A Brief Review of Livy: Book 1
I recently read Titus Livius’ first
book in his history of Rome. I was able
to read it in bits and pieces during my lunch breaks and a few sessions at the
university library. Ever since I graduated
with my degree in history, I have become hungry for the primary and ancient sources. I should have been obsessed with these guys
back during my university days, when I actually HAD to read them. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy them so much now,
since I don’t HAVE to read them. Nonetheless,
I started going to the library of a University near me to make up for my lack
of access to my university library. And
found! it has a better selection from that of where I studied.
Anyway, I read book one of Livy,
and I quite enjoyed it. Book one spans
the period of Roman history known as the Roman Kingdom. It begins with Aeneas and his flight from Troy
to Italy. Livy leads up to the founding
of Rome by Romulus and discusses his reign.
Livy tells the story of what happened under each of the seven kings of Rome.
It ends at the overthrow of the Kingdom after the rape of Lucretia and the
beginning of the Republic.
On to the review part: Well, once again, I very much enjoyed
it. It read like fiction to me. I got used to the antiquated language rather
quickly but I’m used to reading older things anyway. I like things that are harder to read; they’re
more of a challenge and you feel accomplished when finished. It read like fiction and had plenty of
mythical speculation, but was all about true events. That is the best, when reading a story. If you read something that is entertaining
and engaging and then throw on top that it all happened, you will have the best
reading experience. That’s my favorite
part about history. I like to read
history as a great story, because I write fiction. I love the dramatic development of things. But then because it is true, I feel like I learned
something and didn’t waste my time.
On a historiographical note, certain
things included in Livy’s narration were almost certainly myths or
legends. For example: the death of
Romulus. Livy told of a cloud overcoming
Romulus during a storm and him disappearing within it, which most likely didn’t
happen. Then he follows that up by
saying it was also said that his senators turned upon him and killed him. He presents the legend first and then says a
more likely story. Once presenting both,
Livy continues on with events as if the legendary version is that one that
really happened. It’s as if that’s the
only one that really mattered. But I don’t
necessarily disagree. He is a Roman writing
the history of Rome, his country. To
people of the day, miracles or legends of that nature were not
unbelievable. To paint your country in
the most positive light, is a benefit to it.
If anyone disagrees with that, you cannot say he didn’t present multiple
versions of the same event. Whether
Romulus was divinely whisked away or murdered by his own senators, does it
really matter what actually happened? Especially
that long ago? Rome still went on to a
greatness that lasted over a thousand years.
It still conquered the Mediterranean and much of western Europe. It
still went on to be one of the most powerful empires in world history. Therefore, Livy, writing in the context of
Rome, being a Roman, and writing in Latin, can’t help but to write in favor of
his own country.
This sounds like one of my university diatribes...Time to digress. Livy wrote his history well, and he wrote it
with an air of romanticism that I tend to enjoy. The more something real feels like it is
fiction, the more interesting it is and the more history is interesting. At least in this case. Everyone should read the classics. Hail Cæsar!
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