Polybius Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

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Workshop “Das Unheimliche in der antiken Literatur: Narrativierung und ästhetische Erfahrung”, durchgeführt von Prof. Dr. Manuel Baumbach und Arnold Bärtschi am Seminar für Klassische Philologie der Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 13./14.07.2018.

Hannibal's most famous achievement is his crossing of the Alps. Two major historical sources exist for this event, Polybius and Livy. However, reconstruction of the crossing, and indeed any topic concerning the history of the Punic Wars... more

Hannibal's most famous achievement is his crossing of the Alps. Two major historical sources exist for this event, Polybius and Livy. However, reconstruction of the crossing, and indeed any topic concerning the history of the Punic Wars itself, is contentious, due to the discrepancies and contradictions between the available sources. This paper examines significant conflicts between the accounts of Polybius and Pliny.

The aim of this article is to provide an institutional analysis of Polybius’ text (1,11,1-3) concerning the outbreak of the First Punic War. Polybius says that when the Mamertines’ request for help against the Carthaginians came to Rome,... more

The aim of this article is to provide an institutional analysis of Polybius’ text (1,11,1-3) concerning the outbreak of the First Punic War. Polybius says that when the Mamertines’ request for help against the Carthaginians came to Rome, the senate – which was divided between advocates and opponents of a military commitment in Sicily – could not find a resolution, and the matter was decided by “the majority” that voted for entrusting the consul of that year, Appius Claudius, with the task to save the Mamertines. The ‘issue’ is represented here by the interpretation of Polybius’ term “the majority” (Oi dé pollói), that modern scholars have interpreted both as a reference to the majority of the Roman senators – assuming therefore that the final decision was taken by the senate – and as an allusion to the “majority of the Romans” – henceforth supposing that the question was ultimately decided by a vote of the popular assembly. This paper offers a third way, and suggests that the Polybian “majority” must be interpreted as a reference to the intervention of the Roman people, but not in the form of an official vote by the comitia. Several elements in the language of Polybius (i.e. the economic status of those who attended the meeting, and the role played by the consul in the gathering of this crowd) make us suspect that the popular intervention took the form of a "contio", that is an informal meeting through which a magistrate tried to create a popular consensus on a particular political initiative. A new political interpretation of Polybius’ passage is hence proposed, namely that the consul used the will expressed by the people in the "contio" in order to force the Senate to entrust him with the command he was asking for.

The article aims to reconstruct the textual physiognomy of a setting of Polybius’ Histories (II c. BC) – XXXI 25.5 in Büttner-Wobst’s polybian edition, p. 349 –, that is only handed down by the Excerpta Constantiniana (X c.): in a shorter... more

The article aims to reconstruct the textual physiognomy of a setting of Polybius’ Histories (II c. BC) – XXXI 25.5 in Büttner-Wobst’s polybian edition, p. 349 –, that is only handed down by the Excerpta Constantiniana (X c.): in a shorter form by the Excerpta de Virtutibus et Vitiis [n. 104], in the section of the extracts from the xxxi book which collects the long digression on Scipio the Aemilianus (witness: Tours, Bibl. munic., 980 C, of the X c., [P], known and used since the XVII c.); and in a wider form by the Excerpta de Sententiis [n. 137], (witness: Città del Vaticano, BAV, gr. 73, of the X c., [M], palimpsest, rediscovered in 1827, published from 1846). For the knowledge of the polybian page we also have Athenaeus (end of II c. AD), which cited its content in the VI book of Deipnosophistai (VI 274f-275a), and two more polybian extracts, this time from books of the historian Diodorus’ work not handed down (I c. BC), who also drew on Polybius’ Histories: Exc. de Sententiis n. 365 [Diod. XXXI fr. 36 Goukowsky] and n. 436 [Diod. XXXVII fr. 3 Goukowsky]. Through a reflection on the reliability of Athenaeus and Diodorus’ texts in relation to that of the Histories, and a constant comparison with the whole Polybius’ work aimed at investigating the language and style of the author, the article comes to a reconstruction in part different from that of Büttner-Wobst, whose text all modern editions reproduce.

