Titus Livius or Livy - History of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita), COMPLETE, HISTORY, HANNIBAL, CARTHAGE, CINCINNATUS, WARS - 1547

1547 EDITION ON HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, HANNIBAL, CARTHAGE, SCIPIO AFRICANUS, ROMULUS, CINCINNATUS, ROME, POLITICS, WARS, by Titus Livius or Livy (59 BC–17 AD), a Roman historian, author of a history of Rome from its founding (753 BC) to the death of Drusus the Elder (9 BC). The work is known as "Ab Urbe Condita" (From the Foundation of the City) or simply as the "Decades" (Groups of Ten Books). For centuries, it was read by European scholars almost exclusively in Latin, this early translation into Italian is by Iacopo Nardi.(1473–1563), a Tuscan historian, intellectual, and political exile. This edition wasn't just a literal translation; he included scholarly annotations, marginalia, and explanatory glosses designed to clarify ancient Roman vocabulary, currency, unit of measurement, and geography for 16th-century readers. Livy’s book stands apart from modern historical writing, and even from other ancient historians like Polybius or Thucydides, because he was fundamentally less interested in the dry mechanics of politics and warfare than he was in human character. For Livy, history was a literary and moral project. Printed by the Lucantonio Giunta press in Venice, it is a magnificent volume, distinguished by superb typography and unparalleled textual precision. Original vellum binding with handwritten titles on the spine, in good condition as shown in the photos.

1547 RARE EDITION. Livy explicitly viewed history as a moral mirror and in the preface he states that the study of history yields "models for ourselves and for our country" alongside examples of "what to avoid." For Livy, the rise of Rome was driven by civic character, and its later struggles were the result of moral decay caused by immense wealth. Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (circa 458 BCE) was his ultimate positive example—the perfect embodiment of the ancestral customs. Livy uses his story to highlight 3 foundational Roman virtues. A)Frugality and Hard Work. B)Duty Above All. C)The Relinquishment of Power. The example of modesty and dedication to the state and the people set by the Roman leader Cincinnatus left a lasting impression on many future leaders, such as George Washington. After fighting for independence and attaining the highest level of power, Washington stepped down from his positions of authority to retire. Later, he was called back to serve as president—a role he held for two terms—but, despite the possibility of continuing indefinitely, he chose to step aside and return to his plantation. Inspired by this farsighted example, Washington’s officers, following the Revolutionary War, formed a fraternal organization to preserve the ideals of the Revolution and maintain their bonds. They named it the "Society of the Cincinnati" to honor the Roman ideal of returning to civilian life. The city of Cincinnati, Ohio, was later named in honor of this organization.

TITLE: Le Deche di T. Livio Padovano delle Historie Romane, Tradotte nella lingua Toscana, da Iacopo Nardi cittadino Fiorentino, & nuouamente dal medesimo riuedute & emendate...(The Decades of Titus Livius of Padova concerning Roman History, translated into the Tuscan language by Iacopo Nardi, a citizen of Florence, and newly revised and corrected by the same author…)
AUTHORS: Titus Livius or Livy (59 BC–17 AD)
PUBLISHER: Heirs of Lucantonio Giunti or Giunta (see the capital L and A at the edges of the Florentine lily or fleur-de-lis on the title page)
DATE: MDXLVII (1547), printed in Venice, text in Italian

DESCRIPTION: in folio or 2° size height 305 x width 230 mm or 12.1 by 9.1 inches. [22] preliminary unnumbered sheets, 485 pages, [1]. Original limp vellum binding with manuscript titles on the spine, few small defects and stains on the spine and covers, as seen in the photos, a rare original binding with some old restoration work in good condition. Beautiful engraved title page, dozens of woodcut initial letters, several head and tail pieces. Features the fine printer’s mark of the Giunta/Giunti press, depicting a Florentine lily or fleur-de-lis on the title page and at the end of the volume. There are some old restorations along the inner white margins of the opening quires and a few leaves toward the end; some foxing appears in the wide white margins, and 8-10 leaves are browned. Otherwise, the text and illustrations remain intact and are well-printed. COMPLETE 1547 EDITION ON ROMAN HISTORY.

