- 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-grc2:16.34.1-16.34.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Roman envoy Marcus Aemilius delivers the Senate's demands to Philip, but the negotiations break down, and upon the fall of Abydos, the citizens commit mass suicide in accordance with their original oath.
κατὰ δὲ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους Ἄτταλος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀκούσας πολιορκεῖσθαι τοὺς Ἀβυδηνούς, διʼ Αἰγαίου ποιησάμενος τὸν πλοῦν εἰς Τένεδον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν Ῥωμαίων1 Μάρκος Αἰμίλιος ὁ νεώτατος ἧκε καταπλέων εἰς αὐτὴν τὴν Ἄβυδον.
At about this time, King Attalus, hearing that the Abydenians were being besieged, made his voyage through the Aegean to Tenedos, and likewise of the Romans, Marcus Aemilius, the youngest, arrived, sailing into Abydos itself.
οἱ γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι τὸ σαφὲς ἀκούσαντες ἐν τῇ Ῥόδῳ περὶ τῆς τῶν Ἀβυδηνῶν πολιορκίας καὶ βουλόμενοι πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν Φίλιππον ποιήσασθαι τοὺς λόγους κατὰ τὰς ἐντολάς, ἐπιστήσαντες τὴν πρὸς τοὺς βασιλέας ὁρμὴν ἐξέπεμψαν τὸν προειρημένον, ὃς καὶ συμμίξας περὶ τὴν Ἄβυδον διεσάφει τῷ βασιλεῖ διότι δέδοκται τῇ συγκλήτῳ παρακαλεῖν αὐτὸν μήτε τῶν Ἑλλήνων μηδενὶ πολεμεῖν μήτε τοῖς Πτολεμαίου πράγμασιν ἐπιβάλλειν τὰς χεῖρας, περὶ δὲ τῶν εἰς Ἄτταλον καὶ Ῥοδίους ἀδικημάτων δίκας ὑποσχεῖν, καὶ διότι ταῦτα μὲν οὕτω πράττοντι τὴν εἰρήνην ἄγειν ἐξέσται, μὴ βουλομένῳ δὲ πειθαρχεῖν ἑτοίμως ὑπάρξειν τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον.
For the Romans, having heard definite news in Rhodes about the siege of the Abydenians, and wishing to address Philip himself in accordance with their instructions, suspended their mission to the kings and sent the aforementioned person, who, meeting him near Abydos, made it clear to the king that the senate had resolved to demand of him that he should neither make war on any of the Greeks nor lay hands on the possessions of Ptolemy, and that he should submit to arbitration concerning the injuries done to Attalus and the Rhodians, and that if he acted thus, he would be permitted to remain at peace, but if he refused to obey, war with Rome would immediately await him.
τοῦ δὲ Φιλίππου βουλομένου διδάσκειν ὅτι Ῥόδιοι τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιβάλοιεν αὐτῷ, μεσολαβήσας ὁ Μάρκος ἤρετο "τί δαὶ Ἀθηναῖοι;2 τί δαὶ Κιανοί; τί δαὶ νῦν Ἀβυδηνοί; καὶ τούτων τίσ" ἔφη "σοὶ πρότερος ἐπέβαλε τὰς χεῖρας;"
When Philip wished to explain that the Rhodians had laid hands on him first, Marcus interrupted him and asked, “What of the Athenians then? What of the Cianians? What of the Abydenians now? Which of these,” he said, “first laid hands on you?”
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐξαπορήσας κατὰ τρεῖς τρόπους ἔφησεν αὐτῷ συγγνώμην ἔχειν ὑπερηφάνως ὁμιλοῦντι,3 πρῶτον μὲν ὅτι νέος ἐστὶ καὶ πραγμάτων ἄπειρος, δεύτερον ὅτι κάλλιστος ὑπάρχει τῶν καθʼ αὑτὸν — καὶ γὰρ ἦν τοῦτο κατʼ ἀλήθειαν — μάλιστα δʼ ὅτι Ῥωμαῖος.
