Even in the writings of the “Father of History” an interest can clearly be seen in emphasizing the differences between his people and the barbarians. (2) And in Titus Livius the narrative is transformed in order to contrast the virtues of the old Republic with the period of the Empire in which the author lives. (3) This purposeful method of presenting facts and customs is foreign neither to historians of the East or the West. They have, from the very beginnings of written narrative, constructed a particular history out of the landscape of their epoch. Affected as they were by their times, many manipulated the facts not with any malice, but on the contrary, considering that their task was to bring out the “historical truth” that had been suppressed or hidden by the powerful. 

(3) Titus Livius Livy, 59 b.c.e.–17 c.e., History of Rome (later known as The Decades).

In: Historiological Discussions, Silo

Chapter 1: The Past as Viewed from the Present 1.1 The Distortion of Mediated History  

Livy (Titus Livius) (59 BC - 17 AD)

Topics

• The founding and mythical origins of Rome: Livy devotes a significant portion of his work to describing the founding myths of Rome, including the legend of Romulus and Remus.

• The political and institutional development of Rome: Describes the development of Roman institutions such as the Senate, magistrates and popular assemblies.

• Rome's wars and territorial expansion: the military conflicts that made Rome a Mediterranean power, including the Punic Wars against Carthage.

• Roman values and virtues: Livy highlights the moral qualities he considers typically Roman, such as pietas, virtus and gravitas, through historical examples.

• The conflict between patricians and plebeians: He devotes a great deal of attention to the internal struggles between these two social groups and their impact on the political development of Rome.

• Moral decadence: Especially in the books dealing with the more recent past, Livy reflects on what he perceives as the decline of traditional Roman morals and values.

Major works

• ‘Ab urbe condita libri’ (From the founding of the city), also known simply as ‘The Decades’.

Titus Livius wrote a history of Rome from the founding of the city in 753 BC to the death of Nero Claudius Drusus in 9 BC.

The work consisted of 142 books (papyrus scrolls), which were divided into decades or groups of ten books. Of these, only 35 have survived, bearing the numbers 1-10 and 21-45.

The surviving books contain the history of the first centuries of Rome, from its founding in 753 BC to 292 BC, the Second Punic War and the Roman conquest of Gaul, Greece, Macedonia and part of Asia Minor.

Florus wrote an epitome of all his books, a work that has been preserved and allows us to see the plan of Titus Livius and the order of his narratives.

Influence

• Influence on later Roman authors: Many Roman authors used Livy's work as a source, including Aurélio Vítor, Cassiodoro, Eutrópio, Festo, Floro, Grânio Liciniano and Orósio. This shows that his work became an important historical reference in ancient Rome.

• Literary influence: His work Ab Urbe condita libri had such a great impact that it influenced later writers such as Machiavelli, Alexis de Tocqueville and Montesquieu. This shows that his influence extended beyond antiquity to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

• Preservation and study of his work: Although only 35 of the original 142 books of ‘Ab Urbe condita’ have survived, summaries (periochae) were created from the 1st century AD that allowed the content of the lost volumes to be known. This proves the lasting interest in his work.

• Influence on historiography: Livy's style of historiography was seen as a great novelty by Renaissance authors such as Machiavelli, Guicciardini and Alberti, enabling them to ‘escape the “grades de ferro” of their time’.

• Source for other works: Julius Obsequentus used Livy's work to write ‘De Prodigiis’, an account of miraculous and supernatural events in Rome.

• Influence on education: Quintilian included Livy among the greatest historians of antiquity, suggesting that his work was used in Roman education.

• Influence on historical thinking: His focus on the history of Rome from its founding to his own time was a model for later Roman historiography.