Bibliography
| Title: Hannibal at New Carthage: Polybius 3.15 and the Power of Irrationality Secondary Title: Classical Philology Volume: 84, no. 1 Pages: 1-15 Type: Journal Article Year: 1989 Abstract: The article begins with Polybius' distinctions among reasons for things: causes (aitiai), propaganda (prophaseis), and beginnings (archai). Eckstein's purpose is to show that Polybius depicts Hannibal, in his interview with the Romans at New Carthage (3.15) as the model of a bad statesman, driven by emotions.
Eckstein first examines how Polybius conceives of successful war. He discusses several examples in Book 3 that portray certain statesmen, such as Philip II, as able to control their emotions in desperate situations.
Eckstein then defines the Greek terms aitiai, prophaseis, and archai, in order to show their significance for the origins of the Second Punic War. A statesman such as Hannibal should not be driven by anger (thumos) to make decisions. Both Hannibal and Hamilcar embody the characteristics of logismos.
After Eckstein has clarified the emotions that should not motivate a statesman, according to Polybius, he turns to the passage from the article's title. Eckstein argues that Polybius used this passage to showcase Hannibal's behavior at New Carthage. Polybius did not want readers only to recognize his poor behavior, but also to realize that Hannibal's anger drove him to rebel against Rome. Eckstein argues that Polybius here condemns Hannibal's behavior by depicting him as irrational, along with those around him. Keywords: Hannibal, Greek statesmen, cause, causation, emotion |