Polybius's 'The Rise Of The Roman Empire'

For the purposes of this assignment, I have chosen passage number one. The passage is an excerpt (specifically the conclusion) from Book VI of the greater “The Rise of the Roman Empire,” authored by Polybius, who is regarded as a chief historian, second only to Thucydides by contemporary historians. “The Rise of The Roman Empire” represents the perspective of the author Polybius with respect to his historical sources and rationale during the years 221 to 146 BC in which he compiled forty books narrating the history of the “inhabited Mediterranean world.” Of these forty books, only five survive in their full form, whilst the other thirty-five are composed of only mere fragments, though long extracts from these other books still survive. Polybius 's historical accounts are primarily focused on the growth of Rome from a city-state to a vast empire and followed the rationale of the famous historian Thucydides, attempting to find a rational motive for historical events. The sources used by Polybius in his works were approached with scrutiny …show more content…
To credibly write such a work, the author must have had comprehensive experience in matters of politics and especially in matters of state, though perhaps the author might even be somewhat of a philosopher. The excerpt is relevant to contemporary times, largely because its thesis is correct – this is why we study it. The breakdown in a government 's leadership by way of internal unrest inevitably results in total anarchy. This precept is readily apparent even today within certain segments of the Middle East especially. However, within the context of the Roman Republic this excerpt is historically significant foremost because it implicitly foreshadows the collapse of the Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire from the resulting chaos of the social breakdown within the