Este livro reúne artigos voltados ao estudo de aspectos da literatura helenística e de sua influência na produção literária posterior, abrangendo variados assuntos, tais como épica, historiografia, mimo, teatro, biografia e filosofia. A... more

Este livro reúne artigos voltados ao estudo de aspectos da literatura helenística e de sua influência na produção literária posterior, abrangendo variados assuntos, tais como épica, historiografia, mimo, teatro, biografia e filosofia. A publicação dessa coleção de textos desempenha um importante papel na divulgação da produção crítica oriunda da "Quarta Semana de Estudos sobre o Período Helenístico", organizada pelo grupo de pesquisa "Hellenistica" e ocorrida na Universidade de São Paulo entre os dias 17 e 18 de setembro de 2015, por meio de financiamento da Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) e do Departamento de Letras Clássicas e Vernáculas (DLCV - FFLCH - USP).

Se a história é mestra da vida, o contrário também é verdadeiro. Essa dialética pendular é o maior estímulo à leitura de historiadores para aqueles que buscam visões sinópticas do mundo e de si mesmos. As Históriasde Políbio resultam da... more

Se a história é mestra da vida, o contrário também é verdadeiro. Essa dialética pendular é o maior estímulo à leitura de historiadores para aqueles que buscam visões sinópticas do mundo e de si mesmos. As Históriasde Políbio resultam da reflexão prolongada de um homem em busca do entendimento de intrincadas conjunturas. Detido em Roma por suspeita de colaboração com os macedônios vencidos, dedicou-se a entender o problema político que considerou o mais importante de seu tempo: “como, e devido a que gênero de Estado, quase todo o mundo habitado foi submetido, em menos de 53 anos, por um único poderio, o dos romanos, algo nunca dantes ocorrido?” Os cinco livros, ora traduzidos por Breno Battistin Sebastiani diretamente do grego e publicados pela editora Perspectiva em sua coleção Textos, são os únicos que subsistem completos. A História Pragmáticade Políbio, conceito do autor e designação pela qual a obra também é conhecida, revela a formação do poderio de Roma, que moldaria o futuro e cuja influência se faz sentir ainda hoje.

A monography on Lucian´s How to write history including a commentary following the text.

In the last years of his life, the Bolognese humanist Romulus Amasaeus (1489-1552) translated Polybius’ description (X 2-20) of the conquering of Nova Carthago by Scipio. This hitherto unpublished translation survives in two manuscripts,... more

In the last years of his life, the Bolognese humanist Romulus Amasaeus (1489-1552) translated Polybius’ description (X 2-20) of the conquering of Nova Carthago by Scipio. This hitherto unpublished translation survives in two manuscripts, now in the libraries of the Vatican and Évora. The relationship between both witnesses can be assessed thanks to the Amaseiana that are conserved at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana.

Protected by Rome, Carthage regained much prosperity under a relatively open political system, while the grasping Masinissa of Numidia was thwarted repeatedly from annexing Punic territory. But Rome's attitude changed after 167, to his... more

Protected by Rome, Carthage regained much prosperity under a relatively open political system, while the grasping Masinissa of Numidia was thwarted repeatedly from annexing Punic territory. But Rome's attitude changed after 167, to his advantage.

It is the present paper’s objective to revisit Polybius’ role in Scipio Aemilianus’ life and, more broadly, both men’s importance for the intellectual climate in second century BC Rome. In addition, it will discuss the effects Greek... more

It is the present paper’s objective to revisit Polybius’ role in Scipio Aemilianus’ life and, more broadly, both men’s importance for the intellectual climate in second century BC Rome. In addition, it will discuss the effects Greek philosophical thought had on the Roman nobility, and, vice versa, the repercussions Polybius’ moving in these circles may have had on his conceptions of the Roman state.

This chapter takes a fresh look at the Roman-Carthaginian Treaties in Polybius 3. The treaties have been discussed from almost every possible historical angle. Their function in Polybius' narrative, by contrast, has hardly received any... more

This chapter takes a fresh look at the Roman-Carthaginian Treaties in Polybius 3. The treaties have been discussed from almost every possible historical angle. Their function in Polybius' narrative, by contrast, has hardly received any attention at all. This is surprising because the structure and design of this part of Polybius' narrative is extremely peculiar: there are not many passages in ancient historical writing that feature such a large number of verbatim citations of documents and Polybius even interrupts his suspenseful account of the Roman declaration of war to the Carthaginians to insert his citation and analysis of the treaties. In this paper I argue that this design is deliberate (and not clumsy or irritating, as it has sometimes been characterised in the scholarly discussion): Polybius is presenting exactly the kind of well-founded knowledge of the legal situation that the Romans in 218 lacked and that remained contentious in his own time, at precisely that point of the narrative (at the encounter in Carthage) when the Romans would have needed it most. Moreover, I argue that the entire design and structure reflects the process of Greek interstate arbitration as it is documented on several inscriptions, and I explore the implications of the interdiscursive relationship between Polybius' narrative and diplomatic discourse and inscriptions in terms of Polybius' self-definition and self-presentation as a Greek historical narrator and aner pragmatikos writing Roman history in Rome.

