- 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-grc2:16.3.1-16.3.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
In the naval battle initiated by Attalus's ship, both sides fall into a chaotic clash, where Philip's flagship (a decere) is entangled and destroyed. Attalus's commanders, who are brothers, also engage in desperate combats with enemy capital ships, meeting various fortunes.
λαβούσης δὲ τὴν καταρχὴν τῆς ναυμαχίας ἐκ τῆς Ἀττάλου νεώς, εὐθέως πάντες οἱ σύνεγγυς ἀπαραγγέλτως συνέβαλον ἀλλήλοις.
When the initiation of the battle was taken from Attalus’s ship, immediately all those nearby, without waiting for orders, clashed with one another.
Ἄτταλος μὲν οὖν συμπεσὼν ὀκτήρει, καὶ προεμβαλὼν ταύτῃ καιρίαν καὶ ὕφαλον πληγήν, ἐπὶ πολὺ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ καταστρώματος ἀγωνισαμένων1 τέλος ἐβύθισε τὴν ναῦν.
Attalus, then, colliding with an octere, and having first dealt it a fatal blow below the waterline, finally sank the ship after those on the deck had fought for a long time.
ἡ δὲ τοῦ Φιλίππου δεκήρης, ναυαρχὶς οὖσα, παραλόγως ἐγένετο τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ὑποχείριος.
But Philip’s decere, which was the flagship, fell into the hands of the enemy in an unexpected manner.
ὑποπεσούσης γὰρ αὐτῇ τριημιολίας, ταύτῃ δοῦσα πληγὴν βιαίαν κατὰ μέσον τὸ κύτος ὑπὸ τὸν θρανίτην σκαλμὸν2 ἐδέθη, τοῦ κυβερνήτου τὴν ὁρμὴν τῆς νεὼς οὐκέτι δυνηθέντος ἀναλαβεῖν·
For when a triemiolia got under it, the decere dealt it a violent blow in the middle of its hull, but became entangled under the topmost rowlock, as the helmsman was no longer able to check the momentum of his ship.
διὸ καὶ προσκρεμαμένου τοῦ πλοίου τοῖς ὅλοις ἐδυσχρηστεῖτο καὶ δυσκίνητος ἦν πρὸς πᾶν. ἐν ᾧ καιρῷ δύο πεντήρεις προσπεσοῦσαι, καὶ τρώσασαι τὴν ναῦν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν τοῖν μεροῖν, καὶ τὸ σκάφος καὶ τοὺς ἐπιβάτας τοὺς ἐν αὐτῷ διέφθειραν, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ Δημοκράτης ὁ τοῦ Φιλίππου ναύαρχος.
Consequently, since the vessel was hanging on to it, the decere was hampered in its entirety and hard to move in every direction. At this crisis, two quinqueremes bore down upon it, and damaging the ship from both sides, they destroyed both the vessel and the marines on board, among whom was Democrates, Philip’s admiral.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν Διονυσόδωρος καὶ Δεινοκράτης, ὄντες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ ναυαρχοῦντες παρʼ Ἀττάλῳ, συμπεσόντες ὁ μὲν ἑπτήρει τῶν πολεμίων, ὁ δʼ ὀκτήρει, παραβόλως ἐχρήσαντο τῇ ναυμαχίᾳ.
At the same time Dionysodorus and Deinocrates, who were brothers and commanders under Attalus, collided, the one with an enemy heptere, and the other with an octere, and waged the battle with reckless daring.
Δεινοκράτης μὲν πρὸς ὀκτήρη συμπεσὼν αὐτὸς μὲν ἔξαλον ἔλαβε τὴν πληγήν, ἀναστείρου τῆς νεὼς οὔσης,3 τὴν δὲ τῶν πολεμίων τρώσας ναῦν ὑπὸ τὰ βίαχα τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οὐκ ἐδύνατο χωρισθῆναι, καίπερ πολλάκις ἐπιβαλόμενος πρύμναν κρούειν·
Deinocrates, colliding with the octere, received a blow above the waterline, since his ship had a high prow, but after damaging the enemy ship below the bilge, at first he could not get clear, although he repeatedly attempted to back water.
διὸ καὶ τῶν Μακεδόνων εὐψύχως ἀγωνιζομένων εἰς τὸν ἔσχατον παρεγένετο κίνδυνον.
Consequently, since the Macedonians fought with great courage, he was brought into the utmost danger.
Ἀττάλου δʼ ἐπιβοηθήσαντος αὐτῷ, καὶ διὰ τῆς εἰς τὴν πολεμίαν ναῦν ἐμβολῆς λύσαντος τὴν συμπλοκὴν τῶν σκαφῶν, ὁ μὲν Δεινοκράτης ἀπελύθη παραδόξως, οἱ δὲ τῆς πολεμίας νεὼς ἐπιβάται πάντες εὐψύχως διαγωνισάμενοι διεφθάρησαν, τὸ δὲ σκάφος ἔρημον ἀπολειφθὲν ὑποχείριον ἐγένετο τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἄτταλον.
But when Attalus came to his assistance and, by ramming the enemy ship, freed the entanglement of the vessels, Deinocrates was unexpectedly released. All the marines on the enemy ship, having fought bravely to the end, perished, and the vessel, left deserted, fell into the hands of Attalus and his men.
ὁ δὲ Διονυσόδωρος μετὰ βίας ἐπιφερόμενος εἰς ἐμβολὴν αὐτὸς μὲν ἥμαρτε τοῦ τρῶσαι, παραπεσὼν δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀπέβαλε τὸν δεξιὸν ταρσὸν τῆς νεώς, ὁμοῦ συρραγέντων καὶ τῶν πυργούχων·
But Dionysodorus, bearing down violently to ram, himself failed to deal a blow, and running alongside the enemy, lost the right bank of oars of his ship, while those on the towers were also smashed together.
οὗ γενομένου περιέστησαν αὐτὸν πανταχόθεν οἱ πολέμιοι.
When this occurred, the enemy surrounded him on all sides.
κραυγῆς δὲ καὶ θορύβου γενομένου τὸ μὲν λοιπὸν πλῆθος τῶν ἐπιβατῶν ἅμα τῷ σκάφει διεφθάρη, τρίτος δʼ αὐτὸς4 ὁ Διονυσόδωρος ἀπενήξατο πρὸς τὴν ἐπιβοηθοῦσαν αὐτῷ τριημιολίαν.
As shouting and confusion arose, the remaining multitude of the marines perished along with the vessel, but Dionysodorus himself, with two others, swam off to the triemiolia that was coming to his aid.
- 16.3.2ἐπὶ πολὺ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ καταστρώματος ἀγωνισαμένων
A genitive absolute construction. The phrase τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦ καταστρώματος ('those on the deck') serves as the logical subject of the participle ἀγωνισαμένων, accompanied by the adverbial phrase ἐπὶ πολύ meaning 'for a long time'.
- 16.3.4ὑπὸ τὸν θρανίτην σκαλμὸν
The θρανίτης σκαλμός refers to the thole-pin or rowlock of the highest tier (thranite) of oars in ancient galleys. Here, the triemiolia, after being rammed, became wedged and entangled under the thranite rowlock of the decere, rendering both ships inseparable.
- 16.3.8ἔξαλον ἔλαβε τὴν πληγήν, ἀναστείρου τῆς νεὼς οὔσης
The phrase ἀναστείρου τῆς νεὼς οὔσης is a genitive absolute expressing cause ('since his ship had a high prow'). Consequently, the blow Deinocrates' ship received was above the waterline (ἔξαλον πληγήν), preventing fatal flooding and sinking.
- 16.3.14τρίτος δʼ αὐτὸς
The idiom of an ordinal number + αὐτός (in the nominative) means 'himself with [ordinal minus one] others', hence here 'himself with two others' (as one of three), rather than 'he himself was the third'.