- 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-grc2:18.21.1-18.21.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
A Roman reconnaissance unit accidentally encounters the Macedonian outpost