← Polybius

The Histories

§16.13.1-16.13.3

Nabis's Tyranny in Sparta and Treachery toward Messene

Recalling the past misrule of Nabis, the tyrant of Sparta, and his policy of gathering wicked men, the author begins to relate how Nabis attempted to violate his treaty with the allied city of Messene.

View ▾
View
Translation
Typeface
AI ↗
← PrevNext →
§16.13.1

ὅτι1 κατὰ τὴν Πελοπόννησον τίνα μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς προαίρεσιν ἐνεστήσατο Νάβις ὁ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων τύραννος, καὶ πῶς ἐκβαλὼν τοὺς πολίτας ἠλευθέρωσε τοὺς δούλους καὶ συνῴκισε2 ταῖς τῶν δεσποτῶν γυναιξὶ καὶ θυγατράσιν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τίνα τρόπον ἀναδείξας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν οἷον ἄσυλον ἱερὸν3 τοῖς ἢ διʼ ἀσέβειαν ἢ πονηρίαν φεύγουσι τὰς ἑαυτῶν πατρίδας ἥθροισε πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ἀνοσίων εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην, ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων δεδηλώκαμεν.

​As to how, in the Peloponnese, Nabis, the tyrant of the Lacedaemonians, adopted what kind of policy from the beginning, and how, after expelling the citizens, he set the slaves free and married them to the wives and daughters of their masters, ​and likewise in what manner, by making his own power like a sacred asylum for those fleeing their own countries either because of impiety or wickedness, he gathered a crowd of impious men into Sparta, we have shown in the preceding books.

§16.13.3

πῶς δὲ καὶ τίνα τρόπον κατὰ τοὺς προειρημένους καιροὺς σύμμαχος ὑπάρχων Αἰτωλοῖς, Ἠλείοις, Μεσσηνίοις, καὶ πᾶσι τούτοις ὀφείλων καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ κατὰ τὰς συνθήκας βοηθεῖν, εἴ τις ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἴοι, παρʼ οὐδὲν ποιησάμενος4 τὰς προειρημένας πίστεις ἐπεβάλετο παρασπονδῆσαι τὴν τῶν Μεσσηνίων πόλιν, νῦν ἐροῦμεν. —

​But how and in what manner, at the aforementioned times, although he was an ally of the Aetolians, Eleans, and Messenians, and was bound both by oaths and treaties to help all of them if anyone should attack them, he set at nought the aforementioned pledges and attempted to violate the treaty with the city of the Messenians, we shall now relate.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 16.13.1ὅτι

    A conjunction typical of the beginning of chapters in Byzantine epitomes (summaries), indicating that the whole passage presents the summary of a topic ("As to the fact that..."). It does not grammatically govern the main clauses but serves as a discourse marker.

  2. 16.13.1συνῴκισε

    Literally meaning "made to dwell together," but in this context it refers to the forced marriage or cohabitation of the freed slaves with the wives and daughters of their former masters, indicating a subversion of the established social order.

  3. 16.13.2ἀναδείξας ... οἷον ἄσυλον ἱερὸν

    The participle ἀναδείξας takes τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν (his own power) as its direct object, with οἷον ἄσυλον ἱερὸν (as it were, a sacred asylum) functioning as a predicative accusative. It describes how Nabis set up his own domain as a shelter for criminals.

  4. 16.13.3παρʼ οὐδὲν ποιησάμενος

    An idiomatic expression meaning "having regarded as nothing" or "having completely set at nought." As an aorist participle, it represents an action prior to or concurrent with the main verb ἐπεβάλετο (attempted), and governs τὰς προειρημένας πίστεις (the aforementioned pledges) as its object.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)
  • 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:16.13.1-16.13.3