Chapter 23 - Early Latin Texts in Livy

Summary

Livy, following a tradition established in Latin historiography at least by the early 1st century, frequently employed archaisms in his narrative. In addition, on a number of occasions he quotes what purport to be texts dating from the period of the events narrated, most of them containing language recognisable as early Latin. This chapter will consider three of these in detail: (i) 22. 10. 2-6. The terms of the vow of a uer sacrum approved by the people in 217 BC, part of the expiations following the disastrous defeat by Hannibal at Lake Trasimene. (ii) 25. 12. 5-6, 9-10. The carmina Marciana, predictions said to have been made by the seer Marcius, which came to light in 212 BC (for the second passage Macrobius 1.17.28 constitutes an indirect tradition for the text). (iii) 40. 52. 5-6. The tabula triumphalis of M. Aemilius Regillus, affixed to the temple of the Lares permarini dedicated in 179 BC but commemorating his victory over the Seleucid fleet at Myonnesus in 190. The authenticity of these texts, Livy’s sources, and the linguistic phenomena they contain are discussed. The chapter also tabulates a number of other passages with a claim to derive from the time of the events narrated.