Polemic in Polybius

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Polybius (c. 200–118 bc) is a notoriously combative historian, gleefully attacking his fellow historians for their moral failings and intellectual crimes, and their works for their misleading errors and grave distortions. But Polybius sometimes appears guilty himself of some of the same faults he finds in others. This paper aims to assess Polybius’ quality and reliability as a writer of history on his own terms, that is, according to the strict standards he sets for other historians, with the ultimate aim of determining whether his Histories marks a return to the high historiographical standards set by Polybius’ famous predecessor Thucydides, or perpetrates the same historiographical high crimes and misdemeanours he accuses his contemporary historical writers of committing.