Chapter 5 A Liminal Finale
In: Rome, Global Dreams, and the International Origins of an EmpireSearch for other papers by Sarah H. Davies in
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Abstract
Polybius on the “Roman Question”
Polybius first explained Rome’s meteoric rise to power as the product of its strong politeia, combined with the extreme folly of his fellow Greeks. However, during the composition of his work, Polybius decided to add an extension, inspired by events taking place from 168 to 146 BCE. Polybius identified this period as an opportunity to assess Rome and its archē, and he characterized it as a time of tarachē kai kinēsis (“tumult and disturbance”). Around the oikoumenē, political leadership had fallen into corruption and chaos. It is at this point that Polybius’ attitudes toward Rome gain further complexity. Some Roman actions and individuals may be highly praised, but others receive sharp criticism, and Polybius establishes the possibility that Rome may have once been the shining star for the oikoumenē, but that it is now perhaps waning.
146 BCE
Polybius ends his Histories with the year 146 BCE and the paired destructions of Carthage and Corinth, both defeated by Rome. Polybius compares the tragedies, noting that the death of Corinth was the worst catastrophe in all of Greek history, a “disaster” (atychia) marked by a badge of shame for the defeated. By contrast, Carthage’s end is deemed a symptoma (“calamity”), since its honor is left intact. As such, Carthage—which had prevailed over Rome at the beginning of the Histories—was brought down in a full reversal of Fate and in a reenactment of the fall of Troy. Polybius takes this liminal moment to highlight the great virtue of the Roman victor, Scipio—a man “worthy of remembrance” for his ability to recognize the cycles of History and realize that Rome may too fall. For Polybius’ Roman audience, this serves as a warning, that without more Scipionic nobility, Fate would turn her wheel to Roman doom (if she was not already doing so). For the Greeks, it was a potential call to action, to utilize the experience gained from History and rise from the ashes. In the end, Polybius does not provide explicit answers regarding the future. He leaves it to the actions of his readers yet to come, to learn from his story and enact its lessons.