Polybius

Jacek Rzepka (Uniwersytet Warszawski/ University of Warsaw)

Ed. by Emily Kneebone, University of Nottingham
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.1: Greek Writing and Culture: Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic and Imperial, -800--100.
Vol. editors: Jonathan Burgess (University of Toronto), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Vaios Liapis (Open University of Cyprus), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Mali Skotheim (Ashoka University), Laura Swift (The Open University)

Dates

Born c. -200
Died c. -118

Places

Active in Ancient Greece

Activities

Primary

Historian / Chronicler

Resources

Life and Career

Polybius (Polybios) was born c. 200 BC in Megalopolis (Arcadia, at that time a member of the Achaean League). His approximate date of birth may be deduced from his term as the Achaean League’s hipparch (cavalry commander, a role probably first available to men in their thirties) in 170/69 BC. His father was Lycortas, a follower of Philopoemen, the leading Achaean statesman of the epoch, and himself several times strategos (general) of the Achaean League. Polybius received an education appropriate to a boy of high society as well as to a future statesman (he claimed to be an expert in strategy and tactics, philosophy, hunting, cavalry and horse-riding).

Little is known about …

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2031 words

Citation: Rzepka, Jacek. "Polybius". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 January 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=13941, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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