In the last two decades, the study of the Augustan historian Livy has undergone a renaissance. Once scorned as a dull compiler and apologist for the Augustan regime, Livy is now recognized not only as a masterful stylist but also as a subtle and challenging thinker. In this class, we will focus on his history of early Rome, reading portions of books 1 and 5 in Latin, and other selections from the first pentad in English. Major themes will include women, religion, and political power in the <i>Ab Urbe Condita,</i> the relationship between Livy’s work and the Augustan principate, Livy’s methods as a historian, and the larger, related problems of the character of ancient historiography and our knowledge of early Roman history generally.
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