- 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-grc2:18.20.1-18.20.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Dissatisfied with the terrain around Pherae, both armies begin to move, marching parallel to each other without knowing their respective positions due to the intervening hills. On the following day, a heavy rainstorm is followed by a thick fog that hinders Philip's march, prompting him to send a detachment to occupy the hilltops.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἀμφότεροι δυσαρεστούμενοι τοῖς περὶ τὰς Φερὰς τόποις διὰ τὸ καταφύτους εἶναι καὶ πλήρεις αἱμασιῶν καὶ κηπίων ἀνέζυξαν.
On the following day, both parties, being dissatisfied with the country around Pherae because it was covered with trees and full of stone walls and gardens, struck their camps.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Φίλιππος ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν Σκοτοῦσσαν, σπεύδων ἐκ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως ἐφοδιάσασθαι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα γενόμενος εὐτρεπὴς λαβεῖν τόπους ἁρμόζοντας ταῖς αὑτοῦ δυνάμεσιν·
Philip, then, made his march towards Scotussa, hastening to provision himself from this city, and after this, having made himself ready to secure ground suitable for his forces.
ὁ δὲ Τίτος ὑποπτεύσας τὸ μέλλον ἐκίνει τὴν δύναμιν ἅμα τῷ Φιλίππῳ, σπεύδων προκαταφθεῖραι τὸν ἐν τῇ Σκοτουσσαίᾳ σῖτον.
But Titus, suspecting what was to come, moved his forces at the same time as Philip, hastening to destroy beforehand the grain in the territory of Scotussa.
τῆς δʼ ἑκατέρων πορείας μεταξὺ κειμένων ὄχθων ὑψηλῶν,1 οὔθʼ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι συνεώρων τοὺς Μακεδόνας, ποῖ ποιοῦνται τὴν πορείαν,2 οὔθʼ οἱ Μακεδόνες τοὺς Ῥωμαίους.
As high hills lay between the line of march of both, neither did the Romans see where the Macedonians were directing their march, nor did the Macedonians see the Romans.
ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν ἡμέραν ἑκάτεροι διανύσαντες, ὁ μὲν Τίτος ἐπὶ τὴν προσαγορευομένην Ἐρέτριαν τῆς Φθιώτιδος χώρας, ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος ἐπὶ τὸν Ὀγχηστὸν ποταμόν, αὐτοῦ κατέζευξαν, ἀγνοοῦντες ἀμφότεροι τὰς ἀλλήλων παρεμβολάς·
Having completed this day’s march, they encamped, Titus at the so-called Eretria in the territory of Phthiotis, and Philip at the river Onchestus, both ignorant of the other’s encamping place.
τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ προελθόντες ἐστρατοπέδευσαν, Φίλιππος μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ Μελάμβιον προσαγορευόμενον τῆς Σκοτουσσαίας, Τίτος δὲ περὶ τὸ Θετίδειον τῆς Φαρσαλίας, ἀκμὴν3 ἀγνοοῦντες ἀλλήλους.
On the following day they advanced and encamped, Philip at the so-called Melambium in the territory of Scotussa, and Titus near the Thetidium in the territory of Pharsalia, still ignorant of each other’s position.
ἐπιγενομένου δʼ ὄμβρου καὶ βροντῶν ἐξαισίων, πάντα συνέβη τὸν ἀέρα τὸν ἐκ τῶν νεφῶν κατὰ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἡμέραν ὑπὸ τὴν ἑωθινὴν πεσεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ὥστε διὰ τὸν ἐφεστῶτα ζόφον μηδὲ τοὺς ἐν ποσὶ4 δύνασθαι βλέπειν.
But when a violent storm of rain and thunder came on, it happened that on the next day, near dawn, all the mist from the clouds fell upon the earth, so that because of the thick darkness they could not even see what was at their feet.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ὅ γε Φίλιππος κατανύσαι σπεύδων ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον, ἀναζεύξας προῄει μετὰ πάσης τῆς στρατιᾶς.
Nevertheless Philip, hastening to reach his proposed destination, struck his camp and advanced with his whole army.
δυσχρηστούμενος δὲ κατὰ τὴν πορείαν διὰ τὴν ὀμίχλην, βραχὺν τόπον διανύσας τὴν μὲν δύναμιν εἰς χάρακα παρενέβαλε, τὴν δʼ ἐφεδρείαν ἀπέστειλε, συντάξας ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄκρους ἐπιβαλεῖν τῶν μεταξὺ κειμένων βουνῶν.
Being hampered on his march by the fog, after covering only a short distance, he placed his main force in a camp, and sent out a detachment, ordering them to occupy the summits of the hills lying between them.
- 18.20.4τῆς δʼ ἑκατέρων πορείας μεταξὺ κειμένων ὄχθων ὑψηλῶν
A complex word order where the preposition μεταξὺ and its governed genitive τῆς ἑκατέρων πορείας ("between the line of march of both") are inserted within the genitive absolute construction κειμένων ὄχθων ὑψηλῶν ("high hills lying"). Grammatically, the genitive absolute expresses a causal relationship.
- 18.20.4τοὺς Μακεδόνας, ποῖ ποιοῦνται τὴν πορείαν
A construction of prolepsis (anticipation), where τοὺς Μακεδόνας, logically the subject of the indirect question clause ποῖ ποιοῦνται τὴν πορείαν, is pulled forward as the direct object of the main verb συνεώρων. The same structure with ellipsis is implied for τοὺς Ῥωμαῖους in the second clause.
- 18.20.6ἀκμὴν
An adverbial accusative meaning "still" or "even now" (equivalent to ἔτι). This usage is highly characteristic of Hellenistic Greek (Koine) and is not found in classical Attic prose.
- 18.20.7τοὺς ἐν ποσὶ
An idiomatic expression meaning "things at one's feet," i.e., "what is right in front of one," highlighting the extremely limited visibility caused by the thick fog.