Livy

History of Rome

This monumental historical prose by Titus Livius chronicles the vast trajectory of Rome from its legendary founding to the author's contemporary era. The narrative begins with Aeneas's arrival in Latium after the fall of Troy and the founding of the city by Romulus, tracing the period of the seven kings and the birth of the Republic, marked by intense class struggles between patricians and plebeians. It then dramatically recounts the Second Punic War against the formidable Carthaginian general Hannibal, detailing Rome's devastating defeats, its miraculous resilience, and its ultimate triumph in Africa. The subsequent sections follow Rome's rapid expansion into the eastern Mediterranean through relentless conflicts with Macedonia, Greece, and Antiochus III of Syria. Capturing not only military campaigns and political debates but also the moral transformations and religious rituals of the people, the work vividly depicts Rome's rise to global hegemony.