Comparing Livy And Aeneas And The Ancient World - 1871 Words

There are really only two ways that history can withstand the test of time; that is for stories to be passed down to each generation by speech, or for those stories to be written so they can be cemented in history for eternity. Much to all of what is known about Rome and the ancient world has been traveled down by great works of art and literature. More importantly, the feelings towards each one of these cultures is essentially a direct product of what is read. This only stresses the importance of Livy and Aeneas’ literary works about the pre-history of Rome. Both Livy and Aeneas constructed masterworks of literature that would be read by man for over two millennia. What these two authors composed would shape and construct what it truly meant to be Roman, not only to those living during the era, but to those living in the far future as well. The straight facts about past kings by Livy, and the telling tale of an epic hero named Aeneas by Virgil both portrayed the importance of pietas and military fortitude. On the one hand, there is pietas; now seen as one of the highest virtues of ancient Romans, a value that signifies respect and duty to the gods, family, and country above thyself. While military fortitude, or the act of being courageous in spite of the pain or harm that may ensue, was another theme that Livy and Virgil both interacted with that would change how Romans are viewed forever. These two authors would come to write works of art that are in two completely