Livy (Titus Livius, 64 or 59 BC AD 12 or 17), the Roman historian, presents a vivid narrative of Rome's rise from the traditional foundation of the city in 753 or 751 BC to 9 BC and illustrates the virtues necessary to achieve such greatness. The books of the fourth decad (31 40) focus on Rome's growing hegemony in the East in the years 200 180.