Livy II: History of Rome, Books 3-4

Livy is particularly fantastic at the rhythm of history. His writing is not of a historian but rather a masterful author who knows how to make a brilliant story. There's so much to say about this book from how patrician/plebeian relations are still relevant today and perhaps a lesson in progressive politics. In how war is not necessarily a glorious affair but a mundane one with terrible consequences if not given immense detail.

What I love is Livy's use of set pieces. You have a whole drama between the plebeians and patricians but then suddenly you have a whole storyline with a great general or statesman. Figures like Verginius who killed his daughter to prevent her debasement under a decimvir or Coriolanus who fought Rome in his exile or most recently Camilus who captured Veii not through force but through planning and strategy. This shows that Livy perhaps like a moderate balance between great men and long-term structures that created Rome.

Livy is not exactly a brilliant historian. He relies on authorities but does not analyse the sources himself, a severe lack of primary source analysis. Futhermore he refuses to cut out mythology which might show him as more of a propagandist rather than historian. This is apparent to me with the recapture of Rome when he critiques the generals for not carrying out religious rituals before battle (Camilus also argues this later). A serious historian would not rely on religious arguments for a defeat in battle, especially when he himself loved Camilus who argued for strategy and planning that affects fortune.

Regardless of my views of Livy as a historian, this is still an excellent book for its wide array of stories that capture a sense of historical rhythm I haven't seen elsewhere.