Livy: His Historical Aims and Methods

Abstract

Livy has been frequently underestimated as a writer. This study aims to explain Livy's aims and his historical and literary methods. It first sets the historian within his Augustan background and within the tradition of ancient historiography; then presents a detailed account of his religious and moral preocuupations, his use of sources and his Latinity; and finally examines the literary theories which underlie both narrative and speeches.