1. Polybius part 2
2. Appian
Polybius bridging two worlds
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The Greek Polybius: was being prepared for leadership role in the
Achaean League; 181/80 sent to Egypt as envoy of Achaean league
although still under legal age (about 19?)
170/69 elected cavalry commander of the League (at age 30)
(Polybius 24.6.5)
Accused to be anti Roman by political rival in League, Callicrates;
167 BCE sent with 1000 other hostages to Rome after Rome’s
victory at Pydna (which ended 3rd Macedonian War)
Hostages remained 17 years in Italy, but only 300 survived (rest
escaped, died, committed suicide)
Hostages distributed throughout Italy but Polybius allowed to stay in
Rome
Made important acquaintances: Cato the Censor – founding father
of Latin historiography (the Origines); Cato persuaded the Roman
senate in 150 to release all hostages
Polybius’ influence on Roman
Historians
Probably acquainted with and influenced
Sempronius Asellio (also an early historian writing
in Latin)
 Brutus was working on an epitome of Polybius on
the eve of the battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE)
 Livy (Augustan Age) sometimes follows Polybius
very closely, i.e. the points he makes in speeches
(example Polybius 15.6.4-7.9 compare with Livy
30.30.2-30)
 Livy also follows Polybius in the role
Fortuna/Tyche plays in human affairs
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The role of fortuna (fortune/chance)
in Polybius’ history
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“There is this analogy between the plan of my
History and the marvelous spirit of the age with
which I have to deal. Just as Fortune (tyche)
made almost all the affairs of the world incline in
one direction and forced them to converge upon
one and the same point, so it is my task as an
historian to put before my readers a
compendious view of the part played by Fortune
in bringing about the general catastrophe. It
was this peculiarity which originally challenged
my attention and determined me on undertaking
this work.” (Book 1.4)
Hellenistic intellectual tradition
Polybius wrote his history in common Hellenistic
intellectual tradition emphasizing: impartiality,
usefulness, historians to have practical experience,
the superiority of the sense of sight, importance of
critical examination of events (causes, etc.),
history as apodeiktike (demonstratory); the role of
tyche (luck, fortune), the cycling of constitutions
with the ‘balanced’ as most stable one
 Many of these ideas already part of Roman
practices
 Polybius in Rome catalyst in channelling these
ideas into Roman historiography
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The nature of Polybius’ History
Huge work written over many years.
 Often repetitive, lots of lengthy
digressions, very chatty
 i.e. digresses for 3 books on Roman
institutions, historiography, and
geography
 Some digressions just chatty
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A digression: Book 12.2
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"The lotus is not a large tree, but it is rough and thorny. Its
leaf resembles that of the blackthorn, but is rather wider and
flatter. 3 The fruit at first both in colour and size resembles
the white myrtle berry when fully grown, but as it grows it
becomes purple in colour and about the size of a round olive.
The stone is quite small. 5 They gather it when ripe, and after
pounding what is meant for the slaves pack it with salt in jars.
They remove the stones from the portion meant for freemen
and store it in the same way and on this they feed. 6 The
food rather resembles figs or dates, but has a better aroma.
7 Wine is also made from it by moistening it and crushing it in
water. This wine is sweet and of an agreeable flavour,
resembling very good metheglin, and drink it unwatered. 8 It
does not, however, keep for more than ten days, so that they
make it p309in small quantities when required. They also
make vinegar from it."
Book 14.11
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2 Polybius in his fourteenth book tells us that
there were many portraits in Alexandrian temples
of Cleino, the cupbearer of Ptolemy Philadelphus,
p461representing her clothed only in a chiton and
holding a rhyton. 3 "And are not some of the
finest houses," he says, called Myrtion's, Mnesis's,
and Potheine's? 4 But what were Mnesis and
Potheine but flute-players and Myrtio one of the
professional and vulgar mimae? 5 And was not
Ptolemy Philopator the slave of the courtesan
Agathocleia, who overturned the whole
kingdom?". . . .
