Annals of imperial Rome

Divided into sixteen books, some of which were partially or entirely lost over time, the Annals narrate sequentially the various events and deeds of two rulers of the Roman Empire. Long considered a valuable source, the Annals provide insight into the workings of the Roman Empire and how its Emperors interacted with the democratically elected Senate and other arms of the bureaucracy. Modern scholars of antiquity hold the belief that Tacitus, as a serving Roman Senator, had access to the Acta Senatus - a record of lawmaking procedures - as a source for this work. As such, the reliability of the Annals is generally thought strong compared against other, more corrupted histories of the Roman Empire. Tacitus had low opinions of both Tiberius and Nero. Both worked to sew fear within the general population, or plebiscite, as well as in the higher echelons of Roman society. Tacitus supports his beliefs by narrating various episodes in their respective rules, and is careful to make a distincti