Overview
Virtus, from vir, originally carried the sense of courage, manly excellence, discipline, and strength proven in action. For Romans it was not abstract goodness but excellence embodied in public and military life.
Importance
Virtus becomes dangerous when courage hardens into pride or severity. Cato’s virtue, in Livarva’s reading, must be examined rather than merely praised.
In the Livarva Trilogy
The Final Virtue is built around the question whether republican virtue can become politically destructive when stripped of mercy and judgment.
This first atlas entry is drafted from the Livarva manuscripts and will be expanded with exact chapter and source references in a later version.