Livy

Livy
Titus Livius was born in 59 B.C. in Patavium in Italy. Patavium is modernly referred to as Padua, and it is located near the Adriatic coast of northern Italy. In Livy’s time, Patavium was well known for its strict adherence to old-fashioned Roman virtues. Not much is known about Livy’s life, but scholars have assumed that he was probably greatly influenced by the civil wars in the 40’s and 30’s, as many people in his generation were. He had a family, which was the only distraction from his writing. His daughter married Lucius Magius, a seemingly talentless writer, and he also had two sons. Livy was thought to have associated with Augustus Caesar’s literary circle, but some scholars think they might not have shared the same views. The later Roman historian Tacitus reports that Augustus called Livy a “Pompeian,” which meant that he had Republican sympathies. He considered Brutus and Cassius, the conspirators against Julius Caesar, men of distinction. Li...