1. Polybius part 2

1. 1. Polybius part 2 2. Appian

2. Polybius bridging two worlds • The Greek Polybius: was being prepared for leadership role in the Achaean League; 181/80 sent to Egypt as envoy of Achaean league although still under legal age (about 19?) • 170/69 elected cavalry commander of the League (at age 30) (Polybius 24.6.5) • Accused to be anti Roman by political rival in League, Callicrates; • 167 BCE sent with 1000 other hostages to Rome after Rome’s victory at Pydna (which ended 3rd Macedonian War) • Hostages remained 17 years in Italy, but only 300 survived (rest escaped, died, committed suicide) • Hostages distributed throughout Italy but Polybius allowed to stay in Rome • Made important acquaintances: Cato the Censor – founding father of Latin historiography (the Origines); Cato persuaded the Roman senate in 150 to release all hostages

3. Polybius’ influence on Roman Historians • Probably acquainted with and influenced SemproniusAsellio (also an early historian writing in Latin) • Brutus was working on an epitome of Polybius on the eve of the battle of Pharsalus (48 BCE) • Livy (Augustan Age) sometimes follows Polybius very closely, i.e. the points he makes in speeches (example Polybius 15.6.4-7.9 compare with Livy 30.30.2-30) • Livy also follows Polybius in the role Fortuna/Tyche plays in human affairs

4. The role of fortuna (fortune/chance)in Polybius’ history • “There is this analogy between the plan of my History and the marvelous spirit of the age with which I have to deal. Just as Fortune (tyche) made almost all the affairs of the world incline in one direction and forced them to converge upon one and the same point, so it is my task as an historian to put before my readers a compendious view of the part played by Fortune in bringing about the general catastrophe. It was this peculiarity which originally challenged my attention and determined me on undertaking this work.” (Book 1.4)

5. Hellenistic intellectual tradition • Polybius wrote his history in common Hellenistic intellectual tradition emphasizing: impartiality, usefulness, historians to have practical experience, the superiority of the sense of sight, importance of critical examination of events (causes, etc.), history as apodeiktike (demonstratory); the role of tyche (luck, fortune), the cycling of constitutions with the ‘balanced’ as most stable one • Many of these ideas already part of Roman practices • Polybius in Rome catalyst in channelling these ideas into Roman historiography

6. The nature of Polybius’ History • Huge work written over many years. • Often repetitive, lots of lengthy digressions, very chatty • i.e. digresses for 3 books on Roman institutions, historiography, and geography • Some digressions just chatty

7. A digression: Book 12.2 • "The lotus is not a large tree, but it is rough and thorny. Its leaf resembles that of the blackthorn, but is rather wider and flatter. 3 The fruit at first both in colour and size resembles the white myrtle berry when fully grown, but as it grows it becomes purple in colour and about the size of a round olive. The stone is quite small. 5 They gather it when ripe, and after pounding what is meant for the slaves pack it with salt in jars. They remove the stones from the portion meant for freemen and store it in the same way and on this they feed. 6 The food rather resembles figs or dates, but has a better aroma. 7 Wine is also made from it by moistening it and crushing it in water. This wine is sweet and of an agreeable flavour, resembling very good metheglin, and drink it unwatered. 8 It does not, however, keep for more than ten days, so that they make it p309in small quantities when required. They also make vinegar from it."

8. Book 14.11 • 2 Polybius in his fourteenth book tells us that there were many portraits in Alexandrian temples of Cleino, the cupbearer of Ptolemy Philadelphus, p461representing her clothed only in a chiton and holding a rhyton. 3 "And are not some of the finest houses," he says, called Myrtion's, Mnesis's, and Potheine's? 4 But what were Mnesis and Potheine but flute-players and Myrtio one of the professional and vulgar mimae? 5 And was not Ptolemy Philopator the slave of the courtesan Agathocleia, who overturned the whole kingdom?". . . .

