Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56 – AD 117) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works - the Annals and the Histories - examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors. These two works span the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Augustus in AD 14 to the death of Emperor Domitian in AD 96. There are substantial lacunae in the surviving texts, including one four books long in the Annals.

Tacitus is considered one of the greatest Roman historians, living in what has been called the Silver Age of Latin literature. As well as the brevity and compactness of his Latin prose, he is known for his penetrating insights into the psychology of power politics.

Edited and introduced by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers, Tribes of Ancient Britain and Germany is essential reading for anyone interested the history of the classical world.