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and the advancement of Roman military tactics along with the usual politics, intrigue, and moral stories one is used to finding from Livy.This is a fine edition. recounting wars with Gauls, Sabines, etc. It is not quite as important as the Early History but it is important nonetheless and this translation is as good as any. Like the Early History of Rome (Books 1-5), I though this was a good edition. The translation is reasonably accessible and the work important.In it one learns of a number of episodic tales (perhaps garnered from folklore by Livy).
Because of the sparse written records, especially from Rome's early history, he had to rely on traditional information, the writings of other historians, and public records (i.e. Only 35 of the total of 142 books Livy wrote survive to the present day. It's classic history. Livy, a believer in the virtue and superiority of the old ways, but sympathetic to the talents and abilities of many of the plebeian leaders, seems personally torn on this issue. They come from among the first 45 and cover most of the period from the founding of Rome to 167 BC. The entire work was probably intended to comprise 120 books. I found this book fascinating. Livy's description of these events is episodic, giving the reader little sense of the larger conflict.
During this 94 year span, Rome rose to become the dominant power on the Italian peninsula.Most of the events Livy describes happened long before his lifetime. Livy, a contemporary of the Emperor Augustus, devoted his adult life to the writing of his HISTORY OF ROME. He wanted to inform, and to promote what he saw as the traditional virtues of Roman society to the populace of his own era, which he viewed as corrupt and decadent. Even now, however, his work makes for interesting and informative reading. It always seems that the city is threatened and has no choice but to respond.The other recurring theme is the political battle within Rome between the dominant patricians, determined to hold on to their monopoly of the most powerful state positions, and the plebeians, who aspire to a share of leadership.
There's an uprising here, another there, but little indication of the broader objective as Rome extends its power and dominion ever farther. It's an opportunity to look at events through the eyes of a man who lived more than two thousand years ago. Don't pass it by. His work still does exactly that. inscriptions, statues, lists of consuls and triumphs). Some of what he relates is mythical in nature, some possibly sensationalized, but he was writing for a popular audience and sought to entertain as well as inform. Subsequently it seems he was prevailed upon to add a further 30 books covering contemporary events, of which he completed just 22.
At times he seems to support the propriety of one side, at times the aspirations of the other.Livy is probably not the most rigorous historian ever, but remember that he intended his HISTORY for a popular and contemporary audience, and not with future ages much in mind. One is the continual warfare between Rome and its rivals, most notably the Samnites and the Etruscans. This volume, ROME AND ITALY, contains Books VI through X, covering the period from 386 BC (the aftermath of Rome's defeat by the Gauls) to 292 BC. On occasion, when faced with conflicting accounts, Livy notes his difficulty and presents the different possibilities along with comments on what he believes was the most likely course of events.Two common themes run through the histories presented in this volume.
In fact, all the founding fathers of note had read Livy and learned much from his history of Rome. "Shared danger is the strongest of bonds; it will keep men united in spite of mutual dislike and suspicion."Machiavelli loved reading Livy's histories and wrote his most important philosophical work from it, "The Discourses", in which he glorifies republican Rome as a model of good government. It traces the history of Romulus the founder, the period of Roman kingship and then the Roman Republic era. If you are truly interested in obtaining a classical education, put this book on the top of your reading list. Wonderful telling of the life and acts of the noble and humble Cinncinatus who many of George Washington's contemporaries believed modeled himself after and held many of the same virtues. Titus Livius, (Livy) 59BCE-17ACE, born in Padua he was a popular and much admired writer in his day.
The history opens with the Trojans wandering into Rome to found a new city around 750BCE. Thomas Jefferson wrote to his nephew that there were three books every gentleman had to have familiarity with; Plutarch's "Lives", Livy's "History of Rome" and Virgil's Aeneid. His history was a favorite of Caesar Augustus who reigned during the time of the writing of the "History of Early Rome". It contains an in depth look at Coriolanus, which was the source material for Shakespeare's play "Coriolanus". I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history. His facts are not the most accurate, but like Plutarch, he believed that; "if history were not morally instructive, it was nothing." "History of Early Rome" is a valiant effort at recalling and preserving the memory of the noble deeds of the Romans.
Livy has a wonderful description of the "rape of the Sabine women" in which Rome's men conduct to increase their population.
293 BCE). Not only does this provide an invaluable window onto the remote past, it also makes for good reading. This volume contains books VI through X of Livy's monumental 120+ volume history of Rome. Like other Penguin classics, the translation in this volume is just a bit dated and stuffy in tone, but the warmth and vitality of Livy's style shines through nonetheless.One of the benefits to being interested in ancient Rome in particular is that the Romans were such a literate people, and so taken with their own perceived greatness, that they wrote a great deal, and much of this writing has survived down to our own times. Livy (and a number of other Roman era authors) can sound remarkably modern in their sentiments, and even casual readers should be pleasantly surprised by the vigor and readability of Livy's prose. It covers the time between the sack of the city by the Gauls (c. 396 BCE) and Rome's emergence as the single most powerful state in Italy (c.
Whether you study Roman History, or if you just like to try something new, this is a good book for you to try (even if you dont speak latin). This book, was very interesting. It gave wonderful insight into Roman life.
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