Polybius

This chapter offers a thorough analysis of the moral-didactic lessons and moralising techniques of Polybius. It finds that practical, political, and moral didacticism are confluent in his Histories , and that moral actions are often shown to result in practical benefits for the moral actor. It also establishes that Polybius’ moral lessons are largely traditional, except for a lack of interest in piety and a high tolerance for brutal actions of war which are routinely labelled ‘cruel’ by other historiographers.

Art · Didacticism · Epistemology · Literature · Piety · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Classical Antiquity Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Religious studies