Polybius, Rome and the Hellenistic World: Essays and Reflections

by Frank W. Walbank

Overview

This volume contains nineteen important essays related to the Greek historian Polybius by Professor F.W. Walbank, the recognized authority on the subject. The essays deal with Polybius as a historian, with his views on Rome and with many historical topics for which he is the principal source. A substantial introduction provides a critical account of work done on Polybius during the last twenty-five years. The book will be of special importance to students of Republican Rome and the Hellenistic world and also to anyone interested in historiography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521812085
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	09/05/2002
Pages:	368
Product dimensions:	6.38(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.06(d)

About the Author

Frank Walbank is Professor Emeritus of Ancient History of the University of Liverpool and Honorary Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Polybius and Hellenistic history.

Table of Contents

Preface; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; 1. Polybian studies, c. 1975–2000; Part I. Historical and Geographical Papers: 2. The geography of Polybius; 3. Egypt in Polybius; 4. The surrender of the Egyptian rebels in the Nile Δ (Polybius xxii.17.1–7); 5. Two Hellenistic processions: a matter of self-definition; 6. Polybius and Macedonia; 7. Sea-power and the Antigonids; 8. HÊ TÔN HOLÔN ELPIS and the Antigonids; 9. Hellenes and Achaeans: 'Greek nationality' revisited; 10. The Achaean assemblies; Part II. Polybius as a Historian: 11. Timaeus' views on the past; 12. Polybius and the past; 13. The idea of decline in Polybius; 14. Polybius' perception of the one and the many; 15. Profit or amusement: some thoughts on the motives of Hellenistic historians; Part III. Polybius on Rome: 16. Supernatural paraphernalia in Polybius' Histories; 17. 'Treason' and Roman domination: two case-studies, Polybius and Josephus; 18. A Greek looks at Rome: Polybius VI revisited; Part IV. Transmission of Polybius: 19. Polybius, Mr Dryden and the Glorious Revolution; 20. Polybius through the eyes of Gaetano de Sanctis; Bibliography; Indexes.

Editorial Reviews

"F.W. Walbank is one of the giants among British historians of ancient Greece. This volume...demonstrates how the author's personal attachments...and his invocation of supernatural forces, helped to shape the Histories. The present selection is especially valuable because a good number of the papers included were originally published in journals and collections that many scholars will not find easily accessible." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

From the Publisher