Livy: The Early History of Rome,
Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks.
1-5) by Titus Livy
Rome's Greatest Prose Work
With stylistic brilliance and historical imagination, the first five books of
Livys monumental history of Rome record events from the foundation of
Rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the
Republic and its internal struggles, up to Romes recovery after the fierce
Gallic invasion of the fourth century bc. Livy vividly depicts the great
characters, legends, and tales, including the story of Romulus and Remus.
Reprinting Robert Ogilvies lucid 1971 introduction, this highly regarded
edition now boasts a new preface, examining the text in light of recent Livy
scholarship, informative maps, bibliography, and an index.

Translated by Aubrey de S&eacutelincourt with an introduction by Robert
Ogilvie.
Personal Review: Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V
(Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy
The Romans looked upon Vergil's Aeneid as their greatest work of
literature, and it became a focal point of their entire culture, replacing
Ennius' earlier epic of Rome's origins so thoroughly that Rome's older
central epic has not survived the years. Livy's ten book set devoted to the
war with Hannibal has a similar status in prose to the Aeneid's in verse. In
fact, one of the three major tales being told simultaneously in the Aeneid is
that of the war with Carthage. The point being that the Second Punic War
was the defining moment in Roman history. It was the only time the
Romans had really met their match. Their superior political, military and
economic systems enabled them to outperform the older civilizations of the
Mediterranean and gradually gobble them up, but Carthage was the one,
and only one, true rival to Rome in the Mediterranean world during entire
ancient period. And it has been stated many times that Rome eventually
fell from within due to dissatisfaction with mismanaged despotism, rather
than being overrun by outside forces. The Western Empire "fell" to
Romano-Germanic military units working within and for the Empire. The
period of the Second Punic War was always looked back at by Romans as
their nation's most trying and revealing moment. All the republican
institutions were put to the test under the absolutely most difficult
circumstances. No doubt one major reason for the lingering attachment to
the Punic War era in imperial times and beyond was how the history of the
time preserved a solid working memory of the old republican ways. Livy's
history was an instant success, with the first set of ten books too remaining
very popular through the years. These two sets of his history were well
known and honoured in the Middle Ages, and they played a huge role in
the formation of modern republicanism and democracy. I find it kind of odd
that I came to Livy's "Hannibalia" a long time after becoming interested in
ancient history. This book really is the centre piece of Roman prose
literature. Granted, Cicero's works held higher status for their practicality
as writing and speaking models, but Livy has more than mere rhetoric in
his work. There is rhetoric to be sure, and that makes it all the more fun to
read, but he balances it with plenty of quite decent history, drama and
political science to boot. A very respectable piece of work to tell your
greatest national story. Lots to learn about politics, speaking, statecraft
and war here.
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