The Complete Histories of Polybius
The Complete Histories of Polybius by Polybius is a comprehensive work published by Digireads.com in 2009, consisting of 606 pages in English. This historical account, written in the 2nd century, provides an in-depth examination of the Hellenistic Period, particularly focusing on the rise of ancient Rome as a dominant world power from 220 to 167 BC. Polybius, recognized as a ‘pragmatic historian’, explores significant events, influential figures, and key ideas of the time, while also reflecting on concepts such as fate and the advantages of a mixed constitution.
Readers will find that The Complete Histories covers the affairs of major nations during this era, including Egypt, Greece, and Spain, alongside detailed discussions of the first and second Punic Wars. Polybius emphasizes the Roman government as a crucial factor in Rome’s success, providing insights into its political structure and effectiveness. While some volumes of this extensive work have not survived, the existing texts remain an essential resource for understanding the complexities of the Hellenistic time period and the historiographical methods employed by Polybius.
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Written in the 2nd century by the Greek historian Polybius, “The Histories” is a multi-volume work detailing many of the events, people, and ideas of the Hellenistic Period. While his focus is the space of time in which ancient Rome became a world power from 220 to 167 BC, Polybius also discusses his role as a ‘pragmatic historian’, a discourse on fate (called tyche), and the superiority of the mixed constitution. Though all forty volumes have not survived to the present day, the complete books extant today cover the affairs of all the important nations of the time, including Egypt, Greece, and Spain, as well as the first and second Punic Wars. Polybius speaks at length on the government of the Romans, citing it as the reason for Rome’s success as a force of the world. Though it includes a couple of digressions concerning lesser issues of the time, “The Histories” has proven and continues to be a valuable text when studying the Hellenistic time period and manner of writing.
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