The Rise of the Roman Empire (Penguin Classics)

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 576 pages
• Published by: Penguin Classics February 28, 1980
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0140443622
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0140443622
• Book Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Weighs: 12.6 ounces

Language Notes
Text: English, Greek (translation)

Reader Reviews
Polybius, a Greek hostage held in Rome from 168 BC to 150 BC, set himself the task of explaining the rise of the Roman Empire. Deliberately written for Roman audiences, Polybius intends to describe the 53 year rise to hegemony from 220-167 BC. However Polybius includes considerable background material on the First Punic War and he later decided to extend his history to include the Third Punic War. Unfortunately, much of the original work is missing and Penguin has decided to edit out even more, which leaves a hollow remnant. The real value of this book lies in Polybius' description of the Second Punic War with Hannibal. There are excellent battle descriptions of the Trebbia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae, the Metaurus and Zama. Remember, Polybius was writing only 60-70 years after these events and had access to many documents that are now lost. Polybius was also able to visit some of the battlefields when they had not changed significantly since Hannibal's time. There is also a good section on Roman military methods, which was enlightening. However this book is disappointing in a number of areas. In terms of the original work, Polybius tends to digress on topics of interest to himself (but not to modern readers), such as criticizing other contemporary historians. He also has a strong pedantic streak and strives more to impart "lessons" than facts. He continually hammers home his theory that one cannot be a good historian unless one has walked the ground and gained personal military and political experiences. This certainly helps, but there are plenty of generals and politicians that make poor authors. Yet the greatest disappointment lies in the lack of any detail on the Third Punic War and the dramatic defeat of the Greek phalanx by Roman legions at Cynocephalae. Since Polybius was a witness at the destruction of Carthage, I eagerly anticipated this chapter only to find it instead to be a very short three page section with only general comments. Amazingly, the period with the greatest detail is the Second Punic War, when Polybius was not alive. The Third Punic War and the Siege of Numantia in Spain, both of which Polybius observed directly, are excluded. This reduced the value of this volume tremendously.