The History of Rome Volumes 1-6, Books 1-45 - Titus Livy Audiobook

Written by Titus Livy
Read by Charlton Griffin
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 96 Kbps
Unabridged

Volume 1, Books 1-5
When Livy began his epic The History of Rome, he had no idea of the fame and fortune he would eventually attain. He would go on to become the most widely read writer in the Roman Empire and was eagerly sought out and feted like a modern celebrity. And his fame continued to grow after his death. His bombastic style, his intricate and complex sentence structure, and his flair for powerfully recreating the searing drama of historical incidents made him a favorite of teachers and pupils alike. Along with Virgil and Cicero, Livy formed the Latin triumvirate of essential studies for two thousand years.
Hardly anyone who was educated was unaware of at least some of the more famous stories of Roman myth and history as told by Titus Livius. When completed, Livy’s magnificent work consisted of 142 books (i.e. long chapters), and covered the period from the mythical founding of Rome through the time of Augustus. Books 1–10 and 21–45 are all that have come down to us in reasonably complete form. Volume 1 consists of books 1–5, which takes us from the founding of Rome in the eighth century BC to its sack by the Gauls in 390 BC. The Audio Connoisseur series will eventually come to six volumes.This version was translated by Roberts.

Volume 2, Books 6-10
Livy continues his magnificent epic, with Rome in complete ruin after the Gallic invasion and sack of the city in 310 B.C. Led by Camillus, one of Rome’s great heroic patricians, the city regains her self-confidence and once more becomes the leader of the Latin people.
Painstakingly rebuilding alliances, forging friendships, cementing relations among her own people, and fighting endless wars, Rome soon becomes the dominant power among the fractious Italic tribes on the Latin plain. For 50 years, the Romans maintain political and economic stability while pursuing an aggressive stance toward the other, more distant, warlike Italic peoples. Rome is under constant threat of invasion from many quarters and her disciplined soldiers are kept in perfect training. And they need to be.
After many decades, the Romans finally manage to conquer the Etruscans and the mighty Samnites, at last bringing most of the Italian peninsula under their control. Livy’s The History of Rome continues in an additional four volumes.

Volume 3, Books 21-25
The incredible saga of Hannibal and his invasion of Italy in 218 B.C. is the subject of this third volume of Livy’s magnificent history. As only Livy can describe it, we are swept into the era of the Second Punic War and given a ringside view of the leadership of both sides. The stirring account of Hannibal crossing the Alps, the brutal description of Cannae, and the relentless Roman siege of Syracuse are some of the highlights of this remarkable story.
Never has the undaunted courage of the Roman soldier been more fully accounted for, and never has the language of history been more dramatically set down as it has in the searing pages of Titus Livy. The Hannibalic War lives on in this mighty epic of ancient literary history.
Livy’s The History of Rome continues in an additional three volumes.

Volume 4, Books 26-32
No historian has ever possessed the ability to highlight dramatic episodes in the manner that Livy accomplished. He had an uncanny feel for the narrative potential inherent in historical works, and he brought out the drama so well that, even after 2,000 years, we still feel a stirring thrill whenever we hear his retelling of the epic grandeur of the Roman Republic.
In this volume, Hannibal and Carthage are finally worn down by the grim determination of the Roman people, and their army is destroyed at Zama by Publius Scipio. And hardly is this over before the vengeful Romans cast their eyes eastward to Philip of Macedon, who had made the fatal error of backing the Carthaginians.
Livy’s The History of Rome continues in an additional two volumes. Translation: William Masfen Roberts.

Volume 5, Books 33-39
Livy’s purpose in writing his famous history was to show how Rome had started out as a city state full of brave, idealistic and virtuous citizens, but had then descended into the voracious, debauched, and immoral empire it had become by his own time in the late 1st century B.C. And the evidence was compelling.
In volume five, Rome begins to confront the corrupt tyrannies and monarchies of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. At first, her intention is simply to free the Greek cities from the yoke of bondage put in place by Philip of Macedon, Antiochus, and others. The task was all the more rewarding in that Philip and Antiochus had aided and abetted the Carthaginians earlier. But the thrill of liberation turns into the burden of empire as Rome assumes a role it cannot easily back away from. Soon, the protector of Greece becomes its jailor. And the corruption in the east moves west.
Livy’s The History of Rome continues in one additional volume.

Volume 6, Books 40-45
Livy’s splendid adventure of Rome’s rise to dominance comes to a close in this concluding volume of his magnificent history. Sadly, the work abruptly halts near the completion of book 45, which concerns events in Greece in the year 168 BC. The missing portions, numbering 107 books, have never been found. The original text of this monumental history, which came to 142 books when he completed it, carried the story to 9 BC. Livy called his work Ab Urbe Condita, though we refer to it as The History of Rome.
Almost the entire subject of volume six deals with Rome’s struggle with Macedon, ending in the defeat of Perseus at the battle of Pydna. It was an epic struggle with a dangerous foe. And though it was certainly not intended by Livy to be the end of his work, this segment does provide a spectacular display of his writing talent and penchant for drama… a fitting end to an epic work. Translation: Roberts

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