What did Tacitus witness during the final years of Emperor Domitian’s rule?

Upon returning to Rome, the historian Tacitus observed firsthand the final years of Emperor Domitian’s rule, a period characterized by the systematic oppression of the Roman aristocracy.1

During this time, Tacitus witnessed a climate of fear and political instability that he later described as a "reign of terror," particularly between 93 and 96 CE. Key aspects of what he observed included:2

• Political Repression: The frequent use of the law of majestas (treason) against members of the Senate, leading to the execution of numerous former consuls.2
• Despotism and Corruption: The emperor’s increasingly autocratic behavior, including his insistence on being addressed as dominus et deus ("master and god") and the regular confiscation of property from his victims to address financial difficulties.2
• Suppression of Dissent: The expulsion of philosophers from Rome and the targeting of a group of doctrinaire senators who held Stoic views.2

Tacitus viewed these years as a period where dynastic control corrupted the ruler and reduced the supporting nobility to servility, a diagnosis he later explored in his historical writings.3