Ancient History & Civilisation

The Complete Histories of Polybius

The Complete Histories of Polybius

Written in the 2nd century by the Greek historian Polybius, "The Histories" is a multi-volume work detailing many of the events, people, and ideas of the Hellenistic Period. While his focus is the space of time in which ancient Rome became a world power from 220 to 167 BC, Polybius also discusses his role as a 'pragmatic historian', a discourse on fate (called tyche), and the superiority of the mixed constitution. Though all forty volumes have not survived to the present day, the complete books extant today cover the affairs of all the important nations of the time, including Egypt, Greece, and Spain, as well as the first and second Punic Wars. Polybius speaks at length on the government of the Romans, citing it as the reason for Rome's success as a force of the world. Though it includes a couple of digressions concerning lesser issues of the time, "The Histories" has proven and continues to be a valuable text when studying the Hellenistic time period and manner of writing.

BOOK I

BOOK II

BOOK III

BOOK IV

BOOK V

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK VI

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK VII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK VIII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK IX

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK X

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XI

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XIII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XIV

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XV

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XVI

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XVIII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XX

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXI

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXIII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXIV

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXV

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXVI

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXVII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXVIII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXIX

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXX

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXI

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXIII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXIV

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXV

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXVI

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXVIII

FRAGMENTS OF BOOK XXXIX

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