Italia, Italici, Italioti in Valerio Massimo

In many passages of his work, Valerius Maximus mentions Italic peoples. However, his aim is not to piece together the history of the military, diplomatic, economic or cultural relationships between Rome and the Italic peoples. Hence, from the monarchic and republican history, Valerius deduces some examples to focus on individual and singular personalities or to disapprove unregulated inclinations. The story that connects Rome with the Italic peoples is a chance to shed light on the traditional values of the Roman society embodied by some of its paradigmatic individuals: the virtues that Valerius Maximus esteems are the same that Augustus and Tiberius try to preserve.