Reading Questions

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Tacitus
Read the Introduction to Tacitus, Agricola and Germania, skip the part on Germania, read the background on the Roman Empire, and read Agricola itself, and the Tacitus web site. After finishing this reading, please answer the questions:

Why might Tacitus write such a biography? Is it merely a biography?

How does he begin and end the book? What do they tell you about his purpose in writing it?

What key points is Tacitus trying to get across? Does anything surprise you?

He is an unbiased observer? With whom or what do his sympathies lie? How can you tell?

Why do you think historians still rely on the The Agricola for information and ideas about classical Rome? What may be its limitations as an historical source?

Please limit your answers to all five questions to around 500 words total to start (i.e., to about 100 words per question).