Rome and the Mediterranean : books XXXI-XLV of The history of Rome from its foundation
/ [by] Livy ; translated [from the Latin] by Henry Bettenson ; with an introduction by A. H. McDonald
- Harmondsworth : Penguin , 1976.
- 699 p. : maps ; 18 cm.
- The Penguin classics .
Includes indexes.
After the decisive defeat of Hannibal in the Second Punic War (218-201), Rome faced a series of challenges from the East - to emerge as master of the Mediterranean in 167 B.C. It is Livy who, by the sheer power of his historical imagination, creates from the bald and often inaccurate sources an enthralling narrative, full of drama and colour, compelling personalities and magnificent oratory.