Britannica
Sources used in this answer
When did Tacitus become a Roman consul?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Tacitus
Tacitus, statue at the Parliament building in Vienna.
The Roman historian Tacitus attained the position of consul in 97 CE, during the reign of the emperor Nerva.1
This appointment served as a significant milestone in his public career, which included earlier roles such as the quaestorship and the praetorship. His elevation to the consulship, coupled with his delivery of the funeral oration for the soldier Verginius Rufus, underscored his established reputation as an orator and his standing within the Roman political hierarchy.1