- Source
- Polybius. Vols. 1-4. Büttner-Wobst, Theodor, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1893.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:10.29.1-10.29.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Antiochus, concluding from Arsaces' retreat that he did not intend to fight a decisive battle, decided to advance into Hyrcania; upon learning of the difficult mountain passes from the locals at Tagae, he organized a vanguard of light-armed troops and pioneers to clear and secure the route.
πλὴν αὐτοῦ διαναπαύσας τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ συλλογισάμενος ὡς εἰ μὲν οἷός τʼ ἦν Ἀρσάκης διὰ μάχης κρίνεσθαι1 πρὸς σφᾶς, οὔτʼ ἂν ἐξεχώρει λιπὼν τὴν αὑτοῦ χώραν οὔτʼ ἂν ἐπιτηδειοτέρους τόπους ἐζήτει πρὸς ἀγῶνα ταῖς σφετέραις δυνάμεσι τῶν περὶ τὴν Ἑκατόμπυλον·
But having rested his army there, and having reflected that if Arsaces had been able to decide the issue with them by a battle, he would neither have retreated, leaving his own country, nor would he have sought a place more suitable for a contest for his forces than the neighborhood of Hecatompylos;
ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἐκχωρεῖ, δῆλός ἐστι τοῖς ὀρθῶς σκοπουμένοις ἐπʼ ἄλλης ὢν γνώμης·2 διόπερ ἔκρινε προάγειν εἰς τὴν Ὑρκανίαν.
but since he was retreating, it was clear to those who observed correctly that he had another purpose in mind; wherefore he decided to advance into Hyrcania.
παραγενόμενος δʼ ἐπὶ Ταγάς, καὶ πυνθανόμενος τῶν ἐγχωρίων τήν τε δυσχέρειαν τῶν τόπων, οὓς ἔδει διεκβάλλειν αὐτόν, ἕως εἰς τὰς ὑπερβολὰς διεξίκοιτο3 τοῦ Λάβου τὰς νευούσας ἐπὶ τὴν Ὑρκανίαν, καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν βαρβάρων τῶν κατὰ τόπους ἐφεστώτων ταῖς δυσχωρίαις αὐτοῦ, προέθετο διατάττειν τὸ τῶν εὐζώνων πλῆθος καὶ τοὺς τούτων ἡγεμόνας μερίζειν, ὡς ἑκάστους δεήσει πορεύεσθαι, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοὺς λειτουργούς,4 οὓς ἔδει παραπορευομένους τὸν καταλαμβανόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν εὐζώνων τόπον εὔβατον παρασκευάζειν τῇ τῶν φαλαγγιτῶν καὶ τῇ τῶν ὑποζυγίων πορείᾳ.
Having arrived at Tagae, and having learned from the inhabitants both the difficulty of the country which he had to traverse before reaching the passes of Mount Labus that lead down towards Hyrcania, and the multitude of the barbarians who were stationed in various places along its difficult passes, he proposed to draw up the multitude of light-armed troops and to distribute their commanders according to how each group would need to march, and likewise also the pioneers, who, marching alongside them, had to make the terrain occupied by the light-armed troops passable for the march of the phalanx and the baggage animals.
ταῦτα δὲ διανοηθεὶς τὴν μὲν πρώτην ἔδωκε τάξιν Διογένει, συστήσας αὐτῷ τοξότας καὶ σφενδονήτας καὶ τῶν ὀρείων τοὺς ἀκοντίζειν καὶ λιθάζειν δυναμένους, οἵτινες τάξιν μὲν οὐκ ἔνεμον, αἰεὶ δὲ πρὸς τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν καὶ τόπον κατʼ ἄνδρα ποιούμενοι τὸν κίνδυνον5 πραγματικωτάτην παρείχοντο χρείαν ἐν ταῖς δυσχωρίαις.
Having resolved on this, he gave the command of the first division to Diogenes, assigning to him archers, slingers, and those of the mountaineers who were able to throw javelins and stones; these men did not keep regular formation, but, always fighting individually according to the immediate occasion and place, rendered most practical service in the difficult terrain.
τούτοις δὲ συνεχεῖς Κρῆτας ἀσπιδιώτας ἐπέταξε περὶ δισχιλίους, ὧν ἡγεῖτο Πολυξενίδας Ῥόδιος, τελευταίους δὲ θωρακίτας καὶ θυρεοφόρους, ὧν εἶχον τὴν ἡγεμονίαν Νικομήδης Κῷος καὶ Νικόλαος Αἰτωλός.
Next to these he posted about two thousand Cretan shield-bearing troops under the command of Polyxenidas of Rhodes, and in the rear the mail-clad troops and those with the large shield, who were led by Nicomedes of Cos and Nicolaus the Aetolian.
- 10.29.1εἰ μὲν οἷός τʼ ἦν Ἀρσάκης διὰ μάχης κρίνεσθαι
The phrase οἷός τ' ἦν (imperfect of οἷός τ' εἰμί) followed by an infinitive expresses capability or intention. Here, in combination with ἂν + imperfect in the apodosis (ἂν ἐξεχώρει, ἂν ἐζήτει), it forms a past contrary-to-fact condition ("if Arsaces had been able/intended..., he would not have...").
- 10.29.2δῆλός ἐστι ... ἐπʼ ἄλλης ὢν γνώμης
A personal construction where δῆλός ἐστι ("he is manifest") is coupled with the nominative participle ὢν, equivalent to an impersonal "it is clear that he...". The phrase ἐπὶ γνώμης εἶναι is an idiomatic expression meaning "to have a certain mind or intention."
- 10.29.3ἕως εἰς τὰς ὑπερβολὰς διεξίκοιτο
The conjunction ἕως introduces the oblique optative διεξίκοιτο. This expresses an expected limit or purpose ("until he should get through") in a past context, in harmony with the secondary sequence initiated by the participle πυνθανόμενος.
- 10.29.4ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοὺς λειτουργούς
The noun phrase τοὺς λειτουργούς is coordinated with τὸ τῶν εὐζώνων πλῆθος as the object of the infinitives διατάττειν and μερίζειν depending on προέθετο. Thus, "he proposed likewise [to draw up and distribute] the pioneers."
- 10.29.5κατʼ ἄνδρα ποιούμενοι τὸν κίνδυνον
The phrase κατ' ἄνδρα ("man by man", "individually") modifies ποιούμενοι τὸν κίνδυνον ("undertaking the danger", i.e., "fighting"), highlighting that they did not keep a rigid collective formation (τάξιν) but engaged in individual skirmishing.