Livy Livy

Livy (c. 59 BC-AD 17) dedicated most of his life to writing some 142 volumes of history, the first five of which comprise The Early History of Rome. With stylistic brilliance, he chronicles nearly 400 years of history, from the founding of Rome (traditionally dated to 757 BC) to the Gallic invasion in 386 BC - an era which witnessed the reign of seven kings, the establishment of the Republic, civil strife and brutal conflict. Bringing compelling characters to life, and re-presenting familiar tales - including the tragedy of Coriolanus and the story of Romulus and Remus - The Early History is a truly epic work, and a passionate warning that Rome should learn from its history.

Livy's historical imagination enabled him to bring alive the great characters and scenes of Rome's past. Most of Livy's (c. 59 BC–AD 17) life was devoted to writing his monumental History of Rome which comprised 142 books. It brought him great fame, and legend has it that a man came all the way from Cadiz just to look at him. The Early History of Rome contains the first five books and proceeds from the foundation of Rome through the history of the seven kings, the establishment of the Republic and its internal struggles, up to Rome's recovery after the fierce Gallic invasion of the fourth century BC. Here readers will encounter the famous story of Romulus and Remus among a number of other familiar legends and tales.

It is Livy (59 BC-AD 17) who re-creates for us in vivid detail the terrible events of the Second Punic War, down to the Battle of Zama (202 BC). It is Livy who shows us the immense armies of Hannibal, elephants and all, crossing the Alps (still regarded as a near-miraculous feat by historians), the panic as Hannibal approached the gates of Rome, the decimation of the Roman army in thick fog at the Battle of Lake Trasimene. But, above all, it is the clash of personalities that fascinate him: the great debates in the Senate, the series of Roman generals who prove no match for Hannibal, the historic meeting between Scipio and Hannibal before the decisive battle. Livy never hesitated to introduce drama and moral lessons into his History of Rome; in the ten books dealing with the war with Hannibal, he had an immense theme worthy of his immense talents.