Junto con Heródoto y Tucídides, Polibio es considerado actualmente uno de los tres grandes historiadores griegos de la Antigüedad. Desde su reaparición en la Italia renacentista sus Historias han sido consideradas por diversos pensadores... more

Junto con Heródoto y Tucídides, Polibio es considerado actualmente uno de los tres grandes historiadores griegos de la Antigüedad. Desde su reaparición en la Italia renacentista sus Historias han sido consideradas por diversos pensadores modernos como una fuente de inspiración para la reflexión política y filosófica, pero también por los historiadores a partir del siglo XIX como un objeto de estudio muy significativo, en especial, por la calidad de su información sobre la expansión romana por el Mediterráneo entre los siglos III-II a.C. En las últimas dos décadas se ha incrementado el interés historiográfico por la obra de este historiador helenístico tardío. Nuevos abordajes teóricos han contribuido, en efecto, a poner en evidencia la centralidad de su forma narrativa y su marco político-cultural en la construcción discursiva de sentidos específicos para su público. En consonancia con investigaciones recientes, este libro apunta a dilucidar algunos de los vínculos existentes entre los objetivos didácticos, de formación de la élite griega y romana, y la dimensión de la memoria, la identidad y la autorrepresentación del propio historiador aqueo como político. En líneas generales, y contra la tesis de una "romanización" de su pensamiento, se busca contribuir a resituar a Polibio dentro del horizonte político-cultural propiamente helenístico.

Die Frage was in Polybios Historien der Grund für Roms Aufstieg zum Imperium war, die Τύχη oder die αἰτία soll hier erarbeitet werden. Dabei soll herausgestellt werden, dass Tyche zwar nach Polybios eine bedeutende Rolle zukommt, Polybios... more

Die Frage was in Polybios Historien der Grund für Roms Aufstieg zum Imperium war, die Τύχη oder die αἰτία soll hier erarbeitet werden. Dabei soll herausgestellt werden, dass Tyche zwar nach Polybios eine bedeutende Rolle zukommt, Polybios aber doch die αἰτία als Hauptgrund für den Aufstieg Roms sieht. Da die αἰτία jedoch grundsätzlich etwas ist, dass erklärbar und aufzeigbar ist, gilt es auch diese zu finden. Dabei wird die im VI. Buch angesprochene Verfassung als Hauptursache genommen, wobei hier allerdings nicht das Hauptaugenmerk auf der viel bearbeiteten Mischverfassung Roms liegen soll, sondern der wenig beachteten Militärverfassung die sich ersterer anschließt.

Polybius, the three spies and the forgotten battle of Zama Aims In this paper I will discuss some plausible links in the historiography of the three spies` stories and I will attempt to identify Polybius` sources and the reasons why he... more

Polybius, the three spies and the forgotten battle of Zama Aims In this paper I will discuss some plausible links in the historiography of the three spies` stories and I will attempt to identify Polybius` sources and the reasons why he decided to retain it in his narrative leading up to the great battle of Zama. Polybius` version of the three spies' story will be compared to other ancient Roman sources that have been overlooked by most modern historians. These sources are the histories of Appian and Cassius Dio; they provide us with an alternative sequence of events that led to Carthage's acceptance of Scipio`s peace terms. As a consequence of the three spies` story's inclusion in Polybius` version of the campaign, we should ask ourselves if the testimonies of Polybius` witnesses and his sources are reliable and if there is reason to believe that they are unfairly biased, we ought therefore to question Polybius` account of the battle of Zama itself. This is a speculative piece of course, without hard, tangible evidence and without primary sources to refer to. There are of course, only secondary sources which are contradictory in parts that span just over three hundred years to base anything upon. But these sources fall into two sets; Polybius/Livy and Appian/Cassius Dio. We need to ask ourselves the right questions about the ways in which these histories contradict one another and where they concur. In this, it will also be useful if we were to examine the motives of the principal characters in the history and the historiography (both the motives of the people who were involved and the authors who later recorded their actions). Where these motivations and the correspondences in the narratives correlate, we might discover that the true history is revealed. I will attempt to conclude this paper with a credible chronology for the Zama campaign. Michael Collins, 16/11/2020.

