Livy

1
Livy

• Mike R.
• Olympians

2
Livy Personal Life

• Livy raised and schooled in Patavium.
• Learned philosophical studies, traditions, and
  normal subjects.
• Had a daughter and 2 sons.
• Daughter married a writer named Lucius Magius.
• Whole life was based on his writing.
• Not very social had no known hobbies.
• Was great friends with Augustus Caeser.
• Augustus called him Pompeian because he favored
  Pompey in all of his books.

3
Interest in Writing

• Loved to read.
• Could have stopped writing many years earlier.
• Kept writing-Livy Said, I have attained enough
  personal fame and could lay my pen aside-but my
  soul, restless within me, draws sustenance from
  work.

4
Beginning of History Writing

• After Battle of Actium restored peace in 31 CE,
  he traveled to Rome.
• Began writing history there.
• First historical book at around 27 BCE.

5
Career

• Always working on a book about Romes history and
  records.
• Known for taking styles of past historians.
• This concluded that he was very careless and
  lazy.
• Always took the point of view of only one side of
  the story.
• Always took Italys side, especially Pompeii.

6
Description of Books

• Books were always in Latin.
• Books were very long.
• Equal to 24-25 crown octavo volumes of 300 pages
  each.
• Wrote 142 books or scrolls.
• Most were lost
• Only 35 of 142 books have been found.

7
Most Famous For

• Known best for being a person only devoted t
  writing.
• Stopped a book when he ran out of room on the
  scroll.
• No distractions stopping him from writing.
• Wrote for many years, until close to his death.

8
The Most Determined

• Gave up social life and hobbies for writing.
• Whole day dedicated to writing.
• Didnt even take part in the flourishing society
  of writers.
• Didnt go to any of their meetings.
• Didnt stop writing until right before his death.
• Could have stopped writing many years before he
  stopped.

9
Livy, The Copy Cat

• Used factual material from inherited traditions
  that were found.
• Owes particular points of interpretation to his
  predecessors.
• Does this because of carelessness and laziness.

10
End of Life

• Retired at an old age.
• Moved back to his home town of Patavium.
• Everyone remembered his great history writing.
• On Augustan tomb inscription it honors the memory
  of Titus Livius.
• A few years after retirement he died.
• The year was 17 AD.