Livy

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Livy

• Conclusions

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Livy and his sources

• Primary source for 2nd Punic war was Polybius
• Often abridges Polybius,
• When describing military details often follows
  Polybius verbatim
• Some cases adds more drama and rhetorical flavor,
  adds Roman rhetoric

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Livy and his sources

• Livy often criticized for using unreliable
  sources
• Although he distrusted material, included it when
  he had no better material.
• Although he acknowledges Polybius as most
  reliable source, but also follows Fabius Pictor
  and other annalists whose writings coloured by
  patriotism
• His discussion of Hannibals army includes 3
  figures for infantry, ranging from 100,000
  200,000, does not mention that smallest numbers
  were given by Polybius,

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Livy and Polybius

• Livy 21.38.2
• The authorities are hopelessly at variances as
  to the number of the troops with which Hannibal
  entered Italy. The highest estimates assign him
  100,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry, the lowest
  puts his strength at 20,000 infantry and 6,000
  cavalry

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Polybius

• Hannibal had with him the remains of his African
  army, 12,000 infantry, his Spanish army 8,000,
  and in addition, not more than 6,000 cavalry, as
  he himself makes clear on the column set up at
  Cape Licinium which has an inscription of the
  numbers

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