- 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-grc2:16.31.1-16.31.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The citizens of Abydos reject Philip's demand for unconditional surrender, taking a tragic oath to slaughter their families and destroy their treasures in the worst-case scenario, and resolving to fight to the death on the ruins of their wall.
ἢ μάχεσθαι γενναίως,1 οὗτοι μὲν ἐπανῆλθον. οἱ δʼ Ἀβυδηνοὶ πυθόμενοι τὰ λεγόμενα, συνελθόντες εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἐβουλεύοντο περὶ τῶν ἐνεστώτων ἀπονοηθέντες ταῖς γνώμαις.2
or to fight bravely, these envoys returned. The Abydenians, on learning what had been said, assembled in their public meeting and, driven to despair in their minds, deliberated on their present situation.
ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτοῖς πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς δούλους ἐλευθεροῦν, ἵνα συναγωνιστὰς ἔχοιεν ἀπροφασίστους, ἔπειτα συναθροῖσαι τὰς μὲν γυναῖκας εἰς τὸ τῆς Ἀρτέμιδος ἱερὸν ἁπάσας, τὰ δὲ τέκνα σὺν ταῖς τροφοῖς εἰς τὸ γυμνάσιον, ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις τὸν ἄργυρον καὶ τὸν χρυσὸν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν συναγαγεῖν, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸν ἱματισμὸν τὸν ἀξιόλογον εἰς τὴν τετρήρη τὴν τῶν Ῥοδίων καὶ τὴν τριήρη τὴν τῶν Κυζικηνῶν.
They resolved, first, to set the slaves free, so that they might have wholehearted fellow-fighters, and then to gather all the women into the temple of Artemis, and the children with their nurses into the gymnasium. Next, they decided to bring all their silver and gold together into the agora, and likewise their valuable clothing into the quadrireme of the Rhodians and the trireme of the Cyzicenes.
ταῦτα δὲ προθέμενοι καὶ πράξαντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν κατὰ τὸ δόγμα πάλιν συνηθροίσθησαν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πεντήκοντα προεχειρίσαντο τῶν πρεσβυτέρων ἀνδρῶν καὶ μάλιστα πιστευομένων, ἔτι δὲ τὴν σωματικὴν δύναμιν ἐχόντων πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι τὸ κριθὲν ἐπιτελεῖν, καὶ τούτους ἐξώρκισαν ἐναντίον ἁπάντων τῶν πολιτῶν ἦ μήν,3 ἐὰν ἴδωσι τὸ διατείχισμα καταλαμβανόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, κατασφάξειν μὲν τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας, ἐμπρήσειν δὲ τὰς προειρημένας ναῦς, ῥίψειν δὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀρὰς τὸν ἄργυρον καὶ τὸν χρυσὸν εἰς τὴν θάλατταν.
Having proposed and unanimously carried out these measures in accordance with the decree, they assembled once more in the meeting, and selected fifty of the older men who were most trusted, and who still had physical strength to be able to execute what had been decided. They bound these men by oath in the presence of all the citizens that, if they saw the inner wall being captured by the enemy, they would slaughter the children and the women, set fire to the aforementioned ships, and, in accordance with the curses, throw the silver and gold into the sea.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραστησάμενοι τοὺς ἱερέας ὤμνυον πάντες ἢ κρατήσειν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἢ τελευτήσειν μαχόμενοι περὶ τῆς πατρίδος.
After this, bringing the priests to their side, they all swore either to conquer the enemy or to die fighting for their fatherland.
ἐπὶ δὲ πᾶσι σφαγιασάμενοι κατάρας ἠνάγκασαν ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμπύρων4 ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς ἱερέας καὶ τὰς ἱερείας περὶ τῶν προειρημένων.
Finally, having offered sacrifices, they forced the priests and priestesses to pronounce curses over the burning victims concerning the aforementioned resolutions.
ταῦτα δʼ ἐπικυρώσαντες τοῦ μὲν ἀντιμεταλλεύειν τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀπέστησαν, ἐπὶ δὲ τοιαύτην γνώμην κατέστησαν ὥστʼ ἐπειδὰν πέσῃ τὸ διατείχισμα, τότʼ ἐπὶ τοῦ πτώματος διαμάχεσθαι καὶ διαποθνήσκειν πρὸς τοὺς βιαζομένους.
Having ratified these measures, they desisted from mining against the enemy’s mines, and came to the resolution that, as soon as the inner wall fell, they would fight and die upon its ruins against those who forced their way in.
- 16.31.1ἢ μάχεσθαι γενναίως
Infinitive depending on the participle προστάττοντος (commanding) in the genitive absolute construction of the preceding section (§16.30.8), expressing the alternative command.
- 16.31.1ἀπονοηθέντες ταῖς γνώμαις
Aorist passive participle of ἀπονοέομαι (to lose one's senses, despair, resolve on death). ταῖς γνώμαις is a dative of respect, indicating a desperate and tragic state of mind.
- 16.31.5ἦ μήν
A combination of particles introducing a solemn oath, leading to the future infinitives κατασφάξειν, ἐμπρήσειν, and ῥίψειν, which express the content of the oath taken by the chosen fifty men.
- 16.31.7ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμπύρων
Preposition ἐπί with genitive meaning "upon." It refers here to the altar where the victims were being burned, or the burning sacrifices themselves, representing an ancient solemn ritual of oath-taking.