Livy I: History of Rome, Books 1-2

"The History of Rome" in Fourteen Volumes #1-2

by Livy, B.O. Foster (Translator)

The only extant work by Livy (64 or 59 BCE 12 or 17 CE) is part of his history of Rome from the foundation of the city to 9 BCE. Of its 142 books 1 10, 21 45 (except parts of 41 and 43 45), fragments, and short summaries remain. Livy s history is a source for the De Prodigiis of Julius Obsequens (fourth century CE).

Genres: History, Classics, Nonfiction, Roman, Ancient History

447 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 12

About the author

Titus Livius (Patavinus) (64 or 59 BC – AD 17)—known as Livy in English, and Tite-Live in French—was a Roman historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome and the Roman people – Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Books from the Foundation of the City) – covering the period from the earliest legends of Rome before the traditional foundation in 753 BC through the reign of Augustus in Livy's own time. He was on familiar terms with the Julio-Claudian dynasty, advising Augustus's grandnephew, the future emperor Claudius, as a young man not long before 14 AD in a letter to take up the writing of history. Livy and Augustus's wife, Livia, were from the same clan in different locations, although not related by blood.

Reviews

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Look, that you may see how cheap they hold their bodies whose eyes are fixed upon renown!"
- Livy, Book II, xii 13



Book 1 (Rome Under the Kings)
&
Book 2 (The Beginnings of the Republic)

This might be the first book to bankrupt me. Or rather books. I own several versions of Livy (Folio, The first Penguin (Books 1-10), and the first four volumes of the Loeb's History of Rome by Livy). I've decided to track and read through the Loeb, but that is going to require me to buy another 10 volumes. The good to that is, well, ten more little red books. The bad? Well, these little books retail for $26 (although you can usually find either really good used copies or new copies for $12-$18). So I'm looking at almost $200 to finish purchasing these books and I've already spent about $60. So, why read the Loeb version?

Quod est in Latinam verso | Because Latin is on the left
Et lingua mea sedenti in recto | And English sits on the right *

Now those who know me, KNOW I don't read or speak Latin. So, why is having Livy in Latin and English that important? Because some day I DO want to read Latin. Because it pleases me. Because if I read on the recto side a phrase that strikes my fancy, like:

"Their name was irksome and a menace to liberty."
- Livy, Book II. ii. 4

I can go almost straight across and discover what that was in Latin:

"Non placere nomen, periculosum libertati esse."

It delights me. I know that probably sounds a bit affected and effete, but hell it entertains me. I don't complain that American consumers spend more than $25.3 billion a year on video games. So, let me have my 14 little red books. I'm not sure how fast I'll get through all of them. I think for my family's financial stability I'll drip and drab these out through-out the year.

* I kill me.

[Beluosus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iter Romam feci, vetere cum codice rubro, quo moris est viatores per Vrbem duci. Haudquaquam dico illum Baedecker, immo editionem loebensem primorum librorum duorum Livii Ab urbe condita. Melior dux non optandus.

[Carrie Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I’ve wanted to read since my trip to Italy 2 years ago. The history of Rome is exciting to me. Livy was a Roman Historian who wrote about the beginning of Rome to his time. He is interesting because it’s the only first hand telling of everyday life in Rome. It took me a while to read because of the translation, it’s a little difficult- but extremely worth it!

[Lukerik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first volume covers the first 286 years of Rome down to 468 BC. It opens with myth and shades down through legend and finally into history.

“Such traditions as belong to the time before the city was founded, or rather was presently to be founded, and are rather adorned with poetic legends than based upon trustworthy historical proofs, I purpose neither to affirm nor to refute”.

Personally I enjoyed the myths the best. There are some jaw-dropping similarities to the Judeo-Christian tradition and if I didn’t have some idea how myth works I would have thought that someone had been copying.

Also particularly interesting is when the plebs go on strike. I previously read Dionysius of Halicarnassus: a Greek writing for the newly conquered Greeks to introduce them to their new masters. Here Livy is writing for upper class Romans and the differences in the way these events are told is quite striking. Dionysius doesn’t pull his punches. The societal dysfunction in the early Roman state was so pronounced that rich people were literally enslaving their own countrymen and using them as a military barrier to protect their riches from the surrounding city states. Now, Livy is quite honest in recounting the behavioural problems displayed by some of the Senators, but there’s a subtle use of language when he discusses the behaviour of the plebs that reinforces the idea they’re being unreasonable. If your politics are left of centre you might enjoy Dionysius on these points more.

