Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 40.29

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[1] A colony at Gravisca was founded this year in Etruscan territory, which had once been taken from the people of Tarquinii.

[2] Five iugera of land were given each colonist; the board of three who founded it consisted of Gaius Calpurnius Piso, Publius Claudius Pulcher, Gaius Terentius Istra. Drought and crop failures made the year remarkable. For six months, as the story goes, it did not rain at all.

[3] The same year, on the land of Lucius Petilius, a public clerk, at the foot of the Janiculan, while husbandmen were digging up the ground to a greater depth than usual, two stone chests were found, each about eight feet long and four broad, with the lids fastened with lead.

[4] Each chest had an inscription, in Latin and Greek letters: one to the effect that Numa Pompilius, the son of Pompo, king of the Romans, was buried there, the other, that the books of Numa Pompilius were inside.

[5] When, on the advice of his friends, the owner had opened the chests, the one which carried the inscription about the buried¹ king was found empty, with no trace of a human body or anything else, everything having been destroyed by the wasting action of so many years.

[6] In the other were two bundles, tied with waxed rope, containing seven books each, not merely whole, but looking absolutely fresh. The seven Latin books dealt with pontifical law,² the seven Greek with a system of philosophy which might have been current at that time.³

[7] Valerius Antias adds that they were Pythagorean, confirmation of the common belief, which says that Numa was

[8] a pupil of Pythagoras,⁴ being arranged by a plausible invention.⁵

[9] The books were at first read by the friends who were present; soon, after others had read them and they were becoming generally known, Quintus Petilius, the praetor urbanus, desiring to read the books, borrowed them from Lucius Petilius; and there was an acquaintance between them because Quintus Petilius when quaestor had chosen the other as a clerk on his staff.⁶

[10] When, on reading the important contents, he had observed that much of it was subversive of religion,⁷he told Lucius Petilius that he intended to throw⁸ those books into the fire;

[11] before he did this he gave the scribe permission to try to see if he thought that he had any legal right or possibility of assistance,⁹ if he preferred, to recover those books: he himself would take no offence at such action. The scribe went to the tribunes of the people and by them the case was referred to the senate.

[12] The praetor said that he was prepared to give his oath that the books ought not to be read or preserved.

[13] The senate voted that it seemed sufficient that the praetor promised the oath; that the books should be burned as soon as possible in the comitium; that compensation for the books, whatever seemed proper to Quintus Petilius the praetor and the majority of the tribunes of the people, should be paid to their owner. This the scribe did not accept.

[14] The books¹⁰ were burned in the comitium in sight of the people, the fire having been supplied by the victimarii.¹¹

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor). Medford, MA. .

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

History of Rome (English) (Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Sage, Evan T.; Schlesinger, Alfred C., translators. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959. (Loeb Classical Library))

Editions (3)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 40.29 focus

[1] colonia Graviscae eo anno deducta est in agrum Etruscum, de Tarquiniensibus quondam captum. quina iugera agri data;

[2] tresviri deduxerunt C. Calpurnius Piso P. Claudius Pulcher C. Terentius Istra. siccitate et inopia frugum insignis annus fuit. sex menses numquam pluvisse memoriae proditum. eodem anno in agro L. Petilii scribae sub Ianiculo,

[3] dum cultores agri altius moliuntur terram, duae lapideae arcae, octonos ferme pedes longae, quaternos latae, inventae sunt, operculis plumbo devinctis.

[4] litteris Latinis Graecisque utraque arca inscripta erat, in altera Numam Pompilium Pomponis filium, regem Romanorum, sepultum esse, in altera libros Numae Pompilii inesse.

[5] eas areas cum ex amicorum sententia dominus aperuisset, quae titulum sepulti regis habuerat, inanis inventa, sine vestigio ullo corporis humani aut ullius rei, per tabem tot annorum omnibus absumptis.

[6] in altera duo fasces candelis involuti septenos habuere libros, non integros modo sed recentissima specie. septem Latini de iure pontificum erant,

[7] septem Graeci de disciplina sapientiae, quae illius aetatis esse potuit. adicit Antias Valerius Pythagoricos fuisse,

[8] vulgatae opinioni, qua creditur Pythagorae auditorem fuisse Numam, mendacio probabili accommodata fide.

[9] primo ab amicis, qui in re praesenti fuerunt, libri lecti; mox pluribus legentibus cum vulgarentur, Q. Petilius praetor urbanus studiosus legendi libros eos a L. Petilio sumpsit:

[10] et erat familiaris usus, quod scribam eum quaestor Q. Petilius in decuriam legerat.

[11] lectis rerum summis cum animadvertisset pleraque dissolvendarum religionum esse, L. Petilio dixit sese libros eos in ignem coniecturum esse; priusquam id faceret, se ei permittere, uti, si quod seu ius seu auxilium se habere ad eos libros repetendos existimaret, experiretur: id integra sua gratia eum facturum.

[12] scriba tribunos plebis adit, ab tribunis ad senatum res est reiecta. praetor se iusiurandum dare paratum esse aiebat, libros eos legi servarique non oportere.

[13] senatus censuit satis habendum quod praetor iusiurandum polliceretur; libros primo quoque tempore in comitio cremandos esse; pretium pro libris, quantum Q. Petilio praetori maiorique parti tribunorum plebis videretur, domino solvendum esse.

[14] id scriba non accepit. libri in comitio igne a victimariis facto in conspectu populi cremati sunt.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Livy in Fourteen Volumes. Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Schlesinger, Alfred C., editors. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959 (printing).) — 43.23 focus

[1]

Rex cum non ¹ minore vexatione iumentorum hominumque quam venerat in Macedoniam rediit; Appium tamen ab obsidione Phanotes fama ducentis ad Stratum Persei summovit.

[2] Cleuas cum praesidio impigrorum iuvenum insecutus sub radicibus prope inviis montium ² ad mille hominum ex agmine impedito occidit, ad ducentos cepit.

[3] Appius superatis angustiis in campo quem Meleona vocant stativa dierum paucorum habuit. interim Cleuas assumpto Philostrato, qui quingentos ex ³ Epirotarum gente habebat, in agrum Antigonensem transcendit. ⁴ Macedones ad depopulationem profecti;

[4] Philostratus⁵ cum cohorte sua in insidiis loco ⁶ obscuro consedit. in palatos populatores cum erupissent ab Antigonea armati, ⁷ fugientes eos persequentes effusius in vallem insessam ab hostibus praecipitant.

[5] ibi ad mille ⁸ occisis, centum ferme captis, et ubique prospere gesta re prope stativa Appi castra movent, ne qua vis sociis suis ab Romano exercitu inferri possit.

[6] Appius nequiquam in his locis terens tempus, dimissis Chaonum Thesprotorumque ⁹ et si qui alii Epirotae erant praesidiis, cum Italicis militibus in Illyricum regressus, per Parthinorum ¹⁰ socias urbes in hiberna militibus divisis, ¹¹ ipse Romam sacrificii causa redit.

[7] Perseus ex Penestarum gente mille pedites, ducentos equites revocatos Cassandream, praesidio ut essent, misit.

[8] Ab Gentio eadem adferentes redierunt. nec deinde alios atque alios mittendo temptare eum destitit, cum appareret, quantum in eo praesidii esset, nec tamen impetrare ab animo posset, ut impensam in rem maximi ad omnia momenti faceret.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 40.29 focus

[1]

colonia Graviscae eo anno deducta est in agrum Etruscum, de Tarquiniensibus quondam captum.

[2] quina iugera agri data; tresviri deduxerunt C. Calpurnius Piso P. Claudius Pulcher¹ C. Terentius Istra . siccitate et inopia frugum insignis annus fuit; sex menses numquam pluvisse memoriae proditum.

[3] eodem anno in agro L. Petili scribae sub Ianiculo, dum cultores [agri] altius moliuntur terram, duae lapideae arcae, octonos ferme pedes longae, quaternos latae. inventae sunt, operculis plumbo devinctis.

[4] litteris Latinis Graecisque utraque arca scripta erat, in altera Numam Pompilium Pomponis filium regem Romanorum rum sepultum esse, in altera libros Numae Pompili inesse.

[5] eas arcas cum ex amicorum sententia dominus aperuisset, quae titulum sepulti regis habuerat, inanis inventa, sine vestigio ullo corporis humani aut ullius rei, per tabem tot annorum omnibus absumptis.

[6] in altera duo fasces candelis involuti septenos habuere ² libros, non integros modo, sed recentissima specie.

[7] septem Latini de iure pontificio erant, septem Graeci de disciplina sapientiae, quae illius aetatis esse potuit.

[8] adicit Antias Valerius Pythagoricos fuisse, vulgatae opinioni, qua creditur Pythagorae auditorem fuisse Numam, mendacio probabili adcommodata fide.

[9] primo ab amicis, qui in re praesenti fuerunt, libri lecti; mox pluribus legentibus cum vulgarentur, Q. Petilius praetor urbanus studiosus legendi eos libros a L. Petilio sumpsit;

[10] et erat familiaris usus, quod ³ scribam eum quaestor Q. Petilius in decuriam legerat.

[12] id integra sua gratia eum facturum. scriba tribunos plebis adit; ab tribunis ad senatum res est reiecta. praetor se ius iurandum dare paratum esse aiebat libros eos legi servarique non oportere.

[13] senatus censuit satis habendum, quod praetor ius iurandum polliceretur; libros primo quoque tempore in comitio cremandos esse; pretium pro libris quantum Q. Petilio praetori maiorique parti tribunorum plebis videretur domino solvendum esse.

[14] id scriba non accepit. libri in comitio igne a victimariis facto in conspectu populi cremati sunt. ⁴

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 40.29 focus

[1]

The colony of Gravisca was established this year in a district of Etruria, formerly taken from the Tarquinians, and five acres of land were given to each settler.

[2] The commissioners who conducted it were Caius Calpurnius Piso, Publius Claudius Pulcher, and Caius Terentius Istra. The year was rendered remarkable by a drought, and a scarcity of the productions of the earth. It is handed down on record, that during the space of six months no rain fell.

[3] In the same year, some workmen in the farm of Lucius Petillius, a notary, at the foot of the Janiculum, digging the ground deeper than usual, discovered two stone chests, about eight feet long and four broad, the covers of which were soldered with lead.

[4] Both the chests had inscriptions in Greek and Latin letters, one signifying that therein was buried Numa Pompilius, son of Pompo, and king of the Romans; the other, that therein were contained the books of Numa Pompilius.

[5] When the owner of the ground had, by the advice of his friends, opened these chests, the one which, according to its inscription, contained the body of the king, was found perfectly empty, without any trace of a human body or of any thing else having ever been in it; the whole being consumed by the decay of such a number of years.

[6] In the other were found two bundles, tied round with waxed cords, and each containing seven books, not only entire, but apparently quite fresh. Seven were in Latin, and related to the pontifical law; and seven in Greek, containing the doctrines of philosophy, such as might have been known in that age.

[7] Valerius Antias adds, that they contained the doctrines of Pythagoras, supporting, by this plausible fiction, the credit

[8] of the vulgar opinion, that Numa had been a disciple of Pythagoras.

[9] The books were read, first, by Petillius's friends, who were present at the discovery. Afterwards, when they became publicly spoken of in consequence of many others reading them, Quintus Petillius, the city praetor, having a desire to read those books, borrowed them from Lucius Petillius, with whom he was familiarly acquainted, in consequence of Quintus Petillius having, when

[10] quaestor, made him a notary, and chosen him as one of ten.

[11] On reading the principal heads of the contents, he perceived that most of them had a tendency to undermine the established system of religious doctrines, and, thereupon, he told Lucius Petillius, that

he was determined to throw those books into the fire; but before he did so, he gave him leave, if he thought he had any right or appeal to demand the restitution of them, to make the trial, which he might do and preserve his favour.

The notary applied to the plebeian tribunes, and the tribunes referred the matter to the senate.

[12] The praetor declared, that he was ready to make oath that those books ought not to be read or preserved; and the senate decreed, that

the praetor's having offered his oath ought to be deemed sufficient evidence that those books should, without delay, be burned

[13]

in the comitium, and that such a price should be paid to the owner as might be judged reasonable by the praetor, Quintus Petillius, and the majority of the plebeian tribunes.

The notary did not receive the money.

[14] The books, however, were burned in the comitium, in the view of the people, the fire being made by the public servants, whose duty it was to assist at sacrifices.

History of Rome Perseus (Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.) — 40.29 focus

[1]

A colony was settled this year at Gravisca in Etruria on territory which had formerly been taken from the Tarquinii.

[2] Five jugera were given to each man; the supervisors of the settlement were C. Calpurnius Piso, P. Claudius Pulcher and C Terentius Istra. The year was marked by a drought and failure of the crops. It is recorded that no rain fell for six months.

[3] During this year while labourers were digging at some depth on land belonging to L. Petilius, a scrivener who lived at the foot of the Janiculum, two stone chests were discovered about eight feet long and four wide, the lids being fastened down with lead.

[4] Each bore an inscription in Latin and Greek; one stating that Numa Pompilius, son of Pompo and king of the Romans, was buried there, and the other saying that it contained his books.

[5] When the owner at the suggestion of his friends had opened them, the one which bore the inscription of the buried king was found to be empty, with no vestige of a human body or of anything else, so completely had everything disappeared after such a lapse of time.

[6] In the other there were two bundles tied round with cords steeped in wax, each containing seven books, not only intact but to all appearance new. There were seven in Latin on pontifical law, and seven in Greek dealing with the study of philosophy so far as was possible in that age.

[7] Valerius Antias says further that they were Pythagorean books, thus shaping his belief to the common opinion that Numa was

[8] a disciple of Pythagoras, and trying to give probability to a fiction.

[9] The books were first examined by the friends who were present. As the number of those who read them grew, and they became widely known, Q. Petilius, the City praetor, was anxious to read them and took them from Lucius.

[10] They were on very friendly terms; when Q. Petilius was quaestor he had given Lucius Petilius a place on the decury. After perusing the most important passages he perceived that most of them would lead to the break-up of the national religion.

[11] Lucius promised that he would throw the books into the fire, but before doing so said that he should like to find out, if allowed to do so, whether he could reclaim them either by the right of possession or by the authority of the tribunes of the plebs, without, however, disturbing his friendly relations with the praetor. The scrivener approached the tribunes, and the tribunes left the matter for the senate to deal with.

[12] The praetor stated that he was ready to declare on oath that the books ought not to be preserved.

[13] The senate held the praetor's asseveration to be sufficient, and that the books ought to be burnt as soon as possible in the comitium. Whatever sum the praetor and the majority of the tribunes thought a fair price for the books was to be paid to the owner. The scrivener refused to accept it.

[14] The books were burnt in the comitium in the sight of the people in a fire made by the victimarii.

Notes on the current edition

Ab Urbe Condita With An English Translation, books 1-10, 21-45, with periochae 11-20

1. B.C. 181

2. Numa was regarded as the source of the pontificial law.

3. The obvious meaning is that the system expounded was simple and practical rather than theoretical and academic; but see the next sentence.

4. Livy himself did not believe this (I. xviii. 4).

5. Several other accounts of this episode have been preserved indirectly and incompletely: those of Cassius Hemina, Piso and Antias in Pliny ( H. N. XIII. 84-87), and of Varro in Augustine ( De civitate dei VII. xxxiv). It is reported also by Valerius Maximus (I. i. 12), whose account is based on Livy, and by Plutarch ( Numa 22), who quotes Antias as his source. These accounts differ as to the number of books found: Piso says seven, Antias twelve, while Hemina (the numeral III sometimes given is a conjecture, rejected by Jan-Mayhoff and by Peter) and Varro do not mention the number. This offers a faint suggestion that Livy followed Piso here, although he agrees rather with Antias as to the contents of the book. Unfortunately Pliny does not relate the whole episode, so that a thorough-going comparison of Livy with the older writers is impossible.

6. The scribae publici comprised a distinct class of more or less permanent civil servants who did the clerical work in the administrative offices. This sentence may mean rather that Q. Petilius had secured for L. Petilius his appointment as a scriba publicus and therewith his assignment to a decuria, which was the unit of organization of the scribae as a class.

7. This characterization seems to be inconsistent with the accepted and the rejected accounts of them in sects. 7-8 above. The Bacchanalian affair had made the Romans unusually sensitive about the preservation of the native religion the hold of which on the people was manifestly weakening. Curiously, however, the pontiffs were not consulted, and only a lay opinion as to the nature of these books was sought.

8. B.C. 181

9. In other words, the praetor would countenance an appeal for the auxilium of the tribunes if the scribe considered that he was suffering the confiscation of legally-held property.

10. Valerius Maximus says that the Latin books were spared. Livy and all the other authorities seem to think that both Latin and Greek books were burned.

11. In later times the victimarii assisted priests and magistrates at sacrifices; it is not known whether they functioned thus in the time under discussion. Their participation here, whatever their official status was, makes the destruction of the books appear as a formal act of sacrifice.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 40.29

Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor)

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