Valerius Antias
[2] The latest dateable event in the fragments is mention of the heirs of the orator, Lucius Licinius Crassus, who died in 91 BC.
Of the seventy references to Antias in classical (Greek and Latin) literature sixty-one mention him as an authority on Roman legendary history.
Historians surmise that his family were the Valerii Antiates, a branch of the Valeria gens residing (at least from early republican times) in the vicinity of Antium.
However some scholars dispute this, arguing that he lived later (perhaps a contemporary of Julius Caesar) and wrote his work after 50 BC, because Cicero does not include him in a list of historians in De Legibus.
The nearly completely lost work of Antias – cited as annales or as historiae – began its account of the Roman history with the foundation of Rome and extended at least to the year 91 BC.
Antias’ account of each year included the allocation of troops and provinces, important omen, battles, foundation of new colonies etc.
In one long-standing view of Antias' influence on Livy, the latter relied mainly on the former in Books 1-10 of Ab Urbe Condita Libri, the legendary history of Rome.
Howard says:[7]"The argument that Livy made free use of Antias and mentioned him only in case of disagreement is absolutely without foundation, for we have seen fourteen specific instances in which, although Livy does not mention him, he nevertheless disagrees with his statements as known to us from other sources, or absolutely disregards them...." For example, in Fragment 1 Acca Larentia willed her property to Romulus.
