The fortunate and the damned: a study of Herodotean Olbos and Polybian Tyche

In this paper I shall explore the influence that fortune exercises upon history as an ancient genre of literature. In order to best contextualize fortune, I will examine the history of fortune, specifically olbos and tyche, in previous Greek works. To understand the possible evolution of fortune within Greek literature, I shall examine two historians in two different time periods: Herodotus and Polybius. Herodotus, who wrote his work during the peak of the Athenian Empire, and Polybius, who was a captive in Rome during republican Rome’s height. I shall also look at the temporality that various fortunes exhibit. To elaborate, I shall indicate when fortune acts as an influence upon history (i.e. causal) and when fortune acts as a result. This dichotomy of meaning becomes prominent when the moral implications of history are explained by Herodotus and Polybius. As I shall demonstrate, fortune influences history writing as a means to explore the morals within a given society. In addition to examining fortune as a whole, I shall also look at the agency that various fortunes exhibit. To elaborate, I shall indicate when fortune is acting as an influence upon history (i.e. causal) and when fortune acts as a result. This dichotomy of meaning becomes prominent when the moral implications of history are explained by Herodotus and Polybius. Thus, ancient historians may have changed what actually happened and used fortune as a means to explain these differences.