The Word Genus And Related Terms In His Ab Urbe Condita?

Genus in the Ab Urbe Condita.

Research question: What does Livy’s use of the word “Genus” and related terms in his Ab Urbe Condita reveal about his own racial biases? It is clear that the concepts of race and racism that existed in antiquity are different than those that exist today, but classicists struggle to study the differences with no unified definitions of race or racism to help. Just as people today use alternate terms to describe collective identity–race, ethnicity, nation—so too did the ancients deploy various terms to put people into different categories. The Romans, in particular, referred to what we call race with the terms genus and natio. Meanwhile, there is no Latin equivalent to the modern concept of racism whatsoever. Besides

In reference to the Roman foundation narrative and the intermingling of the Romans and Sabines, Livy proclaims that “ne gravarentur homines cum hominibus sanguinem ac genus miscere” (It should not weary men to mix their blood and race with men) which suggests an indifference towards pure lineage. Later on, however, Livy describes a member of a mixed-ancestry African group, the Libyphoenicians, (Libyphoenicum generis) as a “degenerem afrum” (degenerate African). The use of the term degener, a descendant of genus, shows that Livy believed the Libyphoenicians to be “mentally or morally degenerate” purely because of their mixed ancestry. Truthfully, Livy’s views on racial inter-mingling are, in fact, not contradictory; Livy’s lexical and rhetorical decisions make this clear. Ab Urbe Condita 1.9, the above passage regarding the Romans and Sabines, is an example of oratio obliqua: Indirect speech from the perspective of Roman envoys attempting to convince neigboring peoples to intermarry with them. As such, it can not be considered reflective of Livy’s beliefs. Furthermore, Livy introduces the clause regarding the Sabines and Romans intermarrying with the phrase “ne gravarentur” (it should not weary); this is an example of litotes, and implies that intermarrying would be a cause for weariness were it not for the extraordinary nature of the Roman race. Beyond the

Livy’s beliefs are clear and to be discussed below; a pleasant environment corrupts a group. The clearest evidence for this belief comes again from an excerpt of oratio recta referencing the Galatians: “Si degenerem et emollitum amoenitate Asiae” (If he was a degenerate and softened by the pleasantess of Asia). The repeated use of the term degener to refer to the Galatians strengthens Livy’s derogation of their mixed ancestry. Additionally, emollitum is a relative of the term mollis, a descriptor used for effeminate men, and communicates a persistent stereotype in classical literature: Eastern men are less manly than Romans. The addendum “amoenitate Asiae” clarifies that it is the geography and climate of Anatolia and surrounding regions that feminizes the Galatians. The tripartite nature of this excerpt intimates a coherent racist theory behind Livy’s beliefs about environmental determinism; in order to understand this theory, it is necessary to dissect the relationship between Livy’s concepts of degeneration and effeminacy and amoenitas. The relationship between these concepts remains relatively consistent throughout the A.U.C. Livy uses the term amoenitas 7 times— always in regards to the attractiveness of a land. A.U.C. 7.38 describes Capua as pleasant (amoenitate) and fertile and inhabited by