Summary of the Work
I STATED in my first book that my work was to start from
the Social war, the Hannibalian war, and the war for the
possession of
Coele-Syria. In the same book I stated my
reasons for devoting my first two books to a sketch of the
period preceding those events. I will now, after a few
prefatory remarks as to the scope of my own work, address
myself to giving a complete account of these wars, the causes
which led to them, and which account for the proportions to
which they attained.
The one aim and object, then, of all that I have undertaken
A summary of the work from B. C. 220 to B. C. 168. |
to write is to show how, when, and why all the
known parts of the world fell under the
dominion of
Rome. Now as this great event
admits of being exactly dated as to its beginning, duration, and final accomplishment, I think it will
be advantageous to give, by way of preface, a summary statement of the most important phases in it between the beginning
and the end. For I think I shall thus best secure to the
student an adequate idea of my whole plan; for as the comprehension of the whole is a help to the understanding of
details, and the knowledge of details of great service to the
clear conception of the whole; believing that the best and
clearest knowledge is that which is obtained from a combination of these, I will preface my whole history by a brief
summary of its contents.
I have already described its scope and limits. As to its
several parts, the first consists of the above mentioned wars,
while the conclusion or closing scene is the fall of the
Macedonian monarchy. The time included between these
limits is fifty-three years; and never has an equal space embraced
events of such magnitude and importance.
In describing
them I shall start from the 140th Olympiad and
shall arrange my exposition in the following order:
