Livy

Titus Livius, known in English as Livy, was a Roman historian. He lived from 59 BC to AD 17. Livy wrote a very important book called Ab Urbe Condita, which means "From the Founding of the City." This book tells the story of Rome. It begins with the earliest legends, long before the city was traditionally founded in 753 BC, and goes up to the time of the emperor Augustus.

Livy was friends with important people, including members of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the emperor Augustus. He encouraged Augustus’s young grandnephew, who later became the emperor Claudius, to write about history too. Livy's work helps us understand how ancient Rome began and grew.

Life

Livy was born in Patavium, now called Padua, in northern Italy, around 59 BC. At that time, Patavium was an important city. When Livy was a teenager, there were big fights in Rome called civil wars. Livy grew up during these difficult times but later moved to Rome.

In Rome, Livy did not become a leader or a soldier. Instead, he studied and wrote a lot. He became friends with the emperor Augustus and his family. Livy's most famous work was a big book about the history of Rome, sharing stories from the city's beginning up until the time of Augustus. He wanted his book to help people remember Rome's great deeds. Livy also had a family and wrote other books. He died in his hometown of Patavium in the year AD 17.

Works

Main article: Ab urbe condita (Livy)

Livy’s main work is called History of Rome, also known as Ab Urbe Condita, which means “From the Founding of the City.” This book helps us learn about the history of Rome, especially the Second Punic War. Livy began writing when he was older, about 33 years old, and continued until he moved from Rome to Padua. Some writers, like Seneca the Younger, thought Livy was also a good speaker and thinker.

Reception

Imperial era

Livy’s History of Rome was very popular from the time it was first published and stayed that way during the early years of the empire. The writer Pliny the Younger told a story about someone from Cádiz who traveled to Rome just to meet Livy. Many later writers, like Aurelius Victor, Cassiodorus, Eutropius, Festus, Florus, Granius Licinianus, and Orosius, used Livy’s work in their own books. Julius Obsequens used Livy or a source that had access to Livy to write about unusual events in Rome.

Livy wrote while Augustus was the emperor. Augustus had taken power after a big fight among Roman leaders who said they were protecting the Roman Republic. Patavium, where Livy lived, supported one of those leaders, Pompey. Augustus decided not to use the title Romulus, the first king of Rome, but instead took the title Augustus. He kept the old republic’s ways but changed them to fit his rule as emperor.

The writer Tacitus, who lived about a hundred years after Livy, said that Augustus was Livy’s friend. In a story about a trial, Tacitus had Cremutius Cordus speak directly to the emperor Tiberius. Cordus said that Livy, known for being a great speaker and telling the truth, had spoken very well about Pompey. Augustus even called him “Pompeianus,” but they were still friends.

Why Livy might have gone back to Padua after Augustus died is not clear, but the time of Tiberius’s rule makes you wonder.

Later

During the Middle Ages, because Livy’s book was so long, people usually read summaries instead of the whole thing. Copying the book was hard, expensive, and took up a lot of space, so many copies were lost and could not be replaced. By the Renaissance, people realized that Livy’s work was disappearing, and they rushed to find and buy any remaining copies. The poet Beccadelli even sold his country home to buy a copy made by Poggio. Petrarch and Pope Nicholas V searched for the missing books. Laurentius Valla worked on improving the text of Livy’s work, starting a new area of study. Dante praised Livy in his poems. King Francis I of France asked artists to create works based on Livy’s stories. Niccolò Machiavelli wrote a book called Discourses on Livy, which talks about republics and uses Livy’s History of Rome as an example. Respect for Livy grew so much that Walter Scott wrote in his book Waverley that a Scotsman involved in an uprising in 1715 was caught again because he stayed near where he had been held, hoping to get his favorite book, Titus Livius, back.

Dates

Eusebius of Caesarea, a bishop of the early Christian Church, wrote about world history in ancient Greek. Though his work was lost, parts survived in translations. One translator, St. Jerome, wrote in Latin and included Livy's dates.

Because the old books with Livy's dates are different, we do not have one exact set of dates for him. Most guess that Livy was born in 59 BC and died in 17 AD, based on these old books. Some books say he was born in 57 BC instead.