Local knowledge and authority in Polybius' histories

This paper discusses the importance attributed to Polybius in recent years as a supposed precursor of global sociology, and the overlap between his universal historical discourse and the multiple local pieces of knowledge consulted by him. Two passages of his Histories are explored in detail: Plb. 9...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Moreno Leoni, Álvaro Matías
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/212465
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/212465
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:POLYBIUS
HISTORIOGRAPHY
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
AUTHORITY
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6.1
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/6
Descripción
Sumario:This paper discusses the importance attributed to Polybius in recent years as a supposed precursor of global sociology, and the overlap between his universal historical discourse and the multiple local pieces of knowledge consulted by him. Two passages of his Histories are explored in detail: Plb. 9.22-26, on Hannibal; and 12.5-16, on Locri Epizephyrii. In both texts, there are some explicit references to local knowledge and perspectives, as well as an explicit authorial assessment of their historical value. An important argument here is that Polybius consciously self-fashioned as a cosmopolitan historian, stressing his own authorial competence to build a wider and deeper understanding of historical deeds.