Le conseguenze della vittoria. Scipione e la riflessione sull'imperialismo romano in Livio

The article aims at highlighting the central role played by Scipio Africanus in Livy’s reflection on Roman imperialism in the third and fourth decades. As is well known, in Books 31–45 Livy problematises the increasingly predatory character of Roman expansionism inthe East, alluding to the changes imprinted by such expansionism on the Roman ethos. Inthe first part of the article, some specific aspects of these changes are brought into focus, with particular reference to those affecting military leadership, marked by a strong competition between magistrates and a growing personalism. In the second part, I illustrate theemergence of these aspects in the military rise of Scipio Africanus. Livy portrays Scipio asthe representative of a new model of leadership, characterised by strong traits of heroism but also by ethical complexities that will prove decisive for Rome’s future decadence.