[1] Domuum et īnsulārum et templōrum quae āmissa sunt numerum inīre haud prōmptum fuerit: sed vetustissimā religiōne, quod Servius Tullius Lūnae et magna āra fānumque quae praesentī Herculī Arcas Evander sacrāverat, aedēsque Statōris Iovis vōtā Rōmulō Numaeque rēgia et dēlūbrum Vestae cum Penātibus populī Rōmānī exusta; iam opēs tot victōriīs quaesītae et Graecārum artium decora, exim monumenta ingeniōrum antīqua et incorrupta, ut quamvīs in tantā resurgentis urbis pulchritūdine multa seniōrēs meminerint quae reparārī nequībant. [2] fuēre quī adnotārent XIIIĪ Kal. Sextīlēs prīncipium incendiī huius ortum, quō et Sēnōnēs captam urbem īnflammāverint. āliī eō usque cūrā prōgressī sunt ut totidem annōs mēnsēsque et diēs inter utraque incendia numerent.

Essay

41.1

Tacitus takes stock of the damage. A good passage to compare this with is Histories 3.72, where Tacitus had described the impact of a later fire on the Capitol, which wrought. . . [full essay]

Study Questions

41.1:

  • numerum inire haud promptum fuerit: what do you think this suggests about the number of buildings destroyed?
  • What kind of ablative is vetustissima religione?
  • Pick out and briefly comment on the significance of two of the sacred sites mentioned by Tacitus.

41.2:

  • Explain the mood of adnotarent.
  • What type of clause is introduced by eo usque ... ut...?

Stylistic Appreciation:

How does Tacitus’ use of language in this passage invest his account of the fire’s destruction with drama and pathos?

Discussion Point:

Why does Tacitus select the monuments and works of art he does for mention in this chapter? What about them contributes to the sense of irreparable loss he is evoking? To what extent is the attitude of the seniores here recognizable? And of those who observed the rather contrived coincidences? Why do you think Tacitus includes this sort of bizarre observation in his history?

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Suggested Citation

Mathew Owen and Ingo Gildenhard, Tacitus, Annals, 15.20–23, 33–45. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-78374-003-1. DCC edition, 2016. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/tr/tacitus-annals/15-41