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The Greek statesman Polybius (c.200 - 118 BC) wrote his account

of the relentless growth of the Roman Empire in order to help his

fellow countrymen understand how their world came to be dominated

by Rome. Opening with the Punic War in 264 BC, he vividly records

the critical stages of Roman expansion: its campaigns throughout

the Mediterranean, the temporary setbacks inflicted by Hannibal and

the final destruction of Carthage. An active participant of the

politics of his time as well as a friend of many prominent Roman

citizens, Polybius drew on many eyewitness accounts in writing this

cornerstone work of history.

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Polybius lived from 200-118 BC and was a Greek statesman and

historian. F.W. Walbank has published numerous works on ancient

Greece. Ian Scott-Kilvert has also translated Plutarch's works for

Penguin Classics.

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Now in earlier times the world's history had consisted, so to speak, of a series of unrelated episodes, the origins and results of each being a widely separated as their localities, but from this point onwards history becomes an organic whole: the affairs of Italy and of Africa are connected to those of Asia and of Greece, and all events bear a relationship and contribute to a single end.

In Polybius' view, it was only through the study of universal history, world history, that one could reach a proper appreciation of cause and effect and so come to understand the part played by Fortune in human affairs; and that was essential if one wanted to learn the lessons of history.

The second reason was that nobody else among our contemporaries has set out to write a general history; certainly if they had done so I should have had far less incentive to make the attempt myself. But as it is I notice that while various historians deal with isolated wars and certain of the subjects connected with them, nobody, so far as I am aware, has made any effort to pass into oblivion this phenomenon - the achievement of Fortune which is the most excellent and profitable to contemplate.

It is impossible for us to achieve this comprehensive view from those historians which record isolated events: one might as well try to obtain an impression of the shape, arrangement and order of the whole world by visiting each of its most famous cities in turn or looking at separate plans of them,...

The fact is that we can obtain no more than an impression of a whole from a part, but certainly neither a thorough knowledge nor an accurate understanding. We must conclude then that specialised studies to monographs contribute very little to our grasp of the whole and our conviction of its truth. On the contrary, it is only by combining and comparing the various parts of the whole with one another and noting their resemblances and their differences that we shall arrive at a comprehensive view, and thus encompass both the practical benefits and the pleasures that the reading of history affords.

Accordingly, as soon as the weather began to grow warmer he set about questioning those who knew the country best, and discovered that the other routes for invading Roman territory were not only long but were thoroughly familiar to the enemy, whereas the road which led through the marshes to Etruria was both short and likely to take Flaminius by surprise.

Hannibal's first action was to pitch his own camp at the edge of the swamps, his object being to rest his troops while he reconnoitred the region in front of him and collected intelligence about the enemy. He learned first that the surrounding country promised a wealth of plunder, and secondly that Flaminius possessed a rare talent for the arts of demagogy and playing to the gallery, but very little for the practical conduct of the war, and yet was absurdly over-confident about his own resources.

书籍介绍

The Greek statesman Polybius (c.200 - 118 BC) wrote his account of the relentless growth of the Roman Empire in order to help his fellow countrymen understand how their world came to be dominated by Rome. Opening with the Punic War in 264 BC, he vividly records the critical stages of Roman expansion: its campaigns throughout the Mediterranean, the temporary setbacks inflicted by Hannibal and the final destruction of Carthage. An active participant of the politics of his time as well as a friend of many prominent Roman citizens, Polybius drew on many eyewitness accounts in writing this cornerstone work of history.