Thermopylae and Cannae: How One Battle Narrative Enriches Another

Abstract

Livy's account of the battle of Cannae and its aftermath in Ab Urbe Condita 22.34-61 arguably evokes the Greek tradition on the battle of Thermopylae and in some cases, specifically recalls Herodotus' account in Hist. 7.201-239. Besides an number of specific allusions, the Livian Cannae narrative also displays larger thematic connections with the Herodotean Thermopylae narrative; as a result, the Roman defeat is ascribed the same pivotal and programmatic function as Thermopylae in the Greek tradition, both as the anticipation of future victory at the moment of greatest defeat, and as the anticipation of later internal strife.Hist. 7.201-239arguably evokes In Ab Urbe Condita 22.32-6