Tacitus ( witness to The Great Fire of Rome)

Publius (Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (AD 56 - AD 117) was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. Tacitus was born in 56 or 57 to an equestrian family. His ancestry, his skill in oratory, and his sympathetic depiction of barbarians who resisted Roman rule have led some to suggest that he was a Celt; the Celts had occupied Gaul before the Romans, were famous for their skill in oratory, and had been subjugated by Rome. As a young man, Tacitus studied rhetoric in Rome to prepare for a career in law and politics. In 77 or 78 he married Julian Agricola. After his seat in the senate, he began writing about history.