John Adams, the first vice president and second president of the United States of America was also a distinguished political scientist. His Defense of the Constitutions of the United States of America, consisting of three volumes is one... more

John Adams, the first vice president and second president of the United States of America was also a distinguished political scientist. His Defense of the Constitutions of the United States of America, consisting of three volumes is one of the most comprehensive sources of early American constitutionalism. As a scholar of Enlightenment, Adams read widely on various subjects, but he drew the greatest inspiration from the Classics, especially from the political philosophy of Polybius and Marcus Tullius Cicero. His vision of establishing a mixed constitution and the balance of Orders have many resemblances to the anacyclosis (ἀνακύκλωσις) of Polybius. Adams borrowed the ancient theory of the cycle of governments to justify the principle of separation of powers in a modern republican government. The Executive Order, or president was the lynchpin of Adams’ mixed constitution. Without his moderation, impartial leadership, and protection of private property, struggles among the three factions would tear the republic apart. This paper suggests that Adams’ unique views on presidential leadership were inspired by his reading of Cicero’s De Officiis (‘On Duties’) and De Re Publica (‘On the Republic’). Although he incorporated significant portions of ancient philosophy into his constitutional theory, he did not merely imitate the ancients. Instead, he created a truly unique political philosophy which formed the foundation of the Federalist ideology. Nevertheless, it should be noted that not everyone agreed with Adams. Many contemporary criticisms against his Defense suggest that there was a fierce debate over the meaning and purpose of the Constitution during the Early National Period, in which classical political thought and practice played a significant role. Although John Adams’ ideas were not favored during his lifetime, the enduring power and insight of his analysis place him as one of the most exceptional political thinkers of America.

This is a study of the vocabulary which the Greeks used to speak about states different from the polis (city-state). Some of these states, such as Boeotia in the fourth, and Achaea and Aetolia in the third century BC, reached superpower... more

This is a study of the vocabulary which the Greeks used to speak about states different from the polis (city-state). Some of these states, such as Boeotia in the fourth, and Achaea and Aetolia in the third century BC, reached superpower status in Greek politics. Nowadays these states are commonly called federal, but we lack any serious reflection of federalism in Greek political thought. In pursuit of specifically federalist language Rzepka examines the inscriptions testifying to the working of Greek leagues and the life of federal Greeks, as well as a vast range of Classical authors. He argues that the deliberate choice of technical terms, and especially the emergence of federalist jargon in the Hellenistic period, reflect the development of the federalist path in Greek political thought.

ABSTRACT. IN THE DIGRESSION PROUDLY DEVOTED BY POLYBIUS TO «ANCIENT» ARCADIAN MUSICAL PAIDEIA (4. 20-21), THE WORDS τὴν γ᾽ ἀληθῶς μουσικήν (4. 20. 4) have been often interpreted as «music in a narrow sense«, opposed to mousike as... more

ABSTRACT.
IN THE DIGRESSION PROUDLY DEVOTED BY POLYBIUS TO «ANCIENT» ARCADIAN MUSICAL PAIDEIA (4. 20-21), THE WORDS τὴν γ᾽ ἀληθῶς μουσικήν (4. 20. 4) have been often interpreted as «music in a narrow sense«, opposed to mousike as studia humanitatis (Walbank). But other passages in Polybius (and Plato) show the clearly polemical use of the attributive ἀληθῶς: so «true music» is «(good) music which is really music» (i.e. respectful of the alleged tradition and useful to paideia), contrasted to the today so-called ‘new music’, implicitly labelled as ‘false music’, since it is devoided of educational and aesthetical value. This is confirmed by the occurrence of the same expression in Antiphanes fr. 207 K.-A. (in a polemical comparison between two musical trends), and by several texts (late 5th century komikoi; Plato and Aristoxenus; writers of Hellenistic and Imperial ages) where the ‘new music’ is condamned as something ‘spurious’, or something which ‘destroys’ or even ‘kills’ the (real) music. This sharp (however ideological) opposition between ‘two musics’ (the traditional one and the pervert theatrike music) can be founded also in the Peri mousikes by Diogenes of Babylon, who, very probably, Polybius met during the Athenian embassy to Rome in 155 b.C. and whose political ideas are similar to the Polybian ones: in 4. 20. 4 Polybius could have been inspired, among others, by Diogenes. In this respect, it is amazing that Polybius writes, after few lines (20. 9), that Arcadian youth learned nomoi composed by Timotheos and Philoxenos without noticing that these two composers were considered (still in Roman imperial age) the champions of what he could have defined ‘false music’: this could be explained considering how little attention is paid by Polybius to music, aside from the Arcadian digression which is moved only by a patriotic and political aim.