9. Polybius 4.20 • 20 Since the Arcadian nation on the whole has a very high reputation for virtue among the Greeks, due not only to their humane and hospitable character and usages, but especially to their piety to the gods, 2 it is worth while to give a moment's consideration to the question of the savagery of the Cynaetheans, and ask ourselves why, though unquestionably of Arcadian stock, they so far surpassed all other Greeks at this period in cruelty and wickedness. 3 I think the reason was that they were the first and indeed only people in Arcadia to abandon an admirable institution, introduced by their forefathers with a nice regard for the natural conditions under which all the inhabitants of that country live. 4 For the practice of music, I mean real music, is beneficial to all men, but to Arcadians it is a necessity. 5 For we must not suppose, as Ephorus, in the Preface to his History, making a hasty assertion quite unworthy of him, says, that music was introduced by men for the purpose of deception and delusion …. And continues at some length

10. 4.21 • And he concludes: • 10 I have said so much on this subject firstly in order that the character of the Arcadian nation should not suffer for the crimes of one city, secondly to deter any other Arcadians from beginning to neglect music under the impression that its extensive practice in Arcadia serves no necessary purpose. I p355also spoke for the sake of the Cynaetheans themselves, in order that, if Heaven ever grant them better fortune, they may humanize themselves by turning their attention to education and especially to music; for by no other means can they hope to free themselves from that savagery which overtook them at this time. 12 Having now said all that occurred to me on the subject of this people I return to the point whence I digressed.

11. Dating in Polybius • Uses key events to date his history: 1.6 • “it was the 19th year after the sea fight at Aegospotami and the 16th before the battle at leuctra; the year in which the Spartans made what is called the Peace of Antalcidas with the king of Persia; the year in which the elder Dionysius was besieging Rhegium after beating the Italian Greeks on the River Elleporus; and in which the Gauls took Rome itself by storm and were occupying the whole of it except the Capital (387-387 BCE) • These events as clear in audience’s mind as French Revolution, etc.

12. Ancient and modern concepts of dates • Not a date in modern sense (no Greek or Latin word for date) Ancient date is an event • Ancient date is fundamentally a relationship between two or more events • Modern dates are numbers • ancient dating consist of significant events and people wchich construct the time frame in which events have meaning • We place events within existing time frame – our dates are absolute dates • Ancients work with relative frames of time; no universal, serial, numerical system of chronology

13. Ancient historical consciousness – less abstract than modern - but fixed in series of connecting points marked by people and their deeds • i.e. Romans named their years after the names of their consuls (not a numbered series)

14. Time in FabiusPictor, First Roman Historian • Wrote in Greek, dating had to make sense in Greek terms • Used two crucial events established by Hellenistic chronographical scholarship and historiography: • 1. For the Greek world the Trojan war was 1stpanhellenic (all-Greek) event • Ca. 210 BCE the Alexandrian polymath Eratosthenes had fixed 1184/3 BCE as date of the fall of Troy in his Chronographiae • Troy marked a point dividing myth from history • 2. The First Olympiad in 776/5 BCE • For FabiusPictor the fall of Troy marked the beginning of Rome; started his history with voyage of Aeneas, followed by long line of Alban kings who filled gap between Trojan origins and founding of city of Rome by Romulus and Remus as a colony of Alba Longa • Also gave date for foundation of city of Rome within the grid of panhellenic Olympiad • Placing Rome’s origins within the panhellenic framework (Trojan War, Olympiad) allowed FabiusPictor to show that Rome was part of the Hellenistic world and not a barbarian outsider

15. Fabius’ technique of dating Rome’s foundation by the Olympiads was followed by GnausAlimentus, the next Roman history writer (also wrote in Greek) • M. Porcus Cato – first to write prose in Latin – shift in language required shift in chronology

16. Dion.Hal.Ant.Rom 1.74.2on Cato • “Cato does not make Greek time-divisions .his date for Rome’s foundation is not Olympiad but four hundred and thirty –two years after the Trojan War. • Reference point Trojan war was a universal or Roman History not Greek • From Cato on, Roman historians use indigenous time frames • Uses of intervals: “Capua had been in existence for around 260 years before captured by the Romans “(Vell.Pat.1.7.2) • Pliny Counting back to foundation of city of America i.e. 963 years before the war against Perseus (Plin. HN 3.114) • Other dating schemes: • Greek city states - named after eponymous officials (Athens – archons) • Rome – annually elected consuls – annalistic history (annales) inaugurated by FabiusPictor