This document discusses whether Livy can be considered an "Augustan" author who was influenced by Augustus and his regime. It examines Livy's works for direct mentions of Augustus, veiled comparisons to Augustus, and similarities between the moral values Livy promotes and those encouraged by Augustus. While Livy directly mentions Augustus only a few times in a positive light, some scholars argue Livy compares historical figures like Romulus, Numa Pompilius, and Scipio Africanus to Augustus through their similarities. However, others note Livy criticizes some of these same figures and seems to prefer the Roman Republic over kingship, making his support of Augustus unclear. Overall, while Livy's
This document discusses whether Livy can be considered an "Augustan" author who was influenced by Augustus and his regime. It examines Livy's works for direct mentions of Augustus, veiled comparisons to Augustus, and similarities between the moral values Livy promotes and those encouraged by Augustus. While Livy directly mentions Augustus only a few times in a positive light, some scholars argue Livy compares historical figures like Romulus, Numa Pompilius, and Scipio Africanus to Augustus through their similarities. However, others note Livy criticizes some of these same figures and seems to prefer the Roman Republic over kingship, making his support of Augustus unclear. Overall, while Livy's
This document discusses whether Livy can be considered an "Augustan" author who was influenced by Augustus and his regime. It examines Livy's works for direct mentions of Augustus, veiled comparisons to Augustus, and similarities between the moral values Livy promotes and those encouraged by Augustus. While Livy directly mentions Augustus only a few times in a positive light, some scholars argue Livy compares historical figures like Romulus, Numa Pompilius, and Scipio Africanus to Augustus through their similarities. However, others note Livy criticizes some of these same figures and seems to prefer the Roman Republic over kingship, making his support of Augustus unclear. Overall, while Livy's
To what extent can Livy be considered an Augustan author? (i.e.
to what extent was Livy
influenced by the moral and social values promoted by Augustus and his regime?)
Word Count: 2009
This essay will attempt to ascertain how fair it would be to call Titus Livius (Livy) an Augustan author, and if it is fair to say so, to what extent is it fair to say Livy was heavily influenced by Augustus moral and social objectives and views. This will be achieved by initially looking at direct references to Augustus throughout his works, specifically books one to five. Though because these are few and far between, I will also scour Livys works for more veiled hints at Augustus. Finally this essay will look at the moral values that Livy praises and compare them with the social and moral values that Augustus himself encouraged during his time in power. I will also examine whether other alleged connections between Livy and Augustus are credible and amount to any influence in Livys work. So to summarise this essay will answer the question of Livys credentials as an Augustan historian in the following ways; looking at direct mentions of Augustus in Livys works, looking for veiled comparisons to Augustus in his works, by contrasting Livys moral and social views with those of Augustus himself and finally by dismissing the claim that Augustus had any great impact upon Livys thought and works by showing that there were many areas where the two vehemently disagreed and that the areas they agreed upon have a different root in Livy. In books one to five Livy only directly mentions Augustus on a mere two separate and unrelated occasions. These comments themselves are rather unspectacular and are not major points in Livys work just two among many minor divergences from the narrative of early Rome. The first comment regards the temple of Janus and reads as follows Since Numas reign the temple has twice been closed and after the battle of Actium where Augustus Caesar brought peace to the world by land and sea. 1 In the passage Augustus appears to be a sideshow to Numa. While he is merely a side point (and not the only one as Manlius and the First Punic War are also mentioned 2 ) he is certainly cast in a positive light by Livy. It would be hard to find anyone willing to argue that bringing peace to the world was not a just cause, and this is what Livy credits Augustus with doing at Actium. However despite the lofty praise afforded to Augustus in this passage, it remains merely a fleeting comment in a section dedicated to Numa Pompilius and Augustus name is not uttered again until book four.