Polybius 4.20
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20 Since the Arcadian nation on the whole has a very high
reputation for virtue among the Greeks, due not only to their
humane and hospitable character and usages, but especially to their
piety to the gods, 2 it is worth while to give a moment's
consideration to the question of the savagery of the Cynaetheans,
and ask ourselves why, though unquestionably of Arcadian stock,
they so far surpassed all other Greeks at this period in cruelty and
wickedness. 3 I think the reason was that they were the first and
indeed only people in Arcadia to abandon an admirable institution,
introduced by their forefathers with a nice regard for the natural
conditions under which all the inhabitants of that country live. 4 For
the practice of music, I mean real music, is beneficial to all men, but
to Arcadians it is a necessity. 5 For we must not suppose, as
Ephorus, in the Preface to his History, making a hasty assertion
quite unworthy of him, says, that music was introduced by men for
the purpose of deception and delusion …. And continues at some
length
4.21
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And he concludes:
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10 I have said so much on this subject firstly in order that the
character of the Arcadian nation should not suffer for the
crimes of one city, secondly to deter any other Arcadians from
beginning to neglect music under the impression that its
extensive practice in Arcadia serves no necessary purpose. I
p355also spoke for the sake of the Cynaetheans themselves,
in order that, if Heaven ever grant them better fortune, they
may humanize themselves by turning their attention to
education and especially to music; for by no other means can
they hope to free themselves from that savagery which
overtook them at this time. 12 Having now said all that
occurred to me on the subject of this people I return to the
point whence I digressed.
Dating in Polybius
Uses key events to date his history: 1.6
“it was the 19th year after the sea fight at
Aegospotami and the 16th before the battle at leuctra;
the year in which the Spartans made what is called
the Peace of Antalcidas with the king of Persia; the
year in which the elder Dionysius was besieging
Rhegium after beating the Italian Greeks on the River
Elleporus; and in which the Gauls took Rome itself by
storm and were occupying the whole of it except the
Capital (387-387 BCE)
 These events as clear in audience’s mind as French
Revolution, etc.
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Ancient and modern concepts of
dates
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Not a date in modern sense (no Greek or Latin
word for date) Ancient date is an event
Ancient date is fundamentally a relationship
between two or more events
Modern dates are numbers
ancient dating consist of significant events and
people wchich construct the time frame in which
events have meaning
We place events within existing time frame – our
dates are absolute dates
Ancients work with relative frames of time; no
universal, serial, numerical system of chronology
Ancient historical consciousness – less
abstract than modern - but fixed in series
of connecting points marked by people
and their deeds
 i.e. Romans named their years after the
names of their consuls (not a numbered
series)
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Time in Fabius Pictor, First
Roman Historian
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Wrote in Greek, dating had to make sense in Greek terms
Used two crucial events established by Hellenistic chronographical scholarship and
historiography:
1. For the Greek world the Trojan war was 1st panhellenic (all-Greek) event
Ca. 210 BCE the Alexandrian polymath Eratosthenes had fixed 1184/3 BCE as date of the
fall of Troy in his Chronographiae
Troy marked a point dividing myth from history
2. The First Olympiad in 776/5 BCE
For Fabius Pictor the fall of Troy marked the beginning of Rome; started his history with
voyage of Aeneas, followed by long line of Alban kings who filled gap between Trojan
origins and founding of city of Rome by Romulus and Remus as a colony of Alba Longa
Also gave date for foundation of city of Rome within the grid of panhellenic Olympiad
Placing Rome’s origins within the panhellenic framework (Trojan War, Olympiad) allowed
Fabius Pictor to show that Rome was part of the Hellenistic world and not a barbarian
outsider
Fabius’ technique of dating Rome’s
foundation by the Olympiads was followed
by Gnaus Alimentus, the next Roman
history writer (also wrote in Greek)
 M. Porcus Cato – first to write prose in
Latin – shift in language required shift in
chronology
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Dion.Hal.Ant.Rom 1.74.2
on Cato
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“Cato does not make Greek time-divisions .his date for Rome’s
foundation is not Olympiad but four hundred and thirty –two years
after the Trojan War.
Reference point Trojan war was a universal or Roman History not
Greek
From Cato on, Roman historians use indigenous time frames
Uses of intervals: “Capua had been in existence for around 260
years before captured by the Romans “(Vell.Pat.1.7.2)
Pliny Counting back to foundation of city of America i.e. 963 years
before the war against Perseus (Plin. HN 3.114)
Other dating schemes:
Greek city states - named after eponymous officials (Athens –
archons)
Rome – annually elected consuls – annalistic history (annales)
inaugurated by Fabius Pictor