CC200:TransitiontoRome–March20,2009Pleaseprintoutthisfile(back‐to‐back,tosavepaper)andbringittoclassonFridayThe enclosed passages reveal some essential values of importance to the Romans during theRepublic(509‐31BCE).The passagesareexcerptedfromthe worksoftwohistoriansand oneworkofuncertainauthorship:- Livy, writer of an exhaustive 142‐book History of Rome from the Foundation of the City inLatinthatbeganwiththeheroAeneas’arrivalinItalyandendedwiththehistoryofLivy’scontemporariesinthelate1stcenturyBCE.- Polybius, a Greek statesman who was taken hostage in 167 BCE when Rome wasconquering Greece, was then brought to Rome and lived in the household of the literarypatronsthe Scipios.Polybius’UniversalHistory, written inGreek,was a pragmatike historiaor“pragmatichistory”ofRome’sconquestoftheMediterranean.- A 3rd or 2nd c. BCE treatise attributed to Phintys, a female member of the PythagoreancommunityinsouthernItaly.Writingssuchasthisareprobablynotwrittenbywomen,butrather consist of rhetorical exercises and treatises composed by men; their content dealswithtopicsparticularlydeartotheheartsofmen:womenʹsduties,womenʹschastity,howtobehavewhenyourhusbandacquiresamistress,etc.Thetextsarecollectedinfourgroups:1)Livy1preface- How does Livy’s methodology for writing history compare with that of Herodotus orThucydides? What does Livy say about Rome’s past and her present (he’s writing in theageofAugustus,whoruled31BCE–14CE)?- What values are important to Livy, and how does he use these values to prepare hisreaders?2)Livy1.1‐4,157‐60,and5.50‐55:“TheEarliestLegends,”“TheRapeofLucretia,”and“TheSpeechofCamillus”- In these passages, what values does Livy stress? how does he view Rome’s most distant pastandhowdoesitconnecttoherpresentandfuture?- WhatistheallegorywhichthestoryofLucretiapresents?- What are Camillus’ arguments for not abandoning the city of Rome and on what valuesdoeshebasehiscase?3)Polybius6.11‐18:“TheRomanConstitutions”- What are the various elements of Rome’s republican constitution and why does PolybiusconsiderRome’sgovernmentideal?4)TreatiseattributedtoPhintys:“Chastity”;Livy34.1,“WomenOpposetheOppianLaw”- Whataretheidealvirtuesofawoman?howshouldawomanbehaveandhowshouldshenotbehave?Thesesamequestionsarealsoposedaftereachsetofdocuments.Pleasetypeupyouranswersasnotesand bringthemtoclassalong with this handout; you’llneedthem toshare withtheclassyouranalysesofthesetextswhenIcallonyou. 11)LivyHistoryofRome1PrefaceWhetherthetaskIhaveundertakenofwritingacompletehistoryoftheRomanpeoplefromtheverycommencementofitsexistencewillrewardmeforthelaborspentonit,Ineitherknow for certain, nor if I did know would I venture to say. For I see that this is an old‐establishedandacommonpractice,eachfreshwriterbeinginvariablypersuadedthat hewilleither attain greater certainty in the materials of his narrative, or surpass the rudeness ofantiquityintheexcellenceofhisstyle.Howeverthismaybe,itwillstillbeagreatsatisfactiontometohave takenmypart,too,ininvesting,totheutmostofmyabilities,theannalsoftheforemostnationintheworldwithadeeperinterest;andifinsuchacrowdofwritersmyownreputationisthrownintotheshade,Iwouldconsolemyselfwiththerenownandgreatnessofthosewhoeclipsemyfame.Thesubject,moreover,isonethatdemandsimmenselabor.Itgoesback beyond 700 years and, after starting from small and humble beginnings, has grown tosuch dimensions that it begins to be overburdened by its greatness. I have very little doubt,too, that for the majority of my readers the earliest times and those immediately succeeding,willpossesslittleattraction;they willhurryontothese moderndaysinwhichthemightofalong paramount nation is wasting by internal decay. I, on the other hand, shall look for afurtherrewardofmylabors in being able toclosemyeyes to theevilswhichour generationhas witnessed for so many years; so long, at least, as I am devoting all my thoughts toretracingthosepristinerecords,freefromalltheanxietywhichcandisturbthehistorianofhisowntimesevenifitcannotwarphimfromthetruth.The traditions of what happened prior to the
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