Excellent introduction. I can’t find it now, but I think the word the translator used to describe the Latin was ‘creamy’. I could well believe it. The English is rich and flowing and clear. Very readable.

One thing I particularly enjoyed were the Roman names. Silius Italicus... Furius Sextus, who appears in the index as Furius, Sex. which must have given the translator incredible pleasure to write. Some of these men wanked as high as anyone in Wome.

[Alexander Rolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories of early Rome are great, and read pretty fast. There are some surprises: Livy says the Greeks let Aeneas go when Troy fell, which is a very different picture from Book 2 of the Aeneid. It's a lot of fun, especially when consuls with names like Spurius Furious appear.

[Maarten · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the Loeb edition of Livy. Enough said.

[Jackson Cyril · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book of Livy's history traces the history of Rome from its mythical origins to the expulsion of Tarquin. The vivid narrative, devoid of excessive moralizing and written briskly, makes for delightful reading. Interesting enough, in Livy's account Romulus never actually dies, but ascends to heaven ala Oedipus or Elijah. Also, its interesting to note that the first thing Romulus does after he founds the city is to establish religious ritual, provide law and build walls-- a litany of the things which Romans in Livy's time attached the most importance to, eh?

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a history/educational text, but there are obviously some very popular chapters in here. Tanaquil, Lucretia, Verginia, The Sabine Women...etc, are all very interesting. Some of the more historical chapters can be harder to read. But good for knowing Roman values and timelines.

[Keith Pomroy]

Read this in the Latin.

[Chris Wolfington · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Loeb edition of Livy comes in 14 volumes, so I'll give a summary of the complete work in this first volume, so newcomers have an idea of what to expect. The Loeb books are conveniently small, feature the original Latin with an English translation on the opposite page, the maps are o.k., and the index for the entire set is in the 14th volume.

Livy was a Roman historian who lived during the end of the reign of Augustus, and wrote a history of Rome from it's first settlements up to his own day. In antiquity he was known as the "historian of Rome", and his work is the principle surviving work for the history of the Roman Republic. There is a lot to this work, and everyone interested in the history of this period must read this book for the best possible understanding, but to keep this summary bearable, I'll give a brief review of the volumes.

Vol 1-4: These cover the history of Rome from it's founding to the Samnite Wars, which gave Rome control of Italy. Livy follows the mythological founding of the city, beginning with Aeneas and Romulus; thus the earliest years aren't truly historical. Later on, the Gauls sacked Rome in 390 B.C., and the official records were burned, so the history of the Republic before that time isn't wholly reliable, but Livy's account of it is the best we have. After the Gallic invasion, Livy's history becomes historically accurate, and continues to the Samnite Wars, which gave Rome control of Italy. These volumes are important for observing the development of the early Republican constitution.

Vol 5-8: There is a gap in Livy's history between the Samnite Wars and the Second Punic War, and volume 5 begins with Hannibal and the beginning of the Second Punic War. These volumes focus entirely on Rome during this war. Our other principal source for this period is Polybius, whose work is most accurate, but unfortunately incomplete, as we have no remaining manuscripts for a lot of it. However, Livy drew on Polybius for these volumes, so they are solid.

Vol 6-13: These cover Roman history from the end of the Second to the engagements of the Third Punic War. This period is about 50 years and is when Rome began its interference in the East. Rome is the world superpower, and gradually extends it's influence towards dominion of the Mediterranean.

Vol 14: This contains short summaries of Livy from the Third Punic War to the reign of Augustus; Appian's Civil Wars is a much better book for this period. It also contains a work called Julius Obsequins, which is a collection of Roman religious portents gathered from Livy's entire work, and is not that interesting from an historical viewpoint. It also features the index for all 14 volumes.

Livy is a must read for Roman history buffs. He's not that good of a writer, and the reading can be slow at times, but his information is all we have for most of this period. He not only goes into detail about the wars and constitutional development, but discusses debts, cultural changes, and gives something like a biography on many of Republican Rome's great leaders. All modern historians get their information from Livy, so this is THE source.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roman history continues to interest this reader. Livy's tale of the establishment of the city of Rome begins here. The city ditches Kings in favor of a more-or-less democratic assembly as surrounding tribes are brought into the fold. The creation of laws gives at least the illusion of fairness to the plebians, upon whom of course so much rests. Plus cool two-color fold-out maps in the back pages.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the early history of Rome. The reader should understand that the historical analysis that we expect of todays writters of history was not present then so much of what Livy writes is either subject to interpretation or outright fabrication. Still it is a worthy primary source for students and teachers alike.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a decent translation. The language is a little stilted, but readable.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight-faced legendary history.