+- RomanArmyTalk (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat)
+-- Forum: Research Arena (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Roman Military History & Archaeology (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Thread: Done with Livy, what\'s next? (/showthread.php?tid=3389)
Done with Livy, what\'s next? - floofthegoof - 05-19-2005
I finished all the surviving books from Livy. I really love reading history from ancient sources, and this narrative was excellent reading. Modern history books are extremely boring to me, as they are usually organized in an un-chronological, convoluted way that obscures many of the lessons to be learned from history.
Now I need to find another source to learn from the fall of Macedon forward. I'm reading Plutarch's lives right now, but I'm hoping for a similar narrative style to that of Livy that covers the period after 140 B.C. or so.
I'm asking anyone who knows, if you could create a complete Roman history exclusively from ancient authors, using the *fewest* authors possible to get complete coverage accross time, what would the reading list be? and in what order?
Re: Done with Livy, what\'s next? - Praefectusclassis - 05-19-2005
Well, there is kinda a gap in historians from the end of the surviving books of Livy (but see the Periochae for the surviving bits and pieces of the rest). Appian is the most complete history of the first C BC up till 35 BC. The surviving books of Cassius Dio cover a large part of the century as well. Then it's Tacitus Annals & History, interspersed with fragments of Dio, followed by Herodian.
More biographies: Suetonius & the Historia Augusta.
Re: Done with Livy, what\'s next? - floofthegoof - 05-19-2005
Nice! thanks. I read that Appian goes back to 133 B.C. That's very close to Livy. I was able to get a few years after Livy with Polybios, but not many.
Re: Done with Livy, what\'s next? - Praefectusclassis - 05-20-2005
Doh, Polybios. Almost forgot about him. He uses a more thematic order for his story, but is generally better than Livy.
Re: Done with Livy, what\'s next? - floofthegoof - 05-20-2005
Quote:Doh, Polybios. Almost forgot about him. He uses a more thematic order for his story, but is generally better than Livy.
When Livy mentions his sources, he seems to always prefer Polybios.
You have to admit though, we are very lucky to have Livy's year by year.