Polybius (born ca. 208 BCE) of Megalopolis in the Peloponnese (Morea), served the Achaean League in arms and diplomacy for many years, favouring alliance with Rome. From 168 to 151 he was hostage in Rome where he became a friend of Aemilius Paulus and his two sons, and especially adopted Scipio Aemilianus whose campaigns he attended later. In late life he was trusted mediator between Greece and the Romans whom he admired; helped in the discussions which preceded the final war with Carthage; and, after 146, was entrusted by the Romans with details of administration in Greece. He died at the age of 82 after a fall from his horse.

The main part of Polybius's history covers the years 264–146 BCE. It describes the rise of Rome to the destruction of Carthage and the domination of Greece by Rome. It is a great work, accurate, thoughtful, largely impartial, based on research, full of insight into customs, institutions, geography, causes of events and character of people; it is a vital achievement of first rate importance, despite the incomplete state in which all but the first five of the forty books have reached us. Polybius's overall theme is how and why the Romans spread their power as they did.

The Loeb Classical Library edition of Polybius is in six volumes.

波里比阿，古希腊历史学家。公元前168年因政治立场可疑，被羁留在罗马十七年，成为“非洲征服者”小西庇阿(Scipio Aemilianus)的导师与密友，并成为罗马上层社会的一员。

公元前151年，小西庇阿带他去西班牙和非洲，亲眼目睹了迦太基的毁灭。因此波里比阿有机会亲身经历那个时代最重要的军事及政治事件，这为他的历史著作提供了第一手的资料。

译者翁嘉声，台湾成功大学历史系专任教授，专业领域为希腊罗马古典文明以及古代教会史。