Detailed notes on the overall themes and structural oppositions of the play -- emphasizing its relation to the other "Roman Plays" and the end of the Roman Republic. Given the play's connections to the writing of thinkers such as... more

Detailed notes on the overall themes and structural oppositions of the play -- emphasizing its relation to the other "Roman Plays" and the end of the Roman Republic. Given the play's connections to the writing of thinkers such as Polybius and Machiavelli, it is argued that the play points to the virtues of a "republican" or mixed regime.

Civil war is the most radical form of political conflict. This volume analyses the impact of civil war on society and culture in Greco-Roman antiquity. The collected papers examine phenomena such as tyrannicide, staseis and usurpations... more

Civil war is the most radical form of political conflict. This volume analyses the impact of civil war on society and culture in Greco-Roman antiquity. The collected papers examine phenomena such as tyrannicide, staseis and usurpations from the classical age to late antiquity. The focus lies on the lasting impact violence and disorder had on political discourse and memory culture. In particular, the contributions explore how internal conflicts were staged and performed. Beyond spectacular triumphal celebrations there existed a broad range of symbolic forms of communication pertaining to civil war: rituals of reconciliation, reintegration and restoration as well as acts of commemoration and condemnation. The multidisciplinary volume aims at contributing to a better understanding of the performative and communicative logic of civil conflict within the ancient societies of Greece and Rome.

In Hist. IV 20-21 Polybius praises the role of music in Arcadian paideia and daily life, and attaches great importance to the moral effect of «true music», i.e. music respectful to tradition. However this is only a pose, useful to extol... more

In Hist. IV 20-21 Polybius praises the role of music in Arcadian paideia and daily life, and attaches great importance to the moral effect of «true music», i.e. music respectful to tradition. However this is only a pose, useful to extol Arcadian moral excellence. This is proved by several evidences in the rest of Polybius’ work: Polybius (XXXVIII 5, 4-7) accepts without trouble the tropos metabolikos, typical of ‘new music’ and devoided of educational value; he pays no attention to musical styles and facts, or to musicians; he attaches no importance to the possess of musical education or kwnoledge, not only by politicians or monarchs from other Hellenic countries, but even by an exemplar Arcadian like Philopoemen; on the contrary, Polybius often disapproves of the exhibition of musical qualities or of interest in akroamata (the most frequent musical term in Polybius’ work), regarding it as proof of baseness.

Various aspects are essential to understand what Polybius believed were the main reasons for Rome’s rise to power over the Mediterranean. One of these aspects is Rome’s “mixed constitution” and its place within the constitutions’ cycle. A... more

Various aspects are essential to understand what Polybius believed were the main reasons for Rome’s rise to power over the Mediterranean. One of these aspects is Rome’s “mixed constitution” and its place within the constitutions’ cycle. A “mixed constitution” that differed from other constitutions established in neighbour regions and that seemed to have given Rome a huge advantage. Another aspect that Polybius believed turned Rome into hegemonic power were its morals. Morals that were felt not just on certain individuals’ leadership or on legions’ discipline, but also on its citizenship and the state. Tyche, or fortune, played an important role in the development of some of the events that happened in the Mediterranean. This is a concept that has different meanings within Polybius narrative. On occasions, Tyche seems to connect events that happened at places that are very far from each other or events that happened in different historical periods. Polybius view on how Rome’s imperialistic policy started is also an important aspect to look at. The writer focused his attention on “how in less than fifty-three years the Romans became masters of the inhabited world”1. Its internal strength and foreign policy played an important part in such achievement.

By investigating the works of Polybius and Livy, we can discuss an important aspect of the impact of Alexander upon the reputation and image of Rome. Because of the subject of their histories and the political atmosphere in which they... more

By investigating the works of Polybius and Livy, we can discuss an important aspect of the impact of Alexander upon the reputation and image of Rome. Because of the subject of their histories and the political atmosphere in which they were writing - these authors, despite their generally positive opinions of Alexander, ultimately created scenarios where they portrayed the Romans as superior to the Macedonian king. This study has five primary goals: to produce a commentary on the various Alexander passages found in Polybius’ and Livy’s histories; to establish the generally positive opinion of Alexander held by these two writers; to illustrate that a noticeable theme of their works is the ongoing comparison between Alexander and Rome; to demonstrate Polybius’ and Livy’s belief in Roman superiority, even over Alexander; and finally to create an understanding of how this motif influences their greater narratives and alters our appreciation of their works.