Tacitus' Agricola and Germania are among the two most-cited sources on Roman Britain and on the ancient Germans, respectively, and anyone with an interest in the Classical World should have a copy of this book.

The Agricola is our primary source on Cnaeus Julius Agricola-governor of Roman Britain in the late 1st Century AD who is known to history primarily for the defeat he inflicted on the Caledonians at Mons Graupius in AD 83, and for his planned conquest of Ireland. Reading Tacitus' account, however, we find that his legacy in his own times was more for bringing justice to southern Britain, where previous Roman governors had abused their authority and driven the tribes to revolt.

I can't imagine that we can take everything in the Agricola word-for-word, as Tacitus' account is naturally biased-Agricola was his father-in-law, and Tacitus does not speak a single negative word-not even the slightest criticism of a minor feature-of him.

The Germania is also biased in that Tacitus is portraying these wild tribes as `noble savages'-claiming they never lied or indulged in improper sexuality, and had no love for money or fine clothing; in all, the Germania is as much an attack on the decadence of the Romans of Tacitus' generation as it is an account of the peoples of Germany in the 1st Century.

After giving an at times rather humorous account of Germanic culture and customs, Tacitus looks at all the major tribes and their unique features-such as the bizarre hairdos of the Suebi, the strange religious rites of the tribes worshipping the Goddess Nerthus, and the customs of the Harii, who painted themselves black and only fought battles at night.

Overall, this is a must read for a student of the Classical, especially Roman world, showing much about the culture and worldview of both the Romans and their Germanic contemporaries, and how these were perceived by a fairly typical upper-class Roman writer.

Tacitus was truly a master historian, and both of these books breathe colorful, exciting life into a by-gone era. "The Agricola" is an entertaining (often gripping) biography of a great Roman general, one that is in turns powerful, exciting, inspiring (read Calgacus's speech to those troops making a last stand against the Roman army), and finally heartbreaking (the conclusion when Tacitus pays tribute to the father-in-law he so clearly loved). "The Germania", on the other hand, is more of an anthropological survey cum social commentary; even while Tacitus provides contemporary readers with a fascinating look into the cultures of ancient Germanic tribes, he simultaneously levies some of the most poignant criticisms ever penned about a civilization in decline. A truly great book.

This book includes the writings of the ancient Roman writer, Tacitus, as he follows the campaigns of Agricola into Anglesey and northern Scotland. He also follows closely the campaigns into Germania, a country as untamed as Scotland.

The reader is given a vivid look into an ancient world, but through the eyes of the conqueror and not the conquered. Still, this is a masterpiece of information about a lost time. The translation was done very well by Harold Mattingly and his introduction sheds light on Tacitus' life and literary career, the governorship of Agricola and Rome's political backgroud in an everchanging empire. The two maps of Roman Britain and Germania were an added surprise.

I was a little disappointed that Tacitus did not give more descriptions on the native tribes of Scotland in The Agricola. For this reason, I felt that The Germania stood out much more. His vivid descriptions of the German tribes and their religious beliefs was wonderful to read.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Roman history and/or the native tribes of Scotland and Germania.