Polybius Book I, A Commentary: Book I (Cultural Legacies)

Born about 200 B.C. in Greece to a politically prominent family, Polybius had his own political career cut short when he was deported to Rome as a hostage. During his exile, he commenced the composition of his Histories, with the original goal of examining Rome's rise to supremacy during the years from 220 to 168 B.C.; later he would extend his investigation down to the aftermath of the Third Punic and Achaean wars, which ended in 146 B.C. Of the original forty books of the Histories, today only the first five survive essentially intact, with most of the remaining books represented by fragments of various lengths. In this volume, David D. Phillips presents a commentary on Polybius' first book. The volume includes the definitive text by Theodor Buttner-Wobst, together with detailed commentary on points of linguistic and historical interest, and an introduction to Polybius' life, the Histories (with special attention to book 1), and Polybian language, style, and tone. An index of Greek words is also provided.

David D. Phillips is Associate Professor of History, University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of The Law of Ancient Athens (University of Michigan Press, 2013), Avengers of Blood: Homicide in Athenian Law and Custom from Draco to Demosthenes (Franz Steiner Verlag, 2008), and Athenian Political Oratory: 16 Key Speeches (Routledge, 2004).