Lycortas
Encyclopedia
Lycortas of Megalopolis
was a politician of the Achaean League
active in the first half of the 2nd century BC. He is now primarily known as the father of the historian Polybius
. A political ally of Philopoemen
, he shared the latter's view that the Romans
should be dealt with according to the strict letter of their treaty with the League, and that no more assistance should be given to them than was absolutely necessary. In this way they hoped to delay the inevitable increase of Rome's power over Greece. Lycortas' son Polybius shared his father's views, and for this reason was one of the thousand Greeks deported to Italy
in the aftermath of the Roman victory at Pydna
in 168 BC. Lycortas' own fate is unknown, owing to the fragmentary nature of our sources at this point.
Megalopolis, Greece
Megalópoli is a town in the western part of the peripheral unit of Arcadia, southern Greece. It is located in the same site as ancient Megalopolis . "Megalopolis" is a Greek word for Great city. When it was founded, in 371 BC, it was the first urbanization in rustic and primitive Arcadia. In...
was a politician of the Achaean League
Achaean League
The Achaean League was a Hellenistic era confederation of Greek city states on the northern and central Peloponnese, which existed between 280 BC and 146 BC...
active in the first half of the 2nd century BC. He is now primarily known as the father of the historian Polybius
Polybius
Polybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
. A political ally of Philopoemen
Philopoemen
Philopoemen , was a skilled Greek general and statesman, who was Achaean strategos on eight occasions....
, he shared the latter's view that the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
should be dealt with according to the strict letter of their treaty with the League, and that no more assistance should be given to them than was absolutely necessary. In this way they hoped to delay the inevitable increase of Rome's power over Greece. Lycortas' son Polybius shared his father's views, and for this reason was one of the thousand Greeks deported to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
in the aftermath of the Roman victory at Pydna
Battle of Pydna
The Battle of Pydna in 168 BC between Rome and the Macedonian Antigonid dynasty saw the further ascendancy of Rome in the Hellenic/Hellenistic world and the end of the Antigonid line of kings, whose power traced back to Alexander the Great.Paul K...
in 168 BC. Lycortas' own fate is unknown, owing to the fragmentary nature of our sources at this point.