Livy, << LIHV ee >> (59 B.C.-A.D. 17), was one of the greatest Roman historians. His history Ab urbe condita (From the Founding of the City) tells of Roman history from the founding of Rome until the death of Drusus in 9 B.C. The work is also a valuable source of information about the social, cultural, and political attitudes of many Romans during the reign of Emperor Augustus (27 B.C.-A.D. 14). Livy wrote the work in 142 books, but only 35 of them are still in existence.
Livy spent more than 40 years working on his history, which became famous in ancient times and was widely quoted. The lengthy work became known chiefly through short summaries or abridgments. Many of these summaries have survived.
Livy was born in Padua in northern Italy and lived in Rome during the reign of Emperor Augustus. He was a friend of the emperor, but he carefully guarded his independence as a historian.
