Polybius
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‘Greek historiography reached its peak in the fifth century bc with Herodotus and Thucydides’, wrote PG Walsh (Professor of Latin at the University of Glasgow). • An insistence on a world-view and international perspective • Interrogating of a wide range of sources, notably public archives and eyewitnesses • An insistence that history should ‘tell the truth’ • A focus on narrative history which explains how and why • A focus on individuals and what they achieved – the 'heroes of history' • His belief in τύχη (divine fate) • What he calls πραγματικῆς ἱστορίας (history which teaches you 'how-to-live') • What he calls ‘digressions’ to discuss geography, art, science and moral issues.
1. Strengths of Polybius • He had lived through many of the events he was writing about • He made a real effort to work from as many sources as possible • He interviewed eyewitnesses, including many important people • He assessed his sources' reliability, and rejected biased sources • He was an expert on politics and warfare (and interested in technology) • He took great care to get his geography right, and visited the places he wrote about • His Histories were a genuine work of synthesis • He sought the TRUTH.
• He had lived through many of the events he was writing about • He believed his eyewitnesses • He wrote for Greeks • He was biased for the Romans, and especially for the Scipios (his patrons) • He wrote to draw out the 'moral' of the story, and to convey the 'lesson for life' • Although he criticised made-up speeches, he sometimes made up speeches!
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This document contains the relevant sections of the set Polybius - Mr Clare's factsheet You may also be interested to read two articles by Mr Clare on key concepts in Polybius:
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Task Read the following passages from Polybius, and write answers to the questions which follow: Book 2, Chapter 56 What does this passage tell us about the way Polybius wrote his Histories. [4]
Book 1, Chapter 1 Using this passage, explain
why Polybius wrote
the Histories. [4] Do you think that Polybius gives us a reliable account of the Hannibalic War? |