Commentary
The two previous essays (here and here) observed that the final years of the Roman Republic and the first years of the Roman Empire produced some outstanding poets. This period produced some outstanding historians as well. The one with the most impact on the American constitution-makers was Titius Livius, whom English speakers call “Livy.”
Like Cicero and Virgil, Livy hailed from a provincial Italian town. He was born either in 59 or 64 B.C.E. in Patavium (Padua), about 25 miles east of Venice. Unlike Cicero—but like Virgil—Livy didn’t pursue a military or political career. He spent his entire life as a scholar….