The king, being at a loss for a reply, said that he excused his haughty manner of speaking for three reasons: first, because he was young and inexperienced in affairs; second, because he was the handsomest man of his time—for this was indeed the truth—and most of all because he was a Roman.
"ἐγὼ δὲ μάλιστα μὲν ἀξιῶ Ῥωμαίουσ" ἔφη "μὴ παραβαίνειν τὰς συνθήκας μηδὲ πολεμεῖν ἡμῖν· ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ποιῶσιν, ἀμυνούμεθα γενναίως, παρακαλέσαντες τοὺς θεούσ". οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ταῦτʼ εἰπόντες διεχωρίσθησαν ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων·
”But as for me,” he said, “I demand above all that the Romans do not violate the treaty or make war on us; but if they do so, we shall defend ourselves courageously, calling upon the gods.” Having spoken thus, they parted from one another.
ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος κυριεύσας τῆς πόλεως, τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἅπασαν καταλαβὼν συνηθροισμένην ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀβυδηνῶν ἐξ ἑτοίμου παρέλαβε.
Philip, having become master of the city, took possession without difficulty of all the property which had been collected in one place by the Abydenians.
θεωρῶν δὲ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ τέκνα καὶ τὰς γυναῖκας ἀποσφαττόντων, κατακαόντων, ἀπαγχόντων, εἰς τὰ φρέατα ῥιπτούντων, κατακρημνιζόντων ἀπὸ τῶν τεγῶν, ἐκπλαγὴς ἦν, καὶ διαλγῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις παρήγγειλε διότι τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἀναστροφὴν δίδωσι τοῖς βουλομένοις ἀπάγχεσθαι καὶ σφάττειν αὑτούς.
But seeing the multitude and the impetuosity of those who were cutting the throats of themselves, their children, and their wives, burning them, hanging them, throwing them into wells, and casting them down from the roofs, he was struck with horror, and being deeply grieved at what was happening, he issued a proclamation that he would allow three days’ grace to those who wished to hang or kill themselves.
οἱ δʼ Ἀβυδηνοί, προδιειληφότες ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς στάσιν, καὶ νομίζοντες οἷον εἰ προδόται γίνεσθαι4 τῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἠγωνισμένων καὶ τεθνεώτων, οὐδαμῶς ὑπέμενον τὸ ζῆν, ὅσοι μὴ δεσμοῖς ἢ τοιαύταις ἀνάγκαις προκατελήφθησαν·
The Abydenians, having already decided their fate in accordance with their original resolution, and thinking that to survive would be, as it were, to betray those who had fought and died for their country, would by no means endure to live, except those who had been prevented by chains or similar constraints;
οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες ὥρμων ἀμελλήτως κατὰ συγγενείας ἐπὶ τὸν θάνατον. —
but all the rest rushed without delay, family by family, to their death.
- 16.34.1τῶν Ῥωμαίων
Partitive genitive modifying the following proper name, Μάρκος Αἰμίλιος, signifying "Marcus Aemilius of the Romans."
- 16.34.5τί δαὶ Ἀθηναῖοι;
An elliptical question introduced by τί δαί ("What then of...?"), which implicitly supplies the verb phrase ἐπέβαλε τὰς χεῖρας ("laid hands upon [you]") from the subsequent clause.
- 16.34.6συγγνώμην ἔχειν ὑπερηφάνως ὁμιλοῦντι
The dative participle ὁμιλοῦντι agrees in gender, number, and case with the indirect object αὐτῷ (referring to the envoy Marcus Aemilius), indicating whom Philip is excusing ("that he excused him for speaking haughtily").
- 16.34.11οἷον εἰ προδόται γίνεσθαι
The phrase οἷον εἰ ("as if") introduces a metaphorical condition, here taking the infinitive γίνεσθαι to form the complement (object) of the main participle νομίζοντες ("thinking that [to live on would be] as it were to become traitors").