The Agricola and The Germania

TheÊAgricolaÊis both a portrait of Julius Agricola Ð the most famous governor of Roman Britain and TacitusÕ well-loved and respected father-in-law Ð and the first detailed account of Britain that has come down to us. It offers fascinating descriptions of the geography, climate and peoples of the country, and a succinct account of the early stages of the Roman occupation, nearly fatally undermined by BoudiccaÕs revolt in AD 61 but consolidated by campaigns that took Agricola as far as Anglesey and northern Scotland. The warlike German tribes are the focus of TacitusÕ attention in theÊGermania, which, like theÊAgricola, often compares the behaviour of ÔbarbarianÕ peoples favourably with the decadence and corruption of Imperial Rome.