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Comparison and contrast Thucydides and Livy in regard to what they consider the proper objects of historical writing
A lot of questions arise when reading the book by the historian of ancient Rome, Titus Livy, which is traditionally called “The History of Rome”, and, especially, after having read this book. The first question, is that how can we regard this book as historical writing, which was very popular for centuries if it is clearly seen that it doesn’t satisfy the demands which every serious work on history should correspond to? It is widely known, that sense of any serious research in the historical field is in comparing and analyzing facts and events of the past and finding logic which brings them together – whether these were economic, social or political events – and, relying on the founded sources, pointing this special place in the evolution of humanity where the society stands in the given epoch.
It is quite clear that logic found in this way would characterize the society as better as deeper they tell about self-production during work, relations appearing because of it and the environment where it is realized. Livy’s book lacks all of the points – there’s nothing told about how the people lived, its labor, its evolution of social structure, even a hint of a tendency to notice a true reflection of genuine events in the story, no tendency to find out Rome’s peculiarities by means of comparing its history with the history of surrounding it states and people.
Livy’s work is far from being perfect in methodological and research reproach, but can it be trusted in truth of the facts described in it? In other words, can Livy’s work play the role of a reliable historical source? It’s hard to answer this question. There are some missing parts in Livy’s work that were lost during the pass of time. These lost parts concern events of the second part of II century b.c. Livy is an important source, but sources are different from others.
Every historian knows that at the root of every work must lie facts, and his first point to do is to compare writings and works of his predecessors to find the maximum of objective information, to find the most reliable sources and then start writing his book.
Though, it seems that Livy avoided these rules. In surviving parts of his “The History of Rome”, 12 sources that were used for this work are listed, but Livy didn’t compare the facts written in each of them, he just noted different opinions.
For example, he said that in 204 years Senate decided to send the most virtuous citizen to meet the image of Agdistis and chose for this purpose Publius Scipius, and then Livy adds: “What his merits made Senate take this decision? I would eagerly write for future generations the opinions of writers, who lived at the times of these events, but I don’t want to break in the narration with my guesses about events hidden in the depth of Ancient Times” (XXIX, 14, 9). In another part of his story (IV, 23, 1) Livy tells us about one original source which was used by two of his predecessors, who formulated on this common basis two different views on the same events. Livy knows this source, but he rejects to explain it in his own words. It seems that the idea that “truth is only one” is strange for him.
In comparison to Livy, Thucydides, the most outstanding representative of Greek “Enlightenment”, tends to find the truth. He opposes his work to both poets with their love of exaggeration, and “logographs” (I, 21). Thucydides knew that his work would be rather dull, but he wrote it for those who want to know how it really was, just in case if in future something similar would happen. He didn’t regard his work as entertainment, but as a “precious thing forever” (I, 22).
Thucydides, according to his words, tended to exact (V, 26) and his book is written as if he was the witness of all the events, all his words were carefully checked (I, 22). He realizes that learning the truth is hard because real witnesses told about one and the same thing under the impact of passion or memory (I, 22). Therefore, the main concepts of historical critics are described for the first time in his work which makes it evident that his work was written conscientiously and with care in searching the truth. The style of his story is comparing. He notices parallels between Greeks on one of the stages of their development and barbarians (I, 3,6); gradual development; he doesn’t explain event due to some mythical (II, 17, 54).
In historical persons, Thucydides values first of all keen mind, intelligence, ability to see the real position of things and hence – the ability to foresee the future. But he judges independently on the final success: for example, the war which began under Pericles reign led to catastrophe, but Thucydides praises Pericles and his sagacity, opposite to Cleon, who conquered Sfacteria as he promised to his people, whom Thucydides considers to be light-minded and freaky (IV, 28, 3 6).
The contrast between Romulus and Numa Pompilius that Livy develops in Book 1
The military glory of Romulus involved a city of new settlers — Tyrrhenian. They have occupied the Escwillian hill. Romulus was a military king as all his reign was marked with wars.
Romulus and Tacius reigned together for 6 years. During this time they made some successful military campaigns. Romulus became the king of the united people.
In Livy’s work, it is said that Romulus created the senate consisting of 100 “fathers” at that time. After establishing the distinctions of the Supreme power, he founded the position of lector. He also divided people into 30 curias. Romulus founded three tribes: Ramns, Ticiuses and Tyrrhene. Also, in Livy’s work, Romulus is said to divide Romans into patricians and plebeians.
Having divided all people into 3 parts, Romulus has put over each of parts of most outstanding of people as the leader.
When Romulus separated the best from the worst, he was engaged in the legislation and has defined what it is necessary to do by each of them: to patricians — to be priests, to operate and judge, together with it to be engaged in state affairs; plebeians of Romulus has decided to release from all it. He appointed it employment by agriculture, cattle breeding and profitable crafts. Romulus considered it expedient to charge plebeians to the patricians, to each of them have given a choice to who from the people he will wish to become a cartridge. Romulus named protection poor and the lowest patronage, thus having established between them philanthropic and communications of the citizens.
Then Romulus founded senators who intended to operate the state, having typed 100 persons from patricians. Also, Romulus increased the number of senators to 100.
