Review of Achaean History
IN my former book I explained the causes of the second
note
war between Rome and Carthage; and described Hannibal's
invasion of Italy, and the engagements which took place between
them up to the battle of Cannae, on the banks of the Aufidus.
I shall now take up the history of Greece during
the same period, ending at the same date, and
commencing from the 140th Olympiad. But I shall first recall
to the recollection of my readers what I stated in my second book
on the subject of the Greeks, and especially of the Achaeans;
for the league of the latter has made extraordinary progress up
to our own age and the generation immediately preceding.
I started, then, from Tisamenus, one of the sons of Orestes, note
and stated that the dynasty existed from his
time to that of Ogygus: that then there was an
excellent form of democratical federal government established: and that then the league was
broken up by the kings of Sparta into separate
towns and villages. Then I tried to describe how these towns
began to form a league once more: which were the first to
join; and the policy subsequently pursued, which led to their
inducing all the Peloponnesians to adopt the general title
of Achaeans, and to be united under one
federal government. note Descending to particulars, I brought my story up to the flight of
Cleomenes, King of Sparta: then briefly summarising the events included in my prefatory
sketch up to the deaths of Antigonus Doson,
Seleucus Ceraunus, and Ptolemy Euergetes,
who all three died at about the same time, I
announced that my main history was to begin from that point.
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