Commentary on Livy – serie

Books VI-X of Livy's history of Rome describe the beginnings of Rome's conquest of Italy in the fourth century BC and contain some of Livy's finest writing. This is the first full-scale, scholarly commentary to be written on this part of the history in modern times. The first of three volumes, this book contains an extensive introduction and the commentary to Book VI. The introduction provides a full analysis of the Roman annalistic tradition, of Livy's style and narrative technique, and of the manuscript tradition; the commentary devotes equal attention to historical, literary, linguistic, and textual matters. The remaining two volumes, which are forthcoming, will deal with Books VII-VIII and IX-X respectively. An indispensable work of reference for anyone interested in Latin literature and early Roman history, as well as for scholars of Livy himself, these three volumes represent a major new contribution to Latin scholarship.

Livy's tenth book, an exciting climax to his first decade, narrates two political advances of 300 BC, the Lex Valeria de provocatione and the opening up of major priesthoods to plebeians; it also tells of the Spartan Cleonymus' landfall at the site that long afterwards would be Venice. Its main topic, however, is Roman warfare, above all the outbreak of the Third Samnite War and the decisive battle of Sentium in 295 BC. This new commentary, which completes Professor Oakley's exposition of Books VI-X, deals comprehensively with all aspects of Livy's work, including the literary structure of his narrative, the historical and topographical problems of the Samnite Wars, the poetical and archaic language sometimes affected by Livy, and the numerous textual problems posed by the extant manuscripts. An extensive section of addenda and corrigenda contains revisions to the preceding volumes.