SLC Thesis Template - ResearchSpace@Auckland - The University ...

ark, not surrendering until they received permission from the Senate (Hist. 7.1.2). 331
Livy‟s vignette about the Compsans, however, is noted for its parallels to the Capuans.
The Compsans are divided and argue about how they should respond to Hannibal.
Eventually, the pro-Roman contingent, the Mopsii, is out-voted and leave town before
Hannibal arrives (Livy, 23.1.2). The pro-Hannibal contingent, led by a Statius Trebius,
invited Hannibal to enter and surrender the town to him:
Hannibal post Cannensem pugnam castraque capta ac direpta
confestim ex Apulia in Samnium moverat, accitus in Hirpinos a Statio
Trebio pollicente se Compsam traditurum.
Livy, 23.1.1
After the battle at Cannae and the capture and plunder of the camps,
Hannibal moved out of Apulia into Samnium, having been invited to
the land of the Hirpini by Statius Trebius, who promised that he would
surrender Compsa to him.
Adapted from Moore, 1951, 3.
Livy assumes his audience is aware of the physical location of Compsa in the Aufidus
valley to the west of Cannae, and that Hannibal, heading up the valley from Cannae,
would reach Compsa whether or not he was invited. Under these circumstances the
Compsan surrender to Hannibal is arguably more prudent than attempting to hold out
against him, but, as with the Capuans, that is not the point: surrender should not be an
option for an ally of Rome. 332
It is moral comparison by contrast to Rome and individual Romans that underlies
much of Livy‟s depiction of Capua and individual Capuans for this episode. The story
of Capua generally and the details about certain individuals are adapted to illustrate how
Roman moral values, such as the various forms of fides, are missing or distorted
amongst Capuans. 333 Like the Compsans, Livy‟s Capuans argue over how they should
respond to Hannibal. This is quite the opposite of what will be the Roman reaction when
Rome faces the same crisis in 211 when the Romans are depicted working together as a
331 Livy‟s annalistic format places the story of the Petelians after the winter in Capua, 23.19.1-2.
332 Varro‟s list of requirements to the Capuan delegation commissioned to visit him not only illustrated
just how severely the Roman resources were depleted but also clearly indicated that Varro had not
surrendered (Livy, 23.5.2; Val. Max. 7.6.1a). This message was not taken seriously enough by the
Capuans, described by Livy as proud and faithless: superbis atque infidelibus Livy, 23.5.1.
333 Moore, 1989; Edwards, 1993 and Chaplin, 2000 (esp. Introduction) discuss various moral values
upheld in parts of Livy‟s text but not in terms of comparing Capua against Rome. Moore focuses
primarily on Livy‟s portrayal of Roman virtues but does not compare them against Capuan vices;
Edwards and Chaplin focus their studies on Livy‟s depiction of individual Roman generals as moral
examples.
140