How did Tacitus analyze the motivations of Roman leaders?
I believed that understanding the inner workings of the elite was crucial to grasping the trajectory of the state. My method involved scrutinizing the actions, words, and veiled intentions of emperors and senators. By examining their vices, their vanities, and their desperate attempts to maintain control, I sought to reveal the true forces driving political events. The historian’s duty is to expose these often-hidden motivations, for they are the seeds of both glory and ruin.