Livius and the opening of the 3rd Macedonian war

[Caesar CXXXVII]

Believe me, I have tried over and over and just can't .

Dublets, duplications, revisions, nonesense, misunderstandings, propoganda, erroneous copying etc' .

Have read Walbank (History of Macedonia), Gruen (The Hellenic world and the coming of Rome), CAH, and some more, all criticize Livius for his lack of chronological accuracy, among other things, and composed a different chronology . I know that Valerie M. Warrior worte an article about the whole subject in 1981, in AJAH but can't reach it .

 

Any suggestions ?

 

 

EDIT - Does anyone can help with the AJAH article by JSTOR ? (if they actually have it)

Edited April 20, 2009 by Caesar CXXXVII

[Caesar CXXXVII]

Just two examples -

1. When did the praetor or propraetor Sicinius landed in Epirus with his 5,300 troops ? Before or after the opening of the consular year 171 (ie december 171) ?

2. Walbank thinks that the consul Licinius landed in Epirus (with his 35,000 soldiers) in early April 171 (after a comitian decleratiuon for war) but Gruen thinks that the comitia voted for war only in June 171...

[sylla]

Just two examples -

1. When did the praetor or propraetor Sicinius landed in Epirus with his 5,300 troops ? Before or after the opening of the consular year 171 (ie december 171) ?

2. Walbank thinks that the consul Licinius landed in Epirus (with his 35,000 soldiers) in early April 171 (after a comitian decleratiuon for war) but Gruen thinks that the comitia voted for war only in June 171...

Livy's mess probably came directly from his primary sources, like Polybius and Antias. This was in all likelihood related to the shame for the subsequent Roman defeat at Callicinus by Perseus, a deeply despised adversary. As you said, there's no scholar consensus regarding the chronology; my impression is that Sicinius led a preemptive strike before the opening of the consular year, as Perseus' cause at the Senate was doomed from the beginning; however, the Romans subsequently lost their initiative, mainly because of their overconfidence and petty bureaucratic arguments.

[Caesar CXXXVII]

Just two examples -

1. When did the praetor or propraetor Sicinius landed in Epirus with his 5,300 troops ? Before or after the opening of the consular year 171 (ie december 171) ?

2. Walbank thinks that the consul Licinius landed in Epirus (with his 35,000 soldiers) in early April 171 (after a comitian decleratiuon for war) but Gruen thinks that the comitia voted for war only in June 171...

Livy's mess probably came directly from his primary sources, like Polybius and Antias. This was in all likelihood related to the shame for the subsequent Roman defeat at Callicinus by Perseus, a deeply despised adversary. As you said, there's no scholar consensus regarding the chronology; my impression is that Sicinius led a preemptive strike before the opening of the consular year, as Perseus' cause at the Senate was doomed from the beginning; however, the Romans subsequently lost their initiative, mainly because of their overconfidence and petty bureaucratic arguments.

 

 

I agree but don't understand the "petty bureaucratic arguments"

[M. Porcius Cato]

EDIT - Does anyone can help with the AJAH article by JSTOR ? (if they actually have it)

 

They don't have it.