Livy | Roman Historian & Author of Ab Urbe Condita

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class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/biography/Livy">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref4248"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Livy#ref4248">Early life and career</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref4249"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Livy#ref4249">Livy’s history of Rome</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref4250"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/biography/Livy/Livys-historical-approach">Livy’s historical approach</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/quotes/Livy">Quotes</a> <a class="toc-extra-link 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.livius.org/articles/person/livy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Livius - Biography of Livy</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.worldhistory.org/livy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Ancient History Encyclopedia - Biography of Livy</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Livy/275510" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Livy - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Titus Livius</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Robert-Maxwell-Ogilvie/2183" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Robert Maxwell Ogilvie</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Professor of Humanity, University of St. Andrews, Scotland. Editor of <i>A Commentary on Livy, Books 1–5.</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Robert Maxwell Ogilvie</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Livy/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Latin in full: </dt> <dd>Titus Livius</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>59/64 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>, <a href="/place/Padua-Italy">Patavium</a>, Venetia [now Padua, Italy]</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Died: </dt> <dd><span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 17, <a href="/place/Padua-Italy">Patavium</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also Known As: </dt> <dd>Titus Livius</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Movement / Style: </dt> <dd><a href="/art/Golden-Age-Latin-literature">Golden Age</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Livy"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref270468"></span>Livy</strong> (born 59/64 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Padua-Italy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Patavium</a>, Venetia [now Padua, Italy]—died <span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 17, Patavium) was, with <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sallust" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Sallust</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tacitus-Roman-historian" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Tacitus</a>, one of the three great Roman historians. His history of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Rome" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Rome</a> became a classic in his own lifetime and exercised a profound influence on the style and philosophy of historical writing down to the 18th century.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref4248"><h2 class="h1">Early life and career</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Little is known about Livy’s life and nothing about his family background. Patavium, a rich city, famous for its strict <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="morals" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morals" data-type="MW">morals</a>, suffered severely in the Civil Wars of the 40s. The wars and the unsettled condition of the Roman world after the death of Caesar in 44 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span> probably prevented Livy from studying in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Greece" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Greece</a>, as most educated Romans did. Although widely read in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Greek-literature" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Greek literature</a>, he made mistakes of translation that would be unnatural if he had spent any length of time in Greece and had acquired the command of Greek normal among his contemporaries. His education was based on the study of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="rhetoric" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhetoric" data-type="MW">rhetoric</a> and philosophy, and he wrote some philosophical <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialogues" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialogues" data-type="MW">dialogues</a> that do not survive. There is no evidence about early career. His family apparently did not belong to the senatorial class, however distinguished it may have been in Patavium itself, and Livy does not seem to have embarked on a political or <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="forensic" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forensic" data-type="MW">forensic</a> profession. He is first heard of in Rome after <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Augustus-Roman-emperor" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Octavian</a> (later known as the emperor Augustus) had restored stability and peace to the empire by his decisive naval victory at Actium in 31 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>. Internal evidence from the work itself shows that Livy had conceived the plan of writing the history of Rome in or shortly before 29 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>, and for this purpose he must have already moved to Rome, because only there were the records and information available. It is significant that another historian, the Greek <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dionysius-of-Halicarnassus" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Dionysius of Halicarnassus</a>, who was to cover much the same ground as Livy, settled in Rome in 30 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>. A more secure age had dawned.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Most of his life must have been spent at Rome, and at an early stage he attracted the interest of Augustus and was even invited to supervise the literary activities of the young <span id="ref270469"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claudius-Roman-emperor" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Claudius</a> (the future emperor), presumably about <span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 8. But he never became closely involved with the literary world of Rome—the poets <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Roman-poet" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Horace</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virgil" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Virgil</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ovid-Roman-poet" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Ovid</a>, as well as the patron of the arts, Maecenas, and others. He is never referred to in connection with these men. He must have possessed sufficient private means not to be dependent on official patronage. Indeed, in one of the few recorded <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="anecdotes" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anecdotes" data-type="MW">anecdotes</a> about him, Augustus called him a “Pompeian,” implying an outspoken and independent turn of mind. His lifework was the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="composition" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composition" data-type="MW">composition</a> of his history.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref4249"><h2 class="h1">Livy’s <span id="ref270470"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/historiography" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">history</a> of Rome</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Livy began by composing and publishing in units of five books, the length of which was determined by the size of the ancient papyrus roll. As his material became more complex, however, he abandoned this symmetrical pattern and wrote 142 books. So far as it can be reconstructed, the shape of the history is as follows (books 11–20 and 46–142 have been lost):</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <ul><li><div>1–5 From the foundation of the city until the sack of Rome by the Gauls (386 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>)</div></li><li><div>6–10 The Samnite wars</div></li><li><div>11–15 The conquest of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Italy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Italy</a></div></li><li><div>16–20 The First Punic (Carthaginian) War</div></li><li><div>21–30 The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Punic-War" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Second Punic War</a> (until 201 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>)</div></li><li><div>31–45 Events until the end of the war with Perseus (167 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>)</div></li><li><div>46–70 Events until the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Social-War-Roman-history" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Social War</a> (91 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>)</div></li><li><div>71–80 Civil wars until the death of Marius (86<span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>)</div></li><li><div>81–90 Civil wars until the death of Sulla (78 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>)</div></li><li><div>91–103 Events until the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="triumph" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/triumph" data-type="EB">triumph</a> of Pompey in 62 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span></div></li><li><div>104–108 The last years of the Republic</div></li><li><div>109–116 The Civil War until the murder of Caesar (44 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>)</div></li><li><div>117–133 From the death of Caesar to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Actium-ancient-Roman-history" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Battle of Actium</a></div></li><li><div>134–142 From 29 to 9 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span></div></li></ul> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Apart from fragments, quoted by grammarians and others, and a short section dealing with the death of the orator and politician <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cicero" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Cicero</a> from Book 120, the later books after Book 45 are known only from summaries. These were made from the 1st century <span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> onward, because the size of the complete work made it unmanageable. There were anthologies of the speeches and also concise summaries, two of which survive in part, a 3rd-century papyrus from Egypt (containing summaries of Books 37–40 and 48–55) and a 4th-century summary of contents (known as the <em><span id="ref270471"></span>Periochae</em>) of the whole work. A note in the <em>Periochae</em> of Book 121 records that that book (and presumably those that followed) was published after Augustus’ death in <span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 14. The <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="implication" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/implication" data-type="MW">implication</a> is that the last 20 books dealing with the events from the Battle of Actium until 9 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span> were an afterthought to the original plan and were also too politically explosive to be published with <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="impunity" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impunity" data-type="MW">impunity</a> in Augustus’ lifetime.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/history-buff-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/19/153419-131-91ADC6E8/Ruins-statues-Karnak-Egypt.jpg" alt="Temple ruins of columns and statures at Karnak, Egypt (Egyptian architecture; Egyptian archaelogy; Egyptian history)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">History Buff Quiz</div> </div> </a><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The sheer scope of the undertaking was <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="formidable" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/formidable" data-type="MW">formidable</a>. It presupposed the composition of three books a year on average. Two stories reflect the magnitude of the task. In his letters the statesman <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pliny-the-Younger" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Pliny the Younger</a> records that Livy was tempted to abandon the enterprise but found that the task had become too fascinating to give it up; he also mentions a citizen of Cádiz who came all the way to Rome for the sole satisfaction of gazing at the great historian.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":2,"pageId":344974,"pageLength":799,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Livy | Roman Historian & Author of Ab Urbe Condita | Britannica