Livy: A True Historian

1211 Words5 Pages
Livy, a descendant from northern Italy, was a very spirited Roman with much love for his city and after reading his history of Rome, the Ab urbe condita (books 6-10), I found myself questioning whether Livy was a true historian, or was he more of a patriot? To me, Livy was very patriotic, his books on Roman expansion in Italy were very pro Roman and he would give no credit to the enemies they faced. While reading, one could clearly tell that Livy favored the Romans, he basically wrote from a single perspective, making him the “least objective historian ever”, and the term historian being used lightly. One example of Livy’s patriotic approach to history is the example with the Volsci, Aequi, Etruscans, and Hernici. The above mentioned places…show more content…
He provided no insight to the enemies of Rome even though they were pretty spectacular in their ability to organize armies even after so many defeats. He would also make insults to the enemies of Rome, insults that a true historian would never dream of making. Even when he did dig deeper into the societies of Rome’s enemies, such as the Campanians, he was never too positive, always shinning a negative light on them. It finally to the resolve of the Samnites to draw any praise for Roman foes out of Livy. To me, Livy was a great patriot, but a terrible historian. -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. HIST 677 text discussion of Livy Rome's Italian Wars: Books Six to Ten on 10/7/13. [ 2 ]. Livy, Rome's Italian Wars: Books Six to Ten, John Yardley, and B. D. Hoyos, trans. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2013. Print. Page 16. [ 3 ]. HIST 677 text discussion of Livy Rome's Italian Wars: Books Six to Ten on 10/7/13. [ 4 ]. Rome's Italian Wars: Books Six to Ten page 138. [ 5 ]. Rome's Italian Wars: Books Six to Ten page 95. [ 6 ]. Rome's Italian Wars: Books Six to Ten page
Open Document