Customer Reviews

Rome and Italy: Books VI-X of the History of Rome from its Foundation (Penguin Classics) (Bks.6-10)

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This volume contains books VI through X of Livy's monumental 120+ volume history of Rome. 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. 293 BCE). 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. Not only does this provide an invaluable window onto the remote past, it also makes for good reading. 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.

Livy, a contemporary of the Emperor Augustus, devoted his adult life to the writing of his HISTORY OF ROME. The entire work was probably intended to comprise 120 books. Subsequently it seems he was prevailed upon to add a further 30 books covering contemporary events, of which he completed just 22. Only 35 of the total of 142 books Livy wrote survive to the present day. They come from among the first 45 and cover most of the period from the founding of Rome to 167 BC. 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. 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. 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. inscriptions, statues, lists of consuls and triumphs). 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. One is the continual warfare between Rome and its rivals, most notably the Samnites and the Etruscans. Livy's description of these events is episodic, giving the reader little sense of the larger conflict. There's an uprising here, another there, but little indication of the broader objective as Rome extends its power and dominion ever farther. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. His work still does exactly that. It's an opportunity to look at events through the eyes of a man who lived more than two thousand years ago. I found this book fascinating. It's classic history. Don't pass it by.

Titus Livius, (Livy) 59BCE-17ACE, born in Padua he was a popular and much admired writer in his day. His history was a favorite of Caesar Augustus who reigned during the time of the writing of the "History of Early Rome". 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. The history opens with the Trojans wandering into Rome to found a new city around 750BCE. It traces the history of Romulus the founder, the period of Roman kingship and then the Roman Republic era. Livy has a wonderful description of the "rape of the Sabine women" in which Rome's men conduct to increase their population. 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. It contains an in depth look at Coriolanus, which was the source material for Shakespeare's play "Coriolanus". "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. 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. In fact, all the founding fathers of note had read Livy and learned much from his history of Rome.

If you are truly interested in obtaining a classical education, put this book on the top of your reading list! I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history.

The second five books of Livy's history of Rome from its foundations are epic and inspiring. The magic of Livy is only greater in the 1st five books, where the mythology and Livy's admiration for the characters are greater. The 6th book begins at a time when Rome was still just a single city, though a powerful and feared one, with a few allies and many treacherous enemies constantly watching for their opportunity to attack. Livy paints a picture of Rome's victories that shows that intelligence and fairness are the keys to military success, while Rome's enemies' treachery and ham-fisted strategies can only lead to failure.

The epic story of Rome is still very fresh and riveting in books VI-X. Anyone who read and enjoyed the first five books should gain a similar joy from reading the next five.

I am currently reading Gibbon's unabridged History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and though I'm only a chapter or two into it it seems clear that it won't hold a candle to Livy for sheer epic excitement. Though I could be wrong.

As the other reviewer's have noted this is one of the classics of the Western literary and historical tradition. It also should have a special place in the hearts of Americans in that the Founders relied heavily for their historical knowledge of the ancient Roman and Greek republics on Livy, Polybius and Plutarch. Anyone who has read Farrand's The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 or The Federalist knows how much the debates on the writing and ratification of our constitution were based on a reading of those three authors among others.
Furthermore, as Michael Neulander points out, Machiavelli's Discourses is based on his reading of Livy. Leo Strauss' reading of Machiavelli is based on his close reading of both Machiavelli and Livy. My point is simple- Livy speaks to us to this day on issues of moral education, individual striving for excellence and virtue and on "the war of the orders" (what we today would call class struggle). Livy is thus one of our oldest resources for political theory.

Livy has several purposes. He wants to hold up to the Romans of his own day the glorious virtues of their ancestors. He wants to show how the Romans by sticking to their piety and to their ancestral way of life overcame an unimaginable horde of enemies. When they strayed from their piety and their virtues they met with terrible reverses (see for example, his explanation for the sacking of Rome by the Gauls in The Early History of Rome, the first volume of the Penguin edition of Livy's history). In this volume, read the final section for Book X for Livy's contrast of the bizarre rituals of the Samnites to the auspices of the Romans before the climatic battles of The Third Samnite War (starting around p. 345 of the Penguin, chapter 40 of Book X if you have another edition).
So, yes, he writes as a moralist, at times as a hagiographer, at times as a cultural imperialist (or as a patriot, your choice).

But one of the really fascinating things about Livy is the way he struggles toward something like a modern historical methodology. The events of this volume go from 389 to 292 B.C. In other words, 250+ years or more seperate Livy from the events of his history. Thus he relied entirely on source material; earlier histories by Fabius Pictor and Polybius, family records, lists of consuls, praetors, the writings of antiquarians, and inscriptions on buildings and monuments. Much of the material was unreliable and Livy knew it as such. Toward the latter books of this volume, it is obvious that he struggled to evaluate different versions of the same events for accuracy. He frequently reports multiple accounts of the same events and states which one he believes.

Two final thoughts- one dealing with the differences between Livy and Polybius and one dealing with my reaction to this era in Roman history.
Livy had absorbed Polybius. They are telling the same story but with very different purposes. Polybius was a cultured observant Greek looking at the rise of Rome from what he felt was a culturally and, perhaps, morally superior tradition. As a soldier and a politician, he is impressed with what the Romans have done. However Polybius is a little staggered at the human cost.
This is not a problem for Livy. He writes as one who is afraid that his contemporary Romans were falling from their place in history. A place that had been purchased in blood. To read both Polybius and Livy is thus to read many of the same events presented with very subtle differences in tone. It is a fascinating education.
One of my other main reactions to Livy is a sort of shock. Roman history is bloody, to an extent I had never imagined. To read the first decade of Livy (the first two volumes of the Penguin edition)is to read a story of almost continual warfare. The Greeks might go forty or fifty years inbetween wars. I don't think the Romans (on the basis of Livy and Polybius) went four or five years without being involved in a war. They are presented as continually preparing for war, as defending their territories or marching through and laying waste to their enemies. Their patrician class is also presented as among the first to have mastered the art of distracting the lower classes with foreign wars.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not praise Penguin Classics for this edition. They present the history in full, with maps and annotations and useful introductions. One of the reviewers finds the translation stuffy. He should try the Loeb. He might change his mind. As for me, I find this version a very enjoyable read. I can hardly recommend Livy highly enough whether from a literary or a historical or a political theory point of view. Of how many books, can that be said?

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?) recounting wars with Gauls, Sabines, etc. 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. It is not quite as important as the Early History but it is important nonetheless and this translation is as good as any.

This book, was very interesting! It gave wonderful insight into Roman life. 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).