The Histories of Polybius

Written in the 2nd century by Polybius.Polybius, a historian from the Greek city of Megalopolis in Arcadia, was taken as a hostage to Rome after the Roman defeat of the Achaean League in Achaean War, and there he began to write an account of the rise of Rome to a world power.He concludes that the success of the Roman state was based on their mixed constitution, which combined elements of a democracy, aristocracy, and monarchy.Tyche, which means fate or fortune, plays an integral role in Polybius' understanding of history.The application of Greek political theory to Rome inspired figures like Montesquieu and John Adams.