Taking a good look to a polybian analogy between boxing and greek popular opinions, concerning the struggle among Macedon and Rome during the third Macedonian War, it can be determined the existence of a pre-existing social representation wich identified the athletic fighting with the political combat. This analogy, used by Polybius, was subject of several changes in his historical narrative with the finality of training the greek politician in how to deal with the mob and, consequently, aknowledge Rome as a legitimate contender for the world empire rather than a barbarian. This polybian fragment would be, therefore, not an alegory or a curiosity but a consciously builted tool made for teaching his readers about the proper political praxis.
Juan Pablo Prieto Iommi, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso
Licenciado y ayudante del Instituto de Historia de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Asistente Fondecyt No 1120487: Diplomacia y autorrepresentación en la Roma republicana
Prieto Iommi, J. P. (2014). The wrestler judge and the political historian: image and polybian response to an helenic conflict. Byzantion Nea Hellás, (33), Pág. 85–100. Retrieved from https://revistasaludpublica.uchile.cl/index.php/RBNH/article/view/34958
