Other History Sourcebooks: Ancient History Sourcebook:Polybius (c.200-after 118 BCE):The Character of HannibalThe Histories, Book IX, Chapters 22-26:Of all that befell the Romans and Carthaginians, good or bad, the cause was one man andone mind-Hannibal. For it is notorious that he managed the Italian campaigns in person,and the Spanish by the agency of the elder of his brothers, Hasdrubal, and subsequently bythat of Mago, the leaders who killed the two Roman generals in Spain about the same time.Again, he conducted the Sicilian campaign first through Hippocrates and afterwards throughMyttonus the Libyan. So also in Greece and Illyria: and, by brandishing before their facesthe dangers arising from these latter places, he was enabled to distract the attention ofthe Romans thanks to his understanding with King Philip Philip V, King of Macedon. Sogreat and wonderful is the influence of a Man, and a mind duly fitted by originalconstitution for any undertaking within the reach of human powers.But since the position of affairs has brought us to inquiry into the genius ofHannibal, the occasion seems to me to demand that I should explain in regard to him thepeculiarities of his character which have been especially the subject of controversy. Someregard him as having been extraordinarily cruel, some exceedingly grasping of money.

HISTORIES OF POLYBIUS. TRANSLATED FROM THE TEXT OF F. HULTSCH BY EVELYN S. SHUCKBURGH, M.A. LATE FELLOW OF EMMANUEL COLLEGE,. Sister projects: Wikipedia article, Wikidata item.; Polybius’ Histories were originally written in 40 volumes, only the first five of which are extant in their entirety. The bulk of the work is passed down to us through collections of excerpts kept in libraries in Byzantium. Polybius, a historian from the Greek city of Megalopolis in Arcadia, was taken as a hostage to Rome after the Roman.

Butto speak the truth of him, or of any person engaged in public affairs, is not easy. Somemaintain that men's natures are brought out by their circumstances, and that they aredetected when in office, or as some say when in misfortunes, though they have up to thattime completely maintained their secrecy. 1, on the contrary, do not regard this as asound dictum. For I think that men in these circumstances are compelled, not occasionallybut frequently, either by the suggestions of friends or the complexity of affairs, tospeak and act contrary to real principles.And there are many proofs of this to be found in past history if any one will give thenecessary attention. Is it not universally stated by the historians that Agathocles,tyrant of Sicily, after having the reputation of extreme cruelty in his original measuresfor the establishment of his dynasty, when he had once become convinced that his powerover the Siceliots was firmly established, is considered to have become the most humaneand mild of rulers?

Again, was not Cleomenes of Sparta a most excellent king, a most crueltyrant, and then again as a private individual most obliging and benevolent? And yet it isnot reasonable to suppose the most opposite dispositions to exist in the same nature. Theyare compelled to change with the changes of circumstances: and so some rulers oftendisplay to the world a disposition as opposite as possible to their true nature.Therefore, the natures of men not only are not brought out by such things, but on thecontrary are rather obscured. The same effect is produced also not only in commanders,despots, and kings, but in states also, by the suggestions of friends. For instance, youwill find the Athenians responsible for very few tyrannical acts, and of many kindly andnoble ones, while Aristeides and Pericles were at the head of the state: but quite thereverse when Cleon and Chares were so. And when the Lacedaemonians were supreme in Greece,all the measures taken by King Cleombrotus were conceived in the interests of theirallies, but those by Agesilaus not so.

The characters of states therefore vary with thevariations of their leaders. King Philip again, when Taurion and Demetrius were actingwith him, was most impious in his conduct, but when Aratus or Chrysogonus, most humane.The case of Hannibal seems to me to be on a par with these.

His circumstances were soextraordinary and shifting, his closest friends so widely different, that it isexceedingly difficult to estimate his character from his proceedings in Italy. What thosecircumstances suggested to him may easily be understood from what I have already said, andwhat is immediately to follow; but it is not right to omit the suggestions made by hisfriends either, especially as this matter may be rendered sufficiently clear by oneinstance of the advice offered him. At the time that Hannibal was meditating the marchfrom Iberia to Italy with his army, he was confronted with the extreme difficulty ofproviding food and securing provisions, both because the journey was thought to be ofinsuperable length, and because the barbarians that lived in the intervening country werenumerous and savage.

It appears that at that time the difficulty frequently came on fordiscussion at the council; and that one of his friends, called Hannibal Monomachus, gaveit as his opinion that there was one and only one way by which it was possible to get asfar as Italy. Upon Hannibal bidding him speak out, he said that they must teach the armyto eat human flesh, and make them accustomed to it. Hannibal could say nothing against theboldness and effectiveness of the idea, but was unable to persuade himself or his friendsto entertain it. It is this man's acts in Italy that they say were attributed to Hannibal,to maintain the accusation of cruelty, as well as such as were the result ofcircumstances.Fond of money indeed he does seem to have been to a conspicuous degree, and to have hada friend of the same character-Mago, who commanded in Bruttium. That account I got fromthe Carthaginians themselves; for natives know best not only which way the wind lies, asthe proverb has it, but the characters also of their fellow-countrymen.

But I heard astill more detailed story from Massanissa, who maintained the charge of money-lovingagainst all Carthaginians generally, but especially against Hannibal and Mago called theSamnite.

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