What are the prescribed sources for the Second Punic War, and how do you weigh Polybius against Livy?
The prescribed sources for the Hannibal depth study: Polybius as the careful near-contemporary Greek historian (and his Scipionic connections), Livy as the later, fuller and more dramatic Roman narrative, and how to weigh a near-contemporary analytical source against a later patriotic one.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History guide to the prescribed sources for the Hannibal and the Second Punic War depth study, explaining how to use Polybius as the careful near-contemporary Greek historian (and his Scipionic connections), Livy as the later, fuller and more dramatic Roman narrative, and how to weigh a near-contemporary analytical source against a later patriotic one.
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What this dot point is asking
Because OCR's GCSE is an ancient-history course, the Hannibal depth study prescribes the ancient sources you must study, and the source-utility question is worth real marks. This page teaches how to handle the two great sources for the Second Punic War: Polybius, the careful near-contemporary Greek historian, and Livy, the later, fuller and more dramatic Roman narrative, and how to weigh a near-contemporary analytical source against a later patriotic one.
The answer
Polybius: the careful near-contemporary
His one major limitation is his close connection to the Scipio family (he was a friend and mentor of the younger Scipio), which may make him favourable to Rome and the Scipios.
Livy: the later, fuller, dramatic narrative
Weighing a near-contemporary against a later source
A strong answer judges usefulness for the enquiry, recognising that Polybius is usually preferred for analysis while Livy enriches the narrative.
Examples in context
A model answer turns the contrast between the two authors into the heart of the evaluation, judging each by what it is good at.
Try this
Q1. Which of the two prescribed sources is the near-contemporary, and what is his main limitation? [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. Polybius is the near-contemporary (writing a few decades after the war); his main limitation is his close connection to the Scipio family, which may make him favourable to Rome and the Scipios.
Q2. Explain why Polybius is usually preferred to Livy for understanding the causes of the war. [Short source evaluation]
- Cue. Because Polybius wrote much closer to the events, used good sources and was carefully analytical about causation (distinguishing the deepest cause from the pretext), whereas Livy wrote over a century later and is fuller and more dramatic but less rigorous about causes.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR J198/02 20198 marksStudy Source A (Polybius, a Greek writing a few decades later) and Source B (Livy, writing under Augustus). Which is more useful for understanding the Second Punic War? [8-mark depth-study source-utility question]Show worked answer →
A depth-study source-utility question (AO3). Judge usefulness through content and provenance, not date alone.
Polybius. A careful Greek historian writing a few decades after the war, with good sources, a serious analytical method and a focus on causation, but with Scipionic connections that may favour Rome and the Scipios.
Livy. A later Roman writing under Augustus, fuller and more vivid, valuable for the dramatic narrative and Roman tradition, but further from the events and more rhetorical and patriotic.
Judgement. Conclude that Polybius is generally more useful for analysis and causation, Livy for the fuller narrative and Roman attitudes; usefulness depends on the enquiry, not simply on which is earlier.
OCR J198/02 20215 marksStudy a passage of Polybius on Hannibal. What does this source suggest about Polybius' aims as a historian? [5-mark source-inference question]Show worked answer →
A depth-study source-inference question (AO3) on a prescribed author.
Make inferences. Polybius' careful distinction of causes, his interest in why events happened and his concern for accuracy suggest he aimed to write useful, analytical history for those who would learn from it.
Support each point. Tie inferences to detail: his separation of deepest cause from pretext, his criticism of other historians, and his focus on explanation rather than entertainment.
Top marks. Two or three developed inferences linked to the source, noting that Polybius' analytical aims make him valuable but that his Scipionic links must still be weighed.
Related dot points
- The causes of the Second Punic War: the legacy of the First Punic War and the loss of Sicily and Sardinia, Carthaginian expansion in Spain under the Barcids, the siege of Saguntum, and the debate over whether Rome or Carthage was responsible, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the causes of the Second Punic War, covering the legacy of the First Punic War and the loss of Sicily and Sardinia, Carthaginian expansion in Spain under the Barcids, the siege of Saguntum and the outbreak of war in 218 BC, and the debate over whether Rome or Carthage was responsible, studied through Polybius and Livy.
- Hannibal's march from Spain and the crossing of the Alps in 218 BC, the use of war elephants and the hardships of the crossing, and his first great victories at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on Hannibal's invasion of Italy, covering the march from Spain and the crossing of the Alps in 218 BC, the war elephants and the hardships of the crossing, and his first great victories at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene, studied through Polybius and Livy.
- The Battle of Cannae in 216 BC and Hannibal's double envelopment, the crisis it caused for Rome, the Fabian strategy of delay, and why Hannibal could not capture Rome or win the war in Italy despite his victories, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC and the war in Italy, covering Hannibal's double envelopment, the crisis it caused for Rome, the Fabian strategy of delay, and why Hannibal could not capture Rome or win the war despite his victories, studied through Polybius and Livy.
- The Roman recovery and the defeat of Hannibal: Scipio's campaigns in Spain and his invasion of Africa, the recall of Hannibal from Italy, the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, the peace terms of 201 BC, and why Rome eventually won, studied through Polybius and Livy.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History answer on the Roman recovery and the defeat of Hannibal, covering Scipio's campaigns in Spain and his invasion of Africa, the recall of Hannibal from Italy, the Battle of Zama in 202 BC, the peace terms of 201 BC, and why Rome eventually won the Second Punic War, studied through Polybius and Livy.
- The AO3 source skills: making supported inferences from a source, comparing two sources, and judging how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance (nature, origin and purpose) and contextual knowledge, rather than labelling a source reliable or biased.
An OCR GCSE Ancient History skills guide to the AO3 source questions, explaining how to make supported inferences, compare two sources, and judge how useful a source is for a stated enquiry using content, provenance and contextual knowledge, with a method that transfers across the Greek and Roman options.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR GCSE (9-1) Ancient History J198 specification — OCR (2017)
- Polybius, Histories (Perseus Digital Library) — Perseus Digital Library