:::::::::::::::::THIS IS HOW THE STORY UNFOLDS IN THE BOOK:::::::::::::::::

-------------THE FIRST DECADE (BOOKS 1–10): ORIGINS AND THE EARLY REPUBLIC
This section covers roughly 450 years, moving from myth and legend into early recorded history, ending around 293 BCE. Livy uses this era to establish the moral and civic virtues that he believed made Rome great. The mythical founding of Rome; the rule of the Seven Kings; the expulsion of the kings and the birth of the Republic (509 BCE); the sack of Rome by the Gauls (390 BCE); and the grueling Samnite Wars which established Roman dominance over central Italy.

MAJOR FIGURES:
Romulus: The legendary founder and first king. Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin the Proud): The tyrannical final king whose overthrow birthed the Republic.
Lucius Junius Brutus: The founder of the Republic. Cincinnatus: The ultimate model of Roman virtue, a farmer who was given absolute dictatorial power to save Rome from an invasion, won the war, and immediately gave up power to return to his plow.
Camillus: The general who rebuilt Rome after the Gallic sack, sometimes called Rome's "second founder."

-------------THE THIRD DECADE (BOOKS 21–30): THE SECOND PUNIC WAR
This is the dramatic centerpiece of Livy's surviving work, covering 218–201 BCE. It details Rome’s existential struggle against Carthage and its greatest nightmare: Hannibal. Hannibal’s audacious crossing of the Alps with war elephants; a series of devastating Roman defeats culminating in the slaughter at the Battle of Cannae (216 BCE), where Rome lost tens of thousands of soldiers in a single day. It then tracks Rome's agonizingly slow recovery, pushing the Carthaginians out of Spain, and finally taking the war to Africa, culminating in the decisive Roman victory at the Battle of Zama by roman general Scipio Africanus (202 BCE).

MAJOR FIGURES:
Hannibal Barca: The Carthaginian military genius. Livy portrays him as brilliantly capable but possessing "inhuman cruelty" and "a more than Punic perfidy."
Quintus Fabius Maximus (The Delayer): The Roman dictator who saved Rome after Cannae by refusing to meet Hannibal in open battle, instead fighting a war of attrition.
Scipio Africanus: The brilliant young Roman general who adapted to Hannibal's tactics, conquered Spain, and ultimately defeated Hannibal at Zama.

-------------THE FOURTH DECADE & HALF OF THE FIFTH (BOOKS 31–45): EASTERN EXPANSION
Covering 201–167 BCE, this final surviving section describes Rome’s pivot from a regional power fighting for survival to an aggressive imperial superpower expanding into Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor. The Second and Third Macedonian Wars and the Roman-Seleucid War. Key battles include the Battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BCE) and the Battle of Pydna (168 BCE), where the flexible Roman legion proved decisively superior to the rigid Greek phalanx that had conquered the world under Alexander the Great.

MAJOR FIGURES:
Philip V and Perseus of Macedon: The Hellenistic kings who tried and failed to check Roman expansion.
Antiochus III (The Great): The Seleucid King who sheltered the exiled Hannibal and fought Rome for control of Greece and Asia Minor.
Titus Quinctius Flamininus: The Roman general who defeated Philip V and famously (and perhaps hypocritically) declared "freedom for the Greeks" at the Isthmian Games.
Lucius Aemilius Paullus: The victor of Pydna, who ended the Macedonian monarchy forever.

LITERATURE & REFERENCES: World Cat OCLC n°490180408 & 759125291; USTC n°838296; Camerini, I, 662; EDIT 16th Century Italian Editions n°26894; London, United Kingdom, British Library Shelfmark: C.78.c.16; New York, United States, Columbia University, Butler Library Shelfmark: LODGE 1547 L76; Paris, France, Bibliothèque interuniversitaire de la Sorbonne Shelfmark: FB 582; Pamplona, Spain, Biblioteca Capitular de Pamplona (Catedral) Shelfmark: 96-8/14; Biblioteca Francescana n°66685; Chaplin, Janes D. (2000). Livy's Exemplary History. Oxford: Oxford University Press; Davies, Jason P. (2004). Rome's Religious History: Livy, Tacitus and Ammianus on their Gods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Shipping: via UPS, protected, INSURED and fully tracked package. Estimated time for Europe 3-5 working days. Shipping within one working day. You can combine shipping if you purchases several items from us, saving money and time.