From 2nd century BCE
Greece, Rome, North Africa and Egypt
Polybius was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic age whose surviving works provide major evidence for the Punic-Roman conflict and for Africa and Egypt in his time. Taken prisoner and exiled at Rome, he gained access to Roman and Carthaginian political history through the Scipios. He later travelled widely and is presented as an exceptionally capable observer, possibly exploring the Atlantic coast of Africa with a fleet provided by Scipio Aemilianus.
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The Story
Polybius belonged to the Hellenistic world at the moment when Rome was expanding into the Mediterranean. Born around 200 BCE, he encountered the political and military forces that brought Rome into conflict with Carthage and the wider eastern Mediterranean. His later historical importance rests on the combination of personal experience, travel, and access to influential Roman actors.
His career was shaped by captivity and exile at Rome, where he spent sixteen years. The protection of the Scipios made this prolonged stay more tolerable and enabled him to learn about Roman and Carthaginian history from close quarters. The experience also gave him what the passage presents as a practical education in the political realities of imperial power.
After returning to Greece, Polybius resumed travelling. During a stay in Africa, he was reportedly offered ships by Scipio Aemilianus to explore the Atlantic coast. Whether considered as historian, traveller, or observer, he stands out for the breadth of his curiosity and for the quality of his direct engagement with the regions he described.
Polybius is identified as the principal source for the Punic-Roman struggle, but his importance extends beyond that conflict. Of the forty books of his Pragmateia, only six have survived, yet these remaining books are described as superior to many other sources because of their information and intelligent perspective on Africa and Egypt.
From 2nd century BCE
Greece, Rome, North Africa and Egypt
Polybius was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic age whose surviving works provide major evidence for the Punic-Roman conflict and for Africa and Egypt in his time. Taken prisoner and exiled at Rome, he gained access to Roman and Carthaginian political history through the Scipios. He later travelled widely and is presented as an exceptionally capable observer, possibly exploring the Atlantic coast of Africa with a fleet provided by Scipio Aemilianus.
Continue exploring
The Story
Polybius belonged to the Hellenistic world at the moment when Rome was expanding into the Mediterranean. Born around 200 BCE, he encountered the political and military forces that brought Rome into conflict with Carthage and the wider eastern Mediterranean. His later historical importance rests on the combination of personal experience, travel, and access to influential Roman actors.
His career was shaped by captivity and exile at Rome, where he spent sixteen years. The protection of the Scipios made this prolonged stay more tolerable and enabled him to learn about Roman and Carthaginian history from close quarters. The experience also gave him what the passage presents as a practical education in the political realities of imperial power.
After returning to Greece, Polybius resumed travelling. During a stay in Africa, he was reportedly offered ships by Scipio Aemilianus to explore the Atlantic coast. Whether considered as historian, traveller, or observer, he stands out for the breadth of his curiosity and for the quality of his direct engagement with the regions he described.
Polybius is identified as the principal source for the Punic-Roman struggle, but his importance extends beyond that conflict. Of the forty books of his Pragmateia, only six have survived, yet these remaining books are described as superior to many other sources because of their information and intelligent perspective on Africa and Egypt.