Polybius (c. 200–c. 118 BC)

Greek politician and historian of Rome. He was a senior politician of the Achaean League against the Romans and, following the defeat of the Macedonians at Pydna in 168 BC, he was taken, together with other Achaean aristocrats, as a political hostage to Italy. He was allowed to settle in Rome, became a valued member of the circle of Scipio Africanus Minor, and gained access to the public records. He returned to Greece in 151 and was present at the capture of Carthage by Scipio in 146. His history of Rome, in 40 books, covers the years 220–146. The first five books remain intact and of the rest fragments and abstracts have survived. He conscientiously sought to emulate the historian Thucydides and his history is of great value.