Research Case: Why did the Romans holding the citadel refuse to surrender even while watching the city being destroyed?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did the Romans holding the citadel refuse to surrender even while watching the city being destroyed? This question is not simply about why they were brave. Rather, it asks why they could still judge that “Rome had not ended” while the … Read more

Research Case: Why could the Gauls occupy the city of Rome but not immediately capture the Capitol?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why could the Gauls occupy the city of Rome but not immediately capture the Capitol? This question is not simply about whether the Gauls lacked attack power. Rather, it asks why the core part of the Roman state OS did not completely … Read more

Research Case: Why did the elders of Rome choose to remain in the city and accept death?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did the elders of Rome choose to remain in the city and accept death? This question is not simply about why they did not escape. Rather, it asks how the elders redefined their role after the defeat at the Allia, when … Read more

Research Case: Why did the priests and the Vestal Virgins give highest priority to evacuating the sacred images and objects of the state?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did the priests and the Vestal Virgins give highest priority to evacuating the sacred images and objects of the state? This question is not simply about why they were religious. Rather, it asks why the preservation of sacred images and objects … Read more

Research Case: Why did Roman citizens give up defending the whole city and concentrate on defending the Capitol and the citadel?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did Roman citizens give up defending the whole city and concentrate on defending the Capitol and the citadel? This question is not simply about why Roman citizens fled. Rather, it asks why, after the defeat at the Allia, Rome gave up … Read more

Research Case: Why did the Roman army psychologically collapse before fighting the enemy directly at the Allia?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did the Roman army psychologically collapse before fighting the enemy directly at the Allia? This question is not simply about why the Roman army feared the Gauls. Rather, it asks why the Roman army had already lost its reason to believe … Read more

Research Case: Why was the defeat at the Allia not merely a tactical defeat, but a total collapse of recognition, preparation, command, and religious procedure?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why was the defeat at the Allia not merely a tactical defeat, but a total collapse of recognition, preparation, command, and religious procedure? This question is not simply about why the Roman army lost at the Allia. Rather, it asks what kind … Read more

Research Case: Why did Rome respond to the unknown external environment of the Gauls with the same OS as ordinary warfare?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did Rome respond to the unknown external environment of the Gauls with the same OS as ordinary warfare? This question is not simply about why Rome lost to the Gauls. Rather, it asks why Rome failed to reclassify the Gauls as … Read more

Research Case: Why did Rome not punish the three men of the Fabii, but instead elect them as military tribunes with consular power?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did Rome not punish the three men of the Fabii, but instead elect them as military tribunes with consular power? This question is not simply about why Rome made a bad decision. Rather, it asks why Rome, at the moment when … Read more

Research Case: Why did the actions of the Fabii envoys give the Gauls a legitimate reason to attack Rome?

A Three-Layer Analysis (TLA) of Livy, History of Rome, Book 5 1. Question Why did the actions of the Fabii envoys give the Gauls a legitimate reason to attack Rome? This question is not simply about why the envoys acted rashly. Rather, it asks why the actions of envoys, who should have helped Rome avoid … Read more