Rating: 
Summary: Still fresh after 2,000 years!
Review: Titus Livius, better known as Livy, lived and wrote his famous history about 2,000 years ago, and even then the early history of Rome was ancient history. But the Romans were a people much taken with themselves and their perception of their destiny, and they were a highly literate people as well, so Livy was not without resources on which he could draw for research. Thanks to him and a handful of other Roman historians, we have a fairly detailed knowledge of this remote period, a knowledge that is constantly being expanded and refined through archaeology.
Livy's history, which scholars believe was intended as a series of 120 or so volumes (of which 35 have come down to us), stands as a remarkable achievement, both literary and historical. The first five volumes, translated in the present book, cover the period from the founding of the city (traditionally dated to 753 BCE) by Romulus to the defeat of the Gauls by Marcus Furius Camillus in c. 396 BCE. It is a fascinating time in Roman history, witnessing the age of the kings, their ouster by Junius Brutus and the subsequent establishment of the Republic, ongoing class struggle between the aristocratic "Patricians" and their fellow citizens, the "Plebeians," and naturally, almost unending warfare between Rome, the new kid on the block, and its neighbors.
At times the narrative can seem repetitive, what with the endless skirmishing against the Volscians, Hernici, and Latins, but Livy himself is aware of this and even makes a joke or two about it. Actually, Livy does an admirable job of holding his readers' interest in spite of the repetitive nature of his material. His highly accessible, round style of writing keeps the narrative moving along, and the characters that inhabit the text are themselves so dramatic and intriguing that they easily overcome any sluggish patches in the plot.
Anyone interested in ancient Rome does themself an enormous disservice if they rely solely on modern authors for their explorations. The ancient Roman historians in general, and Livy in particular, offer us vivid accounts of this truly extraordinary place and time, artistic and historical contributions that are as exciting, interesting, surprising, suspenseful, and valuable as anything penned since.
Rating:
Summary: Still fresh after 2,000 years!
Review: Titus Livius, better known as Livy, lived and wrote his famous history about 2,000 years ago, and even then the early history of Rome was ancient history. But the Romans were a people much taken with themselves and their perception of their destiny, and they were a highly literate people as well, so Livy was not without resources on which he could draw for research. Thanks to him and a handful of other Roman historians, we have a fairly detailed knowledge of this remote period, a knowledge that is constantly being expanded and refined through archaeology.
Livy's history, which scholars believe was intended as a series of 120 or so volumes (of which 35 have come down to us), stands as a remarkable achievement, both literary and historical. The first five volumes, translated in the present book, cover the period from the founding of the city (traditionally dated to 753 BCE) by Romulus to the defeat of the Gauls by Marcus Furius Camillus in c. 396 BCE. It is a fascinating time in Roman history, witnessing the age of the kings, their ouster by Junius Brutus and the subsequent establishment of the Republic, ongoing class struggle between the aristocratic "Patricians" and their fellow citizens, the "Plebeians," and naturally, almost unending warfare between Rome, the new kid on the block, and its neighbors.
At times the narrative can seem repetitive, what with the endless skirmishing against the Volscians, Hernici, and Latins, but Livy himself is aware of this and even makes a joke or two about it. Actually, Livy does an admirable job of holding his readers' interest in spite of the repetitive nature of his material. His highly accessible, round style of writing keeps the narrative moving along, and the characters that inhabit the text are themselves so dramatic and intriguing that they easily overcome any sluggish patches in the plot.
Anyone interested in ancient Rome does themself an enormous disservice if they rely solely on modern authors for their explorations. The ancient Roman historians in general, and Livy in particular, offer us vivid accounts of this truly extraordinary place and time, artistic and historical contributions that are as exciting, interesting, surprising, suspenseful, and valuable as anything penned since.
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