Rome's Italian Wars Books 6-10

Good value

This truly is interesting: Livy is dealing with an important chunk of Rome's history here and the narratives are exciting and intriguing in almost equal measure. History in the making this is a contribution to Roman Historiography. It contains an introduction that itself is worth some of the cost of the book, textual notes, a chronology of events, maps and some useful appendices. It is also a new translation of Livy's work. Highly recommended.

Livy has always been a difficult historian to get to grips with, but in this new translation of his Books 6-10 we get a chance to make sense of what was going on in 4th Century BC Italy - at least as far as Livy wanted his readers in late 1st C BC/early 1st C AD to understand it. The big problem is that Livy - more than most of his contemporaries perhaps - was not what we call a professional historian. He wasn't interested necessarily in reaching some objective truth, but telling a good story. He does this, but it can at time be a repetitive read of squabbles between the plebs and patricians, and a series of Roman armies under the consuls going out to slaughter various uppity Latins/Etruscans/Samnites etc etc. He never asks why the other peoples of Italy might be objecting to Roman conquest (unlike, say Tacitus in his Agricola with Calgacus) and in that respect always to me seems to be the ancient world's equivalent of a Daily Mail columnist (a British tabloid for those non-UK readers). But in terms of this new translation - I'd heartily recommend it. Yardley and Hoyos are to be congratulated on the text, notes and glossary - all of which I found very useful indeed.

With this volume translations of all the surviving parts of Livy's History are now available in the Oxford World's Classics series. It is noteworthy, however, that this section (Books 6-10) has been left to the end. Perhaps the focus on the conquest of Italy by the martial Roman state might be considered of less interest, indeed less sympathy, to a modern readership than the foundation legends of Books 1-5 or the long and desperate Hannibalic Wars of the Third Century. The five Books or chapters of this edition cover Rome's history in the Fourth Century, the period immediately following the capture of Rome by the Gauls and concluding with the defeat of the tough mountain warriors of Samnium. Livy is a hugely influential figure in historiography. His narrative and annalistic approach concentrates on notable wars and political events focusing on the actions of `great men', a method followed by many subsequent historians. He was scholarly, religious (although sceptical at times) and intensely moralistic. His opening ten Books focus on the qualities which made Rome great (in his eyes) and contrasting those virtues with the decayed Rome of his own time (ironically the Rome of Augustus Caesar). The catalogue of Roman wars here accompanied by inevitable Roman victory is not without interest, but it is often the incidental anecdotes which spice the narrative. Incidents I enjoyed especially include the account of the apparent attempt of 170 Roman wives to poison their husbands (8.18), and one Roman general's pragmatic, if not cynical, attitude towards the omens proclaimed by `the keeper of the chickens' just before an important battle (10.40); but for me it is when Rome must face adversity that the narrative is most gripping: the account of the famous debacle of the Caudine Forks when the Samnites successfully trap and then spare an entire Roman army is the standout event of this volume (9.1-11). The translation is very readable and the accompanying notes are instructive and unobtrusive. There is an excellent introduction, useful appendices and index. The publication of this volume is timely and a worthy addition to the series.

Books 6-10 tell the story of Rome from 390 to 293 BC, and were most likely written by Livy in the early 20s BC. The history opens with the aftermath of the capture of Rome by an army of Gauls. Most of the narrative is concerned with Rome's repeated wars with their neighbours (thus the title of this edition). The other main theme of the history is the struggle between Rome's upperclass patricians and the plebeian commoners over rights and political power. This translation is very readable, and the later books become much more expansive and descriptive about the events they depict than the earlier ones. There is no mention of years in the books themselves, each year being denoted by the names of the consuls for that year. The events of each year are laid down before moving on to the next. Livy's real talent lies in the events he chooses to include: Publius Decius and his men sneak into the heart of a Samnite camp and as they face discovery raise the battle cry; Titus Quinctius is dragged from his bed in the middle of the night and taken by force to lead a band of deserters against Rome; a devastating plague turns out to be a mass poisoning plot concocted by a group of 170 married women; a dictator is elected to perform a ceremony of hammering a nail to restore men's minds to sanity, after which he resigns. The introduction is detailed and a great help in understanding the history itself, with the addition of a map and chronology of events.

Titus Livius Patavinus, known to all as Livy, wrote his "History of Rome" in a massive 142 books, of which just ten survive; this collection being books 6-10. Given that Livy lived much closer to the historical events that he describes, these books are not so much a history as a retelling or an account. This new translation sheds much new light on the books, calling upon recent research and discoveries. It also includes an analysis of Livy's full but flawed appendix to the work, plus maps, glossaries and a host of other notes to help along the inquisitive reader. It is certainly an accomplished and thorough work from Yardley, who is an academic well-qualified to take on this subject, having previously tackled The Dawn of the Roman Empire: Books 31-40 (Oxford World's Classics) , Hannibal's War: Books 21-30, and numerous other weighty historical works. I can't vouch for the quality of the translation, but the text is alive and readable, and breathes life into subject. I can only marvel at the work involved in seeing this huge project through to completion.

Livy's stature as one of the greatest of Rome's historians is surely unchallenged. This new translation of books 6-10 of his "Rome's Italian Wars" is very readable; the language is modern and the grammar is clear. Livy is an important source for historians of Rome and this volume covers (roughly) the 4th century BCE. Of course, like all sources, you have to read Livy critically. He was writing some 300 years after the events he describes here so he was not a witness to them and is himself relying on earlier sources. The Introduction gives a clear outline of how the reader should treat Livy as a source which is very useful for a student of this period. All in all this is an excellent version and well worth having.

So much written history of the ancient world has been lost that the stuff that's left is of vital importance to furthering our knowledge of the mind set of those writing it and living it. Even Livy's histories were written hundreds of years after the event and are skewed towards his then readership, but are none the less important for the insights they give of Roman attitudes to life. This is an excellent and readable translation of some of Livy's histories that still exist: in this case books 6-10 covering the Samnite Wars. I would always caution about only reading history from one source and from a source that wrote 350+ years after the event he's describing, but these works are fascinating, eminently readable and a treasure. In this form they are affordable and will give some background to those who like me read a lot of fiction based around ancient Rome. The accompanying notes are also informative and help correct some of Livy's errors in timeline and detail.