11. Only approximately one-quarter of Livy’s colossal history Ab Urbe Condita Libri has survived
Born a little over half a century before the start of the Common Era, Titus Livy experienced first-hand the turbulent last years of the Roman Republic and became intimately friendly with Augustus as well as the wider Julio-Claudian imperial family. Using this experience and privileged connection, as well as an unknown source of independent wealth, Livy embarked upon a monumental and detailed account of the history of Rome known as Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Books from the Foundation of the City). Written between 27 and 9 BCE, the work starts at the very beginnings of Rome’s legend, with the arrival of Aeneas and the refugees from the fall of Troy in 753 BCE.
Following the narrative history of Rome, through the Expulsion of the Kings in 509 BCE and the formation of the Roman Republic, all the way through to the reign of Emperor Augustus, Livy penned dozens of books gradually coalescing the legendary history of the great city into a single source. Predominantly lost to the mists of time, only twenty-five percent of Livy’s epic history has survived to the modern day. In spite of historical disputes concerning the validity and accuracy of the text, the work nevertheless offers insight into otherwise lost history as well as into the minds of how the Romans perceived their own culture and nation, with the disappearance of the remainder a major blow to classical history and literature.