Polybius

Lore & Background

Polybius was born around 200 BC in Megalopolis, Arcadia, when it was an active member of the Achaean League. His father, Lycortas, was a prominent politician and strategos of the Achaean League. Polybius observed political and military affairs firsthand, served as an ambassador with his father, and was elected hipparchus in 170 or 169 BC. His political career ended in 168 BC when, after the Third Macedonian War, 1,000 Achaeans with suspect allegiances were interned in Rome; Polybius was among them.

In Rome, Polybius was admitted to distinguished houses, including that of Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus, who entrusted him with the education of his sons, including Scipio Aemilianus. Polybius became a close friend and mentor to Scipio, accompanying him on campaign and being present at the Sack of Carthage in 146 BC. After the destruction of Corinth that same year, Polybius returned to Greece and organized new forms of government in Greek cities, gaining great recognition.

Polybius resided in Rome for many years, completing his Histories while undertaking journeys to obtain firsthand knowledge of historical sites. He interviewed veterans and accessed archival material. He likely accompanied Scipio to Spain during the Numantine War. The last event mentioned in his Histories is the construction of the Via Domitia in southern France in 118 BC, and he is said to have died at age eighty-two after falling from a horse.

Reader's Guide

Polybius's significance lies in his Histories, a universal history covering 264–146 BC that documents the rise of Rome by detailing events in Italy, Iberia, Greece, Syria, Egypt, and Africa, including the Punic Wars and Macedonian Wars. His work is the only substantial surviving Hellenistic historical account and offers a systematic analysis of constitutional change, including the cycle of constitutions (anacyclosis) and the mixed constitution. Polybius's discussion of separation of powers, checks and balances, and the role of 'the people' influenced later thinkers such as Montesquieu, John Locke, and the framers of the United States Constitution. He championed factual integrity in history, insisting that historians interview participants and review geography and political experience. His own methods—interviewing veterans of the Second Punic War and traveling to historical sites—set a standard for historical writing. Though only Books I–V of his Histories survive in full, the fragments of later books preserve eyewitness accounts of the sack of Carthage and Corinth, making Polybius a crucial source for understanding Rome's transformation into a Mediterranean power.

Did You Know?

• Polybius was a close friend and mentor to the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus.
• He was present at the Sack of Carthage in 146 BC and later described it.
• His father, Lycortas, was strategos of the Achaean League.
• Polybius was among 1,000 Achaean nobles transported to Rome as hostages in 167 BC.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"There is no more ready corrective of conduct than knowledge of the past." — Polybius "The only method of learning how to bear bravely the vicissitudes of fortune, is to recall the calamities of others." — Polybius "In all human affairs, and especially in those that relate to war, ... leave always some room to fortune, and to accidents which cannot be foreseen." — Polybius "This is a sworn treaty made between us, Hannibal … and Xenophanes the Athenian ... in the presence of all the gods who possess Macedonia and the rest of Greece." — Polybius