What subjects did Polybius study besides history?

Polybius was primarily a statesman and historian, and his intellectual pursuits were largely focused on supporting his historical work. Beyond history, he engaged in the following areas:

• Military Science: Polybius possessed significant military experience and wrote a work titled Tactics, which is now lost.12
• Geography: He traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean and beyond, emphasizing that an acquaintance with relevant geographical features was essential for a historian. He also authored a treatise on the habitability of the equatorial region.31
• Politics: As a statesman, he was deeply involved in the political affairs of the Achaean Confederation and later served as an advisor to the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, frequently discussing political problems with him and other thinkers.12

While he had a specialized knowledge of literature and a superficial acquaintance with philosophy, these were not his primary fields of study. His work also touched upon contemporary developments in art and science, though he maintained that history should remain focused on political and military matters to be truly profitable.24