Education: Livy Lives

Classics and History students read with excitement an announcement from Naples that one Professor di Martino-Fusco, recluse paleographer, had discovered a complete collection of 150 codices, comprising the 142 books of Titus Livius, Roman historian (59 B.C.-A.D. 17), of which only 35 books have been known to scholars since the 7th Century. The authenticity of the find was endorsed by Professor Delis, Director of the Neapolitan Library, and by Professor Nicola Barone, Director of the State Archives at Naples. Livy wrote his history as a Roman, to raise a monument to the greatness of Rome. His work is well-nigh finally authoritative for the period from the landing of Aeneas in Italy to the death of Drusus, 9 B.C. Knowledge of the contents of the lost books was derived from so-called periochae, or epitomes, an almost complete set of which was extant. The recovered books, it was said at Naples, were “destined to revolutionize the whole history of the Roman period.” Professor Delis also stated that Professor di Martino-Fusco had discovered two other codices of immense importance—rumored to be a First Century life of Christ, a life of St.” Januarius, Patron of Naples.