Skip to main content

A Brief History of Titus Livius (AKA Livy)

 This post is a snapshot of Livy, the great Roman historian. The only surviving work of Livy is his ab Urbe Condita, a history of Rome from its founding up to Livy’s contemporary time, during the reign of Augustus. 

Born Titus Livius in around 59 BC, Livy spent his formative years in an era of civil wars. He was born in Patavium (modern Padua), which was one of the wealthiest cities in the province Cisalpine Gaul. The province was merged with Italy and Julius Caesar granted the inhabitants the status of Roman citizenship. 

It is estimated that Livy went to Rome around 30 BC and began writing while he was there. Unlike many other Roman writers, Livy did not hold any government offices, nor did he serve in the Roman military. It is assumed that he had a level of financial independence and fully devoted himself to writing.

Livy’s history of Rome contains embellishments to highlight Rome as the greatest civilization on Earth and shines a positive light on everything the Romans ever did. Due to this, many modern historians are skeptical about the accuracy of Livy’s work, wondering how much it was edited and changed to portray the Romans in such a way. However, in many cases, it is also one of the only remaining accounts of many of the events that happened throughout the history of Rome. Though it is embellished, the common consensus is that it maintains an adequate level of accuracy.

An important note to someone reading Livy for the first time is that any time Livy quotes a historical figure, it is almost never a direct quote. Unless Livy himself was present for the event, there is no way it is even close to being what was actually said. Livy, like other historians in the ancient world, produced dialogue in his writing by using words to convey the sense or emotion behind what was being said at that point in history. Much of what was said is presented in ways it may not have been during the actual event portrayed. This is due to the fact that many speeches he includes were never recorded. Livy filled in the blanks in a way that would further his purpose in writing, which is to portray Rome and her people as a beacon of honor and strength.

Livy’s history of Rome was very thorough. Many parts of it have not survived through the years. The parts that do survive are used by academics and historians alike as they strive to piece together the events that led to the rise of the Roman Empire. If nothing else, Livy’s writings grant insight into the prevalent views Romans had of themselves during the early stages of the Roman Empire’s formative years.

Livy is thought to have died some time around 17 AD. While much of his work is lost to time, the parts that remain provide valuable information and are still widely used today.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Constellation Stories: A New Series Coming Soon!!

  Now that we’ve made our way through Virgil’s Aeneid, it’s time to start on a new series. This time, instead of going through a work of literature, the series will focus on the convergence of the classics and science: constellations. For centuries, mortals have gazed in wonder at the night sky. Different people and different cultures noticed that the stars create predictable patterns in the night sky, and began to connect the dots to create depictions of characters and objects that hold significance in their particular belief system. The Graeco-Roman system of constellations is still used today, and the stories are still widely known throughout the world. This series will focus on the stories behind the constellations. It will be accompanied by a video series delivering the stories of the constellations in under two minutes. There will be a regular version which will tell the story as it is in Roman mythology, but there will also be a version made specifically for kids. These age app

Constellation Stories: Orion

  The story of Orion was best told by Hesiod in his lost work Astronomia . Fortunately, excerpts of this lost text can be found in Eratosthenes’ Catasterismi. Unfortunately, it is quite difficult to find a free translation of this text online. It is a bit less mainstream than other classical texts, and as such, is more difficult to come by.  The gist of it is that Orion, a son of Neptune, had the ability to walk on water. After many journeys and adventures traversing from island to island, he eventually joins Diana and her mother, Leto, on various hunting trips. He one day vows to hunt and kill every animal in the world. Gaia, upon hearing this vow, is very upset with him and in order to protect the Earth from his indiscriminate slaughter, sends a giant scorpion to kill Orion. The scorpion is successful. Diana and Leto are sad to lose Orion, so they ask Jupiter to place Orion in the heavens as a constellation. Jupiter complies, and the constellation Orion appears in the sky. However,

But What Was the Saturnalia?

  When struck by the itch of curiosity, many people have done an internet search to find out why Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25th. One of the main results will tell you it was because the Christians wanted to replace the Saturnalia, a pagan holiday, with a Christian one. Therefore, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th. While there are other theories about the reasoning behind Christmas being December 25th, the idea that it was placed there to replace the Saturnalia is one that can’t be ignored.  This is all well and good, but… What was the Saturnalia?? The first recorded mention of the Saturnalia is on the “Calendar of Numa” which is dated to sometime during the 6th century B.C. The Saturnalia itself was listed among the Roman civic festivals, which were celebrated by all Roman people. The civic festivals were all annual events and each was celebrated in specific ways. The Saturnalia lasted for 7 days. It began December 17 and ended December 23. It began with sacrifi