- 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-grc2:16.16.1-16.16.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The author severely criticizes the geographical errors of the historian Zeno. He demonstrates that the route of Nabis of Sparta described by Zeno is geographically impossible due to conflicting directions (northeast versus southwest), comparing it to an equally absurd imaginary itinerary around Corinth.
ἑξῆς δὲ τοῖς προειρημένοις γράφουσι περὶ τοῦ κατὰ Μεσσηνίους παρασπονδήματος.
Next to the aforementioned, they write about the treachery against the Messenians.
ἐν ᾧ φησιν ὁ Ζήνων ὁρμήσαντα τὸν Νάβιν ἐκ τῆς. Λακεδαίμονος καὶ διαβάντα τὸν Εὐρώταν ποταμὸν παρὰ τὸν Ὁπλίτην προσαγορευόμενον πορεύεσθαι1 διὰ τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς στενῆς παρὰ τὸ Πολιάσιον, ἕως ἐπὶ τοὺς κατὰ Σελλασίαν ἀφίκετο τόπους·
In this account, Zeno says that Nabis, having set out from Lacedaemon and crossed the river Eurotas, marched past the place called Hoplites through the narrow pass past Poliasium, until he arrived at the district of Sellasia;
ἐντεῦθεν δʼ ἐπὶ Θαλάμας ἐπιβαλόντα κατὰ Φαρὰς παραγενέσθαι πρὸς τὸν Πάμισον ποταμόν.
and from there, heading toward Thalamas, he arrived by way of Pharae at the river Pamisus.
ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ οἶδα πῶς χρὴ λέγειν· τοιαύτην γὰρ φύσιν ἔχει τὰ προειρημένα πάντα συλλήβδην ὥστε2 μηδὲν διαφέρειν τοῦ λέγειν ὅτι ποιησάμενός τις ἐκ Κορίνθου τὴν ὁρμὴν καὶ διαπορευθεὶς τὸν Ἰσθμὸν καὶ συνάψας ταῖς Σκειρωνίσιν εὐθέως ἐπὶ τὴν Κοντοπορίαν ἐπέβαλε καὶ παρὰ τὰς Μυκήνας ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν εἰς Ἄργος. ταῦτα γὰρ οὐχ οἷον παρὰ μικρόν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐναντίαν διάθεσιν ἔχει πρὸς ἄλληλα, καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὸν Ἰσθμόν ἐστι καὶ τὰς Σκιράδας πρὸς ἀνατολὰς τοῦ Κορίνθου, τὰ δὲ κατὰ τὴν Κοντοπορίαν καὶ Μυκήνας ἔγγιστα πρὸς δύσεις χειμερινάς, ὥστʼ εἶναι τελέως ἀδύνατον ἀπὸ τῶν προηγουμένων ἐπιβαλεῖν τοῖς προειρημένοις τόποις.
About this, I do not know how I ought to speak; for all the aforementioned statements taken together have such a character that they differ in no way from saying that someone, having set out from Corinth, traversed the Isthmus, and reached the Scironian rocks, immediately entered the Contoporia and made his journey past Mycenae to Argos. For these places are not merely slightly out of the way, but they stand in opposite directions to one another; the places about the Isthmus and the Scirades lie to the east of Corinth, while those about the Contoporia and Mycenae are very close to the south-west. So it is completely impossible to reach the aforementioned places from the former.
τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ περὶ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Λακεδαίμονα συμβέβηκεν·
The very same thing has happened with regard to the places around Lacedaemon;
ὁ μὲν γὰρ Εὐρώτας καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Σελλασίαν κεῖται τῆς Σπάρτης ὡς πρὸς τὰς θερινὰς ἀνατολάς,3 τὰ δὲ κατὰ Θαλάμας καὶ Φαρὰς καὶ Πάμισον ὡς πρὸς τὰς χειμερινὰς δύσεις, ὅθεν οὐχ οἷον ἐπὶ τὴν Σελλασίαν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὸν Εὐρώταν δέον ἐστὶ διαβαίνειν τὸν προτιθέμενον4 παρὰ Θαλάμας ποιεῖσθαι τὴν πορείαν εἰς τὴν Μεσσηνίαν.
for the Eurotas and the district around Sellasia lie to the north-east (the summer sunrise) of Sparta, while the places around Thalamas, Pharae, and the Pamisus lie to the south-west (the winter sunset); wherefore, for one who intends to make his journey to Messenia by way of Thalamas, there is no need to go to Sellasia, nor even to cross the Eurotas.
- 16.16.2πορεύεσθαι
The principal infinitive in the indirect discourse introduced by the verb φησιν (he says). Its subject accusative is τὸν Νάβιν (Nabis), with which the preceding participles ὁρμήσαντα (having set out) and διαβάντα (having crossed) agree.
- 16.16.4τοιαύτην... ὥστε
A correlative construction expressing result ("of such a character... that..."). The infinitive dependent on ὥστε is διαφέρειν (to differ), which governs the genitive articular infinitive τοῦ λέγειν (from saying) as the object of comparison, followed by the explanatory ὅτι clause.
- 16.16.8θερινὰς ἀνατολάς
Literally "summer sunrises," a technical term in ancient Greek geography and astronomy denoting the direction of the sunrise at the summer solstice, i.e., "northeast." Its counterpart, χειμερινὰς δύσεις (winter sunsets), refers to the direction of the sunset at the winter solstice, i.e., "southwest."
- 16.16.9τὸν προτιθέμενον
The accusative participle functioning as the subject of the infinitive διαβαίνειν (to cross) in the impersonal construction with δέον ἐστί (it is necessary).