After the death of Romulus, the senate consisting at that time of hundred “fathers”, at first rules without the one-man management, each of patricians of rules within days, delegating the responsibility to another. But then it was decided that radical Romans would choose the king from Sabelians’ that neither that nor another was not insulting. Senators were selected devout Sabelians by Numa Pompilius as it was considered that he can strengthen the union between Romans and Sabelians. At first, he refused this great honor, however, the father and Marcius convinced him that only his wisdom could lead to achieving the aggressive people of Rome’s prosperity not only in war but also in the world.
Unlike all other Roman kings who actively waged wars, at Numa Pompilius’s reign the gate of the temple of Janus, which was usually opened at the beginning of confrontations, never opened.
In the seventh year of reign Numa Pompilius, in Italy burst out an epidemic which resulted in thousands of people both in Rome and in its vicinities deaths. According to a legend, once the king walked in the wood, anxious by a thought about national rescue, and suddenly with thunder and lightning skillfully trimmed board fell to his feet.
Patroness of Numa Pompilius, Egeria was there, and she told that this board was a gift from Jupiter, and described a special ritual with the help of which it was possible to avert any trouble from Rome. Numa Pompilius followed to the temple of the goddess and ordered to make 11 copies of this board which was ordered to hang up and store in a temple of Vesta. Also, the king founded a special brotherhood Salii which should annually dance a sacred dance in March, armed with these boards (Salii dancing).
Typically to the text of all his works, Livy doesn’t even give a hint about his opinion towards both kings. He only gives to the reader those thoughts that he found from other sources. So it is rather hard to discuss his relation towards any of them. Both Romulus and Numa, Livy describes by parts taken from different sources.
The several different forms of explanation that Eusebius provides for historical events
The main book written by Eusebius is “The History of the Church”. In this book, he tried for the first time to give a systematic treatment to the history of Christianity from the first Advent to the beginning of the 4th century, according to the church historical concept that he developed. To his mind, the history realizes through relations between God and “Christian people” (“The History of the Church”) – the total amount of all pious people. He doesn’t think of God as of the force, that strictly controls all the vents; his role in history is limited to the protection of “Christian people” and the function of their education (“divine pedagogic” (“The History of the Church”)).
He doesn’t influence war or political affairs and does not want anyone to take the way of the Truth; people keep some level of autonomy. History is a two-sided process, the result of the mutual activity of God and individuals, freely choosing their destinies (“synergy” (“The History of the Church”)). The sense of the Christian Church is in preserving, transferring, and spreading God’s Word and constant fighting against its wrench (heresies). The creation of the church’s historiographical genre became the main achievement of Eusebius. Thus he gave way to one of the most popular genres in historiography in the Medieval Times.
“The History of the Church” is greatly valued because there one can find a lot of parts from many lost texts. It informs about many stories of apostolic times and communities, which can be lit the light of how the Gospel was written. “The History of the Church” is a very useful book for researches on the history of the New Testament.
Eusebius’s thoughts and ideas about canons which reflect one of the church traditions are very interesting. He divided “The History of the Church” into three categories: “Omolgumena” (common The Four Gospels), “Antilegomena” (the gospels which are still discussed), and “Nota” (apocryphal gospels, also Eusebius points that to this category The Revelation can also be referred). Among apocryphal Eusebius considers The Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Thomas, Acts of apostles John, Andrew and others to be the most absurd and contradictory to the Church’s studies (“The History of the Church”, III, 25, 6). Also, Eusebius tried to find out in his “The History of the Church” the family tree of Jesus Christ (I, 7).
Eusebius was the first to notice that some of the citations in the Old Testament in Gospels from Matthew and John correspond to some Jewish texts, in spite of “Septuagint”. The researches of Eusebius were closely connected to the order of Constantine, the Emperor, who wanted him to write a book of such kind. That means that equal to the apostles king trusted Eusebius to distinguish the traditional volume of canonical Scripture.
Eusebius was also the first to turn his attention to Synoptic Problems, dividing the Gospel into ten parts or “canons”, where he marked statements common for all four Gospels. Thus Eusebius gave the way to historical and literary critics of the New Testament.
In the first part of the book, “Chronography”, the compressed review of the history of some the ancient people, including lists of tsars and the duration of their board is given. The second part, «Chronological Canons», represents the collection of synchronic tables of the basic events of history from the bible Abraham till 325 years. Because of contradictions between dating of bible events in the Jewish text and Septuagint Eusebius began the chapter only with Abraham, marking that the date of creation of the world in various versions of the Bible differs.
In this work of Eusebius, leaning against earlier authors, developed the chronology of history focused on the transfer of its universal character and sense. “Chronicle” is both historical, and theological composition because his main idea was to prove on historic facts antiquity and the authority of the Old Testament based on it. The merit of Eusebius is that he has tried to order the basic historical events of world history on time.
Ancient Greeks represented history not as a consecutive current of time and as a time vessel, whence the facts and events were taken as required. Antique documentary sources did not trouble themselves with absolute chronology advanced in years, the time-binding was carried out on board of tsars. Inscriptions were usually made so: such event has occurred in such year of board of the given sovereign, or consulate of such persons in Ancient Rome. In classical antiquity there was no uniform reference mark of the years, each city in Greece had its own calendar and even months were considered on miscellaneous.
The original copy of the book, written in Greek is, unfortunately, lost.
Works Cited
Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. trans. Lattimore, Steven. In: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 1998. Print.
Livy. The History of the Roe. trans. Warrior. n. p. n. d. Print.
Eucebius. The History of Church. Penguin Classics. n. d. Print.
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