Tacitus the Sententious Historian: A Sociology of Rhetoric in Annales 1-6 by Patrick Sinclair

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A study of Greek and Latin rhetorical and historical culture centering on the Roman historian Tacitus and his use of aphorisms and maxims known as sententiae. More than any other single rhetorical device in Latin oratory and literature, the sententia is the supreme expression of the self-image of Rome during the imperial period, the Principate. Whether one defines sententia as a generalizing maxim or a prose epigram, its importance in Roman rhetoric, literature, and public life during the early Principate indicates that it is a literary form intimately connected with the unique social code of that period. An illuminating example of the skillful use of sententiae is found in the Roman historian Tacitus's narration of the history of Emperor Tiberius (A.D. 1437) in Books 1-6 of the Annales.

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An illuminating example of the skillful use of sententiae (a maxim or prose epigram used in a distinctive way in imperial Rome) is found in Tacitus's narration of the history of Emperor Tiberius (AD 14-37) in the Annales. Sinclair (classics, U. of Cal., Irvine) argues that criticism of Tacitus's use of sententiae as extraneous to his purposes as a historian is the result of an imperfect understanding of the Greek and Roman tradition of rhetorical historiography in which Tacitus deliberately placed himself. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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