Cornelius Tacitus (ca. 55-120 AD) is the most significant ancient historian. In his Histories, he depicts the history of the Roman Empire between the years 69 and 96 AD, during the time of the Flavians. Originally, this work consisted of 14 books. Today, only Books I to IV and the beginning of Book V have survived. Tacitus himself characterizes his account as a collection of misfortunes, the horrors of battle, treacherous mutinies, and even acts of terror in times of peace. It is the contradiction between the events of his time and the ancient Roman virtue, the high regard for virtue and decency in the past, that Tacitus expresses as a sort of baseline for his historiographical work. Alfons Städele presents an excellent new translation of the Histories, thereby complementing it.