French Literature Reviews - 2026

B. Mineo, Livy and the History of Rome
History, Politics and Society

Bernard Mineo, Livy and the History of Rome
Klincksieck, "Études et commentaires" 107, 2006, 416 p.
ISBN: 2-252-03572-2
EAN: 9782252035726
33 €

Positioned at the very core of our knowledge of ancient Rome and contemporaneous with the principate of Augustus—whose concerns it mirrors—Livy's work is an essential touchstone for anyone undertaking the study of Roman antiquity. Yet this venerable historical document does not easily yield its secrets, not so much because of the material difficulties its reading might present, but rather due to the extreme complexity of Livy's design and literary style.
What, then, are the ultimate purpose and ideological significance of an enterprise that occupied the historian from Padua for his entire life? What is the key to a monumental architectural structure that time has scarcely spared? It is precisely these questions that this book attempts to address.

Bernard Mineo examines the monumental historical project of the Roman historian Livy, whose work remains a fundamental source for understanding ancient Rome and the political climate of the Augustan principate. Written from the perspective that this historical document presents challenges through its complex literary style and architectural structure, the volume addresses the ultimate purpose and ideological significance of the historian's lifelong enterprise.

Readers interested in classical historiography and Augustan literature may find this study relevant to their pursuits. The volume situates its inquiry within the broader tradition of Latin prose and historical writing, engaging with the interpretive difficulties posed by large-scale classical texts. The discussion remains closely tied to the specific questions of design and purpose raised by Livy's surviving books and fragments.