Laudator Temporis Acti

Ronald Syme, "Roman Biographies and Roman History," in his Roman Papers, VI (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1991), pp. 122-128 (at 122):

A fresh wind is blowing through the dry leaves, so they tell us. Classical studies are being reinvigorated, and it was high time. However, not much novelty is discovered in the subjects of books designed for the 'general reader' of the better sort. The lives and exploits of heroes are still high in favour. Notably Hannibal and Caesar, to judge by productions from more countries than one in recent years. Along with Alexander and Napoleon, Hannibal and Caesar keep their fame and rank for generalship through the ages; and Scipio belongs with them, whom Liddell Hart described as a 'greater Napoleon'. Hence suitable characters to be matched for comparison in the manner of Plutarch, or to figure in some Dialogues of the Dead.

Biography is of plain service for conveying historical instruction painlessly. It is not to be despised, for it furnishes a framework and a chronological sequence. But biography is also the enemy of history. It is prone to fable and legend, it exalts the individual unduly, at the expense of social history, the long trends, and the facts of power in the world. Hannibal, Scipio, and Caesar may be described as monarchic aristocrats. They were at the same time citizens of imperial Republics. Their environment must be kept in mind, and the political system which they obeyed or defied.