Livy's Historical Philosophy

Abstract

Independently of its editorial structure, Livy's Roman History has, at its core, a cyclical concept of time which makes it possible to link together the foundation and the various refoundations of Rome -by Romulus, by Camillus, by Augustus- each distant from the other by 360-5 years. Every one of these sequences can be divided into ascending and descending periods of equal length of time which lead to two moral apexes, the first under Servius Tullius and the second occuring at the time of Rome's success during the Second Punic War and symbolised by the historical figure of Scipio Africanus. Whether the cycle is one of decline or renewal depends on the degree of discordia or concordia prevalent in the city at the time which, in its turn, is dependent on the respect or non respect for the major Roman values shown by its citizens. This cyclical pattern points to the establishment of Augustus's Republican principate as being a defining moment in Roman history and is proof that Livy was prepared to gamble on the success of Augustus's project of restoring moral values and a lawful state.

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