Agricola

by Cornelius Tacitus

"Agricola" by Cornelius Tacitus is a biographical work written around AD 98. This account chronicles the life of Tacitus's father-in-law, Gnaeus Julius Agricola, a distinguished Roman general who governed Britain during a turbulent period of conquest and rebellion. Beyond personal biography, the work explores ancient Britain's geography and peoples while subtly critiquing imperial tyranny and the loss of Roman freedoms under despotic rule. Through military campaigns, political maneuvering, and the famous Battle of Mons Graupius, Tacitus preserves his subject's legacy while questioning the price of empire.