Religion and Memory in Tacitus’ Annals

This first book-length treatment of religion in Tacitus’ Annals traces the deployment of religious material throughout the narrative from the reign of Tiberius to that of Nero and analyzes these numerous references through the lens of cultural memory theory, which considers how societies self-consciously create a vision of their pasts as a key component of identity in the present. Though scholars have long considered Tacitus’ discussion of religion of minor importance, this volume reveals them as a key vehicle for his assessment of the principate as a system of government, the activities of individual emperors, and their impact on Roman cultural identity.