1 Livy , The Early History of Rome (England: Penguin Books: 2002): 52 2 Livy , The Early History of Rome, 52 In book 4 Livy mentions that Augustus enters the temple of Jupiter Feretrius and read the inscription on some donated spoils. 3 However once again the emphasis of the passage is not Augustus but instead it is Cossus, who the spoils were donated by. The spoils donated by Cossus were disputed because there were questions surrounding Cossus eligibility to deposit the spoils of honour in the temple of Jupiter Feretrius due to his military standing. Livy implies that Augustus viewing the spoils grants them a sense of legitimacy; this appears to afford almost a sense of reverence to Augustus. But upon further reading of the passage it becomes very clear that it is once again not really about Augustus. Instead Livy says that it would be almost sacrilege to deprive Cossus of so great a witness to his spoils than (Augustus) Caesar. 4 While this extract obviously is focused on Cossus it praises both men greatly and in Augustus case subtly, in a fashion similar to Livys famous account of the discussion between Hannibal and Scipio Africanus after the battle of Zama. 5 While the quote so obviously praises Cossus by saying to deprive him of acknowledgement of his spoils would be akin to sacrilege it places Augustus in great standing. By saying that Augustus is such a great witness Livy is telling his audience his personal admiration for Augustus, though it does not give the reason for that admiration. In Livys first 5 books Augustus receives some rare instances of flattery from Livy but they are not more common or magnificent in nature than that given to other characters in the aforementioned books. What is more Augustus appearances in the first 5 books are by way of his interactions with places that were prominent in the early history of Rome, Livy certainly does not make any effort to bring Augustus into his first 5 books where there are plenty of other opportunities to mention Augustus directly, such as during the tales of the first two kings Romulus and Numa Pompilius. So from direct mentions it does not seem that Livy is heavily influenced by Augustus. Though this leads on to another way in which Livy brings appraisals of Augustus and his policies into his histories, that of using historical figures to convey aspects of Augustus. In book one Romulus is depicted as a great warrior king who leads the Romans in victorious conquests of neighbouring states and kingdoms. In one of the direct references to Augustus Livy mentions that Augustus won victory on sea and land with the battle of Actium in the civil war. 6 In fact Walsh (1961) says that there was a wave of feeling in Rome that Augustus (then under the name Octavian) was the second coming of Romulus who would be a second founder. 7 Walsh even goes on to say that in this sense Livy can be seen as an Augustan historian, though this certainly is not the final word as he goes on to qualify this by saying he was not a blind propagandist for Augustus regime. 8 This feeling of Augustus as
3 Livy , The Early History of Rome, 312 4 Livy , The Early History of Rome, 312 5 Brian T. Carey, Hannibals Last Battle: Zama & The Fall of Carthage (Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military: 2007): 129-130 6 Livy, The Early History of Rome, 52 7 P.G. Walsh, Livy: His Historical Aims and Methods (London: Cambridge University Press: 1963): 10 8 P.G. Walsh, Livy: His Historical Aims and Method, 10 a second Romulus is thought by many scholars (including Walsh) to have had an impact on Livy and contributed to favourable depictions and comparisons for Augustus in Livys work. However there is another possible explanation for this, it is that Livys own personal upbringing in the notoriously backwater Patavium would give him a similar moral and social ideal to Augustus, and that it is more a case of correlation in thought than a causation on the part of Augustus. However the argument that Livys background led him to have these views on society neglects to answer one key thing about his work relating to Augustus. That is the thinly veiled comparisons to Romulus and Numa Pompilius among others. In book one Livy anoints Romulus as the great warrior and Numa as the pious bringer of peace yet both harbour similarities to Augustus. Augustus was a great conqueror and expanded Roman territory by more than anyone who preceded him, he was undoubtedly seen as a great warrior ruler so the connection to Romulus is through his expansionist military actions. 9 In his comparison of Augustus to Numa, Livy gives a great deal of praise to Numa for his piety and opening of so many temples as well as installing religious institutions. 10 As Galinsky (1996) correctly points out Augustus reign is particularly identifiable for the restoration of 83 temples and the construction of twelve new temples in the capital alone. 11 Walsh correctly points out that all these comparisons between Augustus and Numa, Romulus, Camillus etc. are flawed in the sense that Livy openly scathes figures such as Camillus and has Romulus killed, are they bold warnings to Augustus in the same sense that comparing Numas religious conventions with Augustus religious revivals are seen as favourable comparisons. 12 Another way in which these alleged comparisons are flawed is demonstrated by Machiavelli among others in his Discourses. Machiavelli shows how Livy appears to strongly favour the Republic over the Kingships of old. 13 So it would seem strange for Livy to compare Augustus with a form of government he considers inferior to the early Republic. Though scholars also suggest that Livy also puts aspects of Augustus in Scipio Africanus 14 , who was of course the Roman general who finally succeeded in vanquishing Hannibal in the Second Punic War. This less than one sided series of supposed comparisons for Augustus should be able to remove any lingering suspicions that Livy was merely a mouthpiece for Augustus regime. Despite that however a lot of Livys exempla have a moral and social outlook which would appear to endorse Augustus social and religious policies. For example Augustus wanted to promote marriage and reduce adultery. 15 The story of Verginia and her fathers fight to keep her pudicitia strongly agrees with Augustus promotion of marriage and old religious moral values. Other actions taken by Augustus such as the reconstruction and reopening of so
9 Karl Galinsky, Augustan Culture (New Jersey: Princeton University Press: 1996): 84 10 Livy, The Early History of Rome, 52 11 Karl Galinsky, Augustan Culture, 294 12 P.G. Walsh, Livy: His Historical Aims and Methods, 16 13 Nicollo Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy (London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co: 1883): 81 14 P.G. Walsh, Livy: His Historical Aims and Method, 16 15 Kitty Chisolm & John Ferguson, Rome: The Augustan Age (New York: Oxford University Press: 1981): 179-180 many temples is discreetly praised by Livy as his praise for Numa the king who opened many of the temples is so clear for all to see. The largest piece of evidence against Livy being heavily Augustan in his ideals is that he has what Walsh described as a pathological hatred for Kingship. 16 And this in combination with Livys adoration of the Republican system and the libertas it produced and it adds further doubt to the claim that Livy is even an Augustan author at all. The area where there can be little doubt as to whether Livy agrees with Augustus or not is that of Romes moral standing. In his preface Livy makes it abundantly clear that he disapproves of Romes current state. While Livy is not the first to point to a moral decline in Rome, he explicitly refers to it a lot and offers his opinion on its cause. Other Roman historians such as Sallust also wrote about the Roman moral decline and this was a popular theme of thought in Rome at the end of the Republican era. 17 This is important as it shows that these Augustan principles actually pre-dated Augustus and that it does not necessarily mean that because Livy and Augustus shared the view that Rome was in a moral decline that Livy was Augustus mouthpiece. There are several other factors that we know of Livys life which may give us a clue as to how influenced Livy was by Augustus and his social and moral policies. Firstly Tacitus tells us that Livy and Augustus became friendly, and that furthermore Livy was chosen as a tutor for the future emperor Claudius. 18 However not all accounts of Livys personal relationship with Augustus are as affable, Tacitus also says that Augustus disapproved of Livys accounts of the recent past and even labelled him a Pompeian. 19 This may have been in jest as if Augustus did genuinely see Livy as a Pompeian then it is likely that Livy would have been tried for treason and his works burnt. However whether it was in jest or not it seems to do harm to the hypothesis of Livy being an Augustan author when Augustus himself certainly didnt see Livys histories as being too favourable to him. It also appears that Livy himself didnt think his histories regarding Augustus as being too sympathetic towards the Emperor; this is because the summary of book 121 states that book 121 wasnt published until after the death of Augustus, presumably for fear of reprisals if the book offended Augustus. 20
This essay has demonstrated that Livy rarely mentions Augustus outside of the books concerning his principate and when he is referred to by Livy it is not for a glorious story but usually as an aside to the main narrative of that book, as was the case with Numa and the temple of Janus. I have also shown that while some of Livys social views happen to be the same as those of Augustus there is no proof of influence on Augustus behalf. Instead as this essay has shown Livy was more likely to be influenced by his conservative upbringing in Padua or from other writers such as Sallust. And finally the fact that Livy didnt release the
16 P.G. Walsh, Livy: His Historical Aims and Methods, 272 17 P.G. Walsh, Livy: His Historical Aims and Methods, 10 18 Livy, The War with Hannibal (London: Penguin Books: 1972): 8 19 Livy , The Early History of Rome, 1 20 Livy , The Early History of Rome, 1 histories concerning Augustus directly show that Augustus cant have had much sway over what Livy wrote, rather it shows that Livy was an independent historian who wrote down his own views and some merely happened to correlate with the ideas and policies promoted during Augustus reign.
Bibliography: Carey, BT. Hannibals Last Battle: Zama & The Fall of Carthage (Great Britain: Pen & Sword Military: 2007) Chisolm, K. & Ferguson, J. Rome: The Augustan Age (New York: Oxford University Press: 1981) Galinsky, K. Augustan Culture (New Jersey: Princeton University Press: 1996) Livy, The War with Hannibal (London: Penguin Books: 1972) Livy , The Early History of Rome (England: Penguin Books: 2002) Machiavelli, N. Discourses on Livy (London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co: 1883) Walsh, PG. Livy: His Historical Aims and Methods (London: Cambridge University Press: 1963)
(Wisconsin Studies in Classics) Patricia J. Johnson-Ovid Before Exile - Art and Punishment in The Metamorphoses (Wisconsin Studies in Classics) - University of Wisconsin Press (2007)