Tacitus

Tacitus (Cornelius Tacitus) is a Roman historian. Among the sources from antiquity and the Islamic period, he is one of the authors consulted for shedding light on the historical geography of the Kurds.

Annales

Tacitus's work titled Annales describes the period between AD 14-68; some parts of the work have not survived to the present day and are lost (Cilt 1, s. 48). This work is important for the history of the region due to the information it provides about events on Rome's eastern border and local communities in the geography of Armenia.

Corbulo's Armenia Campaign

According to Annales, while the Roman Empire was fighting against the Parthians in AD 59, the Roman general Corbulo captured some regions in Armenia, primarily Artaxata; he then planned to occupy Tigranokert as well and used violence against local elements that stood in his way. During this time, the local people evacuated their villages to escape the Roman army and took refuge in the high parts of the mountains; the people who took refuge in caves were trapped there by the Roman army and their caves were set on fire (Cilt 1, s. 48).

The Mardi Tribe

Tacitus also mentions the Mardi tribe in the context of the same events. According to him, the Mardi, who engaged in "banditry," confronted Rome and suffered a similar fate to that experienced by the local population. According to Tacitus's account, the Mardi tribe controlled some areas in Armenia (14.23.3) (Cilt 1, s. 48).