Polybius

Historian and ambassador

Born: c. 200 b. c.e.; Megalopolis, Arcadia, Greece Died: c. 118 b. c.e.; Greece

Category: Historiography; government and politics; treaties and diplomacy

Life Polybius (puh-LIHB-ee-uhs) was born into a prominent Greek family. His father, Lycortas, was a leading statesman of a southern Greek confederation of city-states, the Achaean League. In the second century b. c.e., Rome was expanding its influence in Greece. In Rome’s Third Macedonian War (172-167 b. c.e.), Polybius served as an ambassador to the Romans and was able to save the Achaeans money by delaying an offer of aid. The pro-Roman policy did not help the Achaeans when the Romans pursued a harsher policy, including sending a number of prominent Greeks into exile in Italy. Polybius was fortunate, serving in the house of Lucius Aemilius Paullus, a prominent Roman leader, and tutoring his two young sons. In this position, Polybius became acquainted with the Roman state and was permitted to travel extensively.

Following his exile, Polybius was an adviser to the Romans and was able to moderate some of Rome’s demands when the Achaean League was conquered in the 140’s b. c.e. The Histories (n. d.; English translation, 1889), Polybius’s main and greatest work, examined how Rome came to dominate the Mediterranean world. His other works include a history of the Numantine War (134-132 b. c.e.) and a treatise on military tactics (both now lost).

Influence While Polybius was most proud of his service to his countrymen, his examination of Rome and its “mixed” constitution has greatly affected governmental organizations, including the U. S. government.

Further Reading

Champion, Craige B. Cultural Politics in Polybius’s Histories. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004.

Marincola, John. Greek Historians. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Von Fritz, Kurt. The Theory of the Mixed Constitution in Antiquity. New York: Columbia University Press, 1954.

Walbank, Frank W. A Historical Commentary on Polybius. 3 vols. Reprint.

Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1999.

_. Polybius, Rome, and the Hellenistic World: Essays and Reflections. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Frederick C. Matusiak

See also: Achaean League; Hellenistic Greece; Historiography; Literature.