Books by Livy
The War with Hannibal
by Livy
The History of Rome from Its Foundation (Ab Urbe Condita), Books XXI-XXX
“Livy’s whole thing is storytelling. He’d be a good BBC historian, popping up and doing documentaries, tramping around fields to tell us where things happened, and then stopping the camera and giving us a mini lecture or dramatically acting out what was said at a particular moment. He’s very rhetorical and into the narrative…One of my favorite passages in historical writing is Livy’s account of Hannibal crossing the Alps. It’s absolutely classic. And I guess the knock against him…is that maybe he’s not always 100% reliable. It goes back to how much is myth and how much is factual.” Read more...
Interviews where books by Livy were recommended
The Best Roman History Books, recommended by Ross King
To write The Shortest History of Ancient Rome, bestselling author Ross King went back to the insightful and often entertaining accounts Roman and Greek historians gave of the city’s past. He talks us through some of his favourites, from Polybius—who wrote during the Roman Republic’s heyday—to Cassius Dio, who penned his magnum opus as the Roman Empire was in its decline.
