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Bibliotheca Historica

§18.24.1-18.24.2

Campaign against the Aetolians by Antipater and Craterus

Antipater and Craterus launch a campaign against the Aetolians with a massive army. Unafraid, the Aetolians evacuate their non-combatants and property to rugged mountains and prepare their defense by garrisoning their fortified cities.

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§18.24.1

κατὰ δὲ τούτους τοὺς καιροὺς Ἀντίπατρος καὶ Κρατερὸς ἐπὶ τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς ἐστράτευσαν, ἔχοντες πεζοὺς μὲν τρισμυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ δισχιλίους καὶ πεντακοσίους· οὗτοι γὰρ τῶν ἐν τῷ Λαμιακῷ πολέμῳ διαπολεμησάντων ὑπόλοιποι διέμενον ἀχείρωτοι.1

​At this same time, Antipater and Craterus marched against the Aetolians, having thirty thousand infantry and two thousand five hundred cavalry; for these were the only ones remaining unsubdued of those who had fought through the Lamian war.

§18.24.2

οἱ δὲ Αἰτωλοὶ τηλικούτων δυνάμεων ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ὡρμημένων2 οὐ κατεπλάγησαν ταῖς ψυχαῖς, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἀκμάζοντας ταῖς ἡλικίαις ἀθροίσαντες εἰς μυρίους κατέφυγον εἰς τοὺς ὀρεινοὺς καὶ τραχεῖς τόπους, εἰς οὓς τέκνα καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τοὺς γεγηρακότας καὶ τὸ τῶν χρημάτων πλῆθος ἀπέθεντο, καὶ τὰς μὲν ἀνωχύρους πόλεις ἐξέλιπον, τὰς δὲ ὀχυρότητι διαφερούσας φρουραῖς ἀξιολόγοις διαλαβόντες3 εὐτόλμως ὑπέμενον τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἔφοδον.

​But the Aetolians, although forces of such magnitude had set out against them, were not dismayed in spirit, but having gathered those in the prime of their life to the number of ten thousand, they fled for refuge into the mountainous and rugged places, in which they had deposited their children, wives, the aged, and the mass of their property. While they abandoned the unfortified cities, they occupied those outstanding in natural strength with significant garrisons and boldly awaited the onset of the enemy.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 18.24.1οὗτοι γὰρ τῶν ἐν τῷ Λαμιακῷ πολέμῳ διαπολεμησάντων ὑπόλοιποι διέμενον ἀχείρωτοι

    The pronoun οὗτοι refers to the Aetolians. The genitive phrase τῶν... διαπολεμησάντων is a partitive genitive modifying the substantivized adjective ὑπόλοιποι ("the remaining ones"). The combination of διέμενον with the nominative adjective ἀχείρωτοι forms a copulative construction meaning "remained unsubdued."

  2. 18.24.2τηλικούτων δυνάμεων ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ὡρμημένων

    This is a genitive absolute construction with concessive force ("although forces of such magnitude had set out"). The subject is τηλικούτων δυνάμεων, and the participle is ὡρμημένων (perfect middle-passive participle from ὁρμάω).

  3. 18.24.2τὰς δὲ ὀχυρότητι διαφερούσας φρουραῖς ἀξιολόγοις διαλαβόντες

    The participle διαλαβόντες (aorist participle from διαλαμβάνω) carries the nuance of "occupying separately" or "distributing garrisons among several places." It takes the preceding accusative phrase τὰς δὲ... διαφερούσας (the cities outstanding in strength) as its object.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.24.1-18.24.2