Ancient Field Research: Greek

 I tossed out  the idea here that Polybius was the first Ancient Western historian to conduct field research, an assessment I'm of course totally unqualified to make. But here is the Greek for the passages that gave me such a notion.

Would say, while I'm at it, that Xenophon's Descriptions of Greece gives me pause in making my claim -- certainly what he was doing was field research of a sort that is to be contrasted with the historian who simply weighing and interweaving already written accounts. But Xenophon is not trying to support a historical narrative with physical evidence, as Polybius appears to be doing in these passages. 

***

[3.33] οὐ χρὴ δὲ θαυμάζειν τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τῆς ἀναγραφῆς, εἰ τοιαύτῃ κεχρήμεθα περὶ τῶν ὑπ᾽ Ἀννίβου κατ᾽ Ἰβηρίαν πεπραγμένων οἵᾳ μόλις ἂν χρήσαιτό τις αὐτὸς κεχειρικὼς τὰς κατὰ μέρος πράξεις, οὐδὲ προκαταγινώσκειν, εἰ πεποιήκαμεν παραπλήσιον τοῖς ἀξιοπίστως ψευδομένοις τῶν συγγραφέων. [18] ἡμεῖς γὰρ εὑρόντες ἐπὶ Λακινίῳ τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ἐν χαλκώματι κατατεταγμένην ὑπ᾽ Ἀννίβου, καθ᾽ οὓς καιροὺς ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν τόποις ἀνεστρέφετο, πάντως ἐνομίσαμεν αὐτὴν περί γε τῶν τοιούτων ἀξιόπιστον εἶναι: διὸ καὶ κατακολουθεῖν εἱλόμεθα τῇ γραφῇ ταύτῃ.

[3.48] ἡμεῖς δὲ περὶ τούτων εὐθαρσῶς ἀποφαινόμεθα διὰ τὸ περὶ τῶν πράξεων παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ἱστορηκέναι τῶν παρατετευχότων τοῖς καιροῖς, τοὺς δὲ τόπους κατωπτευκέναι καὶ τῇ διὰ τῶν Ἄλπεων αὐτοὶ κεχρῆσ-θαι πορείᾳ γνώσεως ἕνεκα καὶ θέας.