the reigns of Tiberius; Claudius; most of the reign of Nero; Galba; Otho; Vitellius; Vespasian and the early part of the reign of Titus (AD 14-AD 37 and AD 41-AD 79).