Roman historian Titus Livius, immersed in the…

Roman historian Titus Livius, immersed in the past, evidently reads extensively in Greek and Latin literature and had been earlier influenced by Cicero.

His one hundred and forty-two-book history of Rome, despite its republican sentiments, gains the favor of Augustus and is recognized as a classic during the author’s lifetime.

Known in English as Livy, born in Patavium (Padua) in 64 or 59, BCE but having spent most of his life in Rome, he has witnessed the civil wars, the fall of the republic, and the establishment of the principate, but little else is known of his life.

His uncritical History of Rome perpetuates many inaccuracies of earlier writers and demonstrates scant knowledge of military matters, but shows a genius for vivid style and gift for dramatic composition.

Livy covers the period from the arrival of Aeneas in Italy and the "foundation" of the city of Rome to 9 BCE, following an annalistic arrangement of events but focusing on the characters of the leading figures in the episodes.

He presents history through representative individuals and championing the old Roman virtues of discipline, piety, and patriotism.

(Summaries exist of all but one of the original one hundred and forty-two books, but only thirty-five are extant in complete form—Books 1-10, covering 753 to 293 BCE and Books 21-45, dealing with the years 218 to 167 BCE.)