Polybius: Book 8

Polybius is one of the most remarkable ancient historians, excelling as source, theorist and writer. Book 8 shows many sides of this extraordinary author: the superb narrator, recounting the tragic end of the potentate Achaeus and Hannibal’s diverting capture of Tarentum with the aid of wild boar; the technical writer on Archimedes’ sensational machines for destroying Roman ships; the zestful polemicist, railing against Theopompus’ diatribe on the friends of Philip II; the thinker about history and the interconnection of world events. This edition, the first of its kind, includes a new text of Book 8 and an introduction to the book and Polybius as a whole. The commentary provides a wealth of historical and archaeological material and will enable readers to understand Polybius’ Hellenistic Greek and appreciate his expression and artistry. It will help intermediate and advanced students, as well as scholars, enjoy Polybius as a writer.