LIT 231
Prof. G. Steinberg

Response Paper:  Livy, Book XXVIII

The Publius Cornelius Scipio in this book is the son of the Publius Cornelius Scipio of Book XXI.  See Book XXI, p. 72:  "and the situation was made worse by the fact that Scipio was wounded, and saved from death only by the intervention of his young son.  This was the boy who was later to win the glory of bringing the war to a successful conclusion, and by the splendid victory over Hannibal and the Carthaginians to earn the title of Africanus."  In Book XXVI, pp. 378-379, the younger Scipio is elected a special proconsul to command the Roman armies in Spain (where his father and his uncle, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio, had both been killed in battle).  This office (of proconsul) had the same high rank as consul but didn't have the term limitations that the the consular office had, and so the younger Publius Cornelius Scipio holds this command for several years.

Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your response paper:

1. Book XXVIII has a number of short, interesting episodes that reveal a lot about Livy's values and interests -- such as the triumph of Livius and Nero (¶9), Hannibal's inaction (¶12), and the Roman attack on Astapa (¶22-23).  Choose one or two of these episodes.  What do we learn about Livy's values from the episode(s) you've chosen?  How does each episode help to characterize Hannibal, Scipio (the future Africanus), the Carthaginians, the Romans, or Livy?  (By the way, with respect to the first episode I listed, Livius is from Livia's family -- and Livy's family as well.  Nero is from the Claudian family, which was a family closely associated with Augustus.  Somehow, I think that that's important.)
2. How does Livy characterize Scipio (the future Africanus) in Book XXVIII?  What aspects of Scipio's character does Livy criticize?  What aspects does he praise?  Look at a few specific episodes -- such as the expulsion of the Carthaginians from Spain (¶13-16), the wooing of Syphax (¶17-18), the Roman mutiny near Sucro (¶24-29), the rebellion of Indibilis (¶31-34), the turning of Masinissa and Gades (¶35-37), the speech of Quintus Fabius Maximus before the Roman Senate (¶40-42), and Scipio's reply (¶43-44).