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Carus Andiae
Small mammal
United Kingdom
667 Posts |
 Posted - 08 October 2006 : 2:37:24 PM
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I've just started on Cornelius Tacitus' Histories. Unfortunately sections are missing, but fortunately what DOES survive includes the three-and-a-bit books covering the Year of the Four Emperors and our boy Vespasian's rise to power.
I haven't got very far yet - the Emperor Galba is just about to be assassinated - but for a 1,900 year old text it's very readable, well paced and with a conversational tone (part of the credit for this must, I suppose, go the the translator, though apparently Tacitus is a very good writer). My one gripe so far is that the translator has sometimes replaced Roman military titles with modern ones - 'Corporal' and 'Warrent Officer'. I suppose it's to make it more accesible for an audience not particularly familiar with the Roman Army, but if he insisted on doing that, I would have preferred at least a note giving the Latin title since, as we know from discussions on these boards, trying to give modern equivalents for Roman ranks is a riskly business.
Fortunately there's a useful synoptic Latin/English online edition here: http://www.sacred-texts.com/cla/tac/index.htm. It transpires 'Corporal' is Tesserarius, and 'Warrent Officer' is Optio.
By the way, the translator's name is Kenneth Wellesley - now there's a military name to conjure with!
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"Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat" - Any man can fly when he rides on the back of an eagle
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Edited by - Carus Andiae on 08 October 2006 2:51:33 PM |
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Tacitus - The Histories
