Historian Nataliia Yakovenko works on translating the book of Titus Livius from Latin to Ukrainian in Kyiv apartment under shellings

Leading Ukrainian historian 79-year-old Nataliia Yakovenko stays in Kyiv despite the war. The woman told a volunteer who visited her on March 7, 2022 that her way of dealing with the war is being optimistic and engaging herself with the work that matters.

“You know, history doesn’t take roots from Herodotus, those are just tales. The real history comes from Livius. There is no Ukrainian translation of “Ab urbe condita”. And I have recently remembered that I know Latin very well. My other ideas require research in the archives, that’s why I’ve decided to work on Livius”, – says Nataliia.

Currently Nataliia Yakovenko is translating the 29th book of Titus Livius out of 45. Right before the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the historian prepared the first five books for publication.

Read more in Ukrainian