Biography
Gaius Sallustius Crispus was a historian, politician and moral interpreter of Rome’s decline. His surviving works describe political crisis through corruption, ambition, luxury and the decay of civic virtue.
Major Works
Read the Original
The linked texts are public-domain English translations hosted by Perseus/Scaife and Attalus. They open in a new browser tab.
Reliability and Caution
Sallust is morally powerful but highly interpretative. He compresses history into a drama of decline, constructs speeches for historical actors and arranges material to expose moral and political corruption.
How Livarva Uses This Source
Livarva uses Sallust especially for the Jugurthine War, Marius, Catiline and the moral vocabulary through which later Romans understood the Republic’s decline.