(Titus Livius) Born 59 B.C. in Patavium; died there A.D. 17. Roman historian.
Livy lived and worked in Rome and enjoyed the protection of the emperor Augustus. He was the author of the History of Rome From Its Foundation, a year by year account of the entire history of the city, beginning with its legendary founding and going to 9 B.C. Out of the 142 books of his History, 35 have been preserved, covering events up to 293 B.C. and from 218 to 168. The contents of the remaining books are known from short summaries and excerpts made while the books were still extant. Livy did not do research in Roman history; rather he expounded on it, uncritically borrowing material from the Roman annalists and Hellenistic authors and taking back to antiquity features of the Roman state structure of his day. Livy did not conceal his intention of exalting Rome. In his philosophical views, he was close to Stoicism. He explained the course of historical events by changes in the underlying morality of society. In his opinion, the way of life and mores of the ancient Romans contributed to the creation of Roman greatness. His History was written rhetorically, in an expansive, picturesque style, with many emotional speeches attributed to historical figures. Both contemporaries and later generations saw in Livy’s work a model of historical writing. The author himself was considered the “Roman Herodotus.”
A. I. NEMIROVSKII