Roman historiography is indebted to the
Greeks, who invented the form. The Romans had great models to base their works upon, such as
Herodotus (c. 484 – 425
BCE) and
Thucydides (c. 460 – c. 395
BCE).
Roman historiographical forms are different from the Greek ones however, and voice very Roman concerns. Unlike the Greeks, Roman historiography did not start out with an oral historical tradition. The Roman style of history was based on the way that the
Annals of the
Pontifex Maximus, or the
Annales Maximi, were recorded. The Annales Maximi include a wide array of information, including religious documents, names of consuls, deaths of priests, and various disasters throughout history. Also part of the Annales Maximi are the White Tablets, or the “Tabulae Albatae,” which consist of information on the origin of the republic.