Polybius of Megalopolis

Polybius of Megalopolis  was born at the moment when the Romans had defeated Carthage and started to focus on Greece. Polybius' family played a role in the resistance, and after 168, he was brought to Italy as a hostage. Here, here he lived for another eighteen years. In Rome, he was introduced to the cultural circle of the family of the Cornelii Scipiones, and he accompanied Scipio Aemilianus on his campaigns to Africa and Spain.

Moreover, Polybius made some voyages himself. For example, he crossed the Alps to find out how Hannibal had invaded Italy, and sailed along the coast of western Africa. All this gave him an excellent knowledge of the inside dealings of Roman politics, which make his World history one of the most important sources for the study of the rise of Rome. It consisted of forty book scrolls.

Because later generations did not appreciate the Greek language of the age of Polybius, he never became a "classic" author, and a great part of the World history is now lost.

Text

• The text of what is left of the World History, in an English translation, can be found here.
• An annotated version of his account of the First Punic War can be read here.