How do historians explain the difference between winning battles and actually winning a war? I’m not a historian but I write historical fiction. My area of study is the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage from 218 B.C. to 202 B.C. This was a classic example of winning battles but losing the war. Rome […]
Who Was Polybius and What did he Write?
April 23, 2025 By Leave a Comment
Polybius was the son of Lycortus the Stratigos of the Achaean league in Greece. He was born around 198 B.C. He was very well educated for his time and intended to follow in his father’s footsteps as Stratigos for the League. By the time he was thirty he was appointed Hipparch (cavalry commander) of the […]
How did Rome’s Republican Government System Contribute to Rome’s Ability to Build and Empire, Conquer Their Enemies and Manage the Conquered Land?
October 23, 2024 By Leave a Comment
The Greek historian Polybius believed that the key to Rome’s strength was its Republican form of government. In the ancient Greek city states, there were three forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy and democracy. Each of these were unstable and eventually devolved into their negative forms: Tyranny, oligarchy and mob rule, respectively. The Roman Republic was […]
What Was the Role of Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator in Defeating Hannibal in the Second Punic War?
September 23, 2024 By Leave a Comment
The Roman poet Ennius referred to Marcus Claudius Marcellus as Rome’s sword during the Second Punic War, and he referred to Quintus Fabius Maximus Cunctator as Rome’s shield. Fabius Maximus thought outside the box. The normal Roman response to foreign aggression was to confront the enemy on the battlefield. Fabius was astute enough to realize […]
What Did Hannibal Think of the Romans?
September 22, 2024 By Leave a Comment
What did Hannibal think of the Romans? Hannibal was indoctrinated by his father, Hamilcar Barca, to hate the Romans. There is a story that, before taking Hannibal with him to Spain, Hamilcar took him to the Temple of Elissa at Carthage and made him swear an oath: “When I come to age, I shall pursue […]
Riding the Tiger You Dare Not Dismount
August 24, 2024 By Leave a Comment
History provides us with a number of examples of nations or individuals riding a tiger they dare not dismount. The ancient Spartans conquered and enslaved their neighbors, the Messenians, around 700 B.C. Fearing a bloody uprising, the Spartans redesigned their society to prevent such an event. Every Spartiate male was required to train as […]
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