Titus Livius (aka Livy)

-lived 59 BCE – 17 CE-born in northern Italy and moved to Rome as a

young man-not involved in politics but friend of emperor

Augustus and his family

Ab Urbe Condita

• Livy is most famous for writing this (“From the Founding of the City”)

• Romans used AUC as their way to calculate dates = count the number of years since Rome was founded (753 BCE)

• Livy’s AUC is comprised of 142 books but only Books 1-10 and 21-45 survive, some with substantial gaps in the texts

Details of AUC vary from mythical at the beginning (ex. Aeneas) to detailed & authentic accounts of real events toward the end.

Livy had difficulty finding out about events that happened hundreds of years before he lived.

Highlights from Ab Urbe Condita

• The tragedy of Lucretia and the end of the Roman monarchy

• Roman heroes who fought against the Etruscans (Lars Porsenna): Mucius Scaevola, Horatius, and Cloelia

• Rome’s “George Washington” = Cincinnatus

Lucretia• To the Romans she was

an example of virtue and goodness

• Sextus Tarquinius Superbus (son of the last king of Rome) took advantage of her and she committed suicide

• Lucius Junius BRUTUS swore to avenge her and overthrow the Tarquin kings

Gaius Mucius Scaevola• He snuck into Etruscan camp

to kill Lars Porsenna but killed his secretary instead

• “I am Gaius Mucius, a citizen of Rome. I came here as an enemy to kill my enemy, and I am as ready to die as I am to kill. We Romans act bravely and, when adversity strikes, we suffer bravely.”

• Then he sticks his right hand (dextra) in the fire!

• Scaevola = Lefty!

Publius Horatius Cocles

• When Lars Porsenna’s forces attacked Rome via the Pons Sublicius (bridge on sticks), Horatius singlehandedly defended the bridge!

Cloelia• As part of peace treaty Lars

Porsenna received some hostages, including Cloelia

• Cloelia led a group of Roman girls in fleeing the Etruscans and swimming back across the Tiber!

• Porsenna demanded her return but allowed her to free ½ the hostages – she chose the boys

• Only Roman female with equestrian statue

Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus

• Example of Roman virtue

• Like George Washington, he helped his country when in need, then went back to his farm when it was all over