History: Livy

59 BCE- 17 CE - Livy was an important Roman historian. His crowning work, History of Rome, encompassed 142 books and chronicled the history of the city from its inception to 9 BCE. Livy was originally from northern Italy, but came to reside in Rome for his later life. It is believed that Livy valued history as a tool for teaching "moral lessons," though his work is said to have heralded the "greatness" of Rome. Unfortunately, Livy was known to subordinate factual accuracy in favor of retelling, and some of his work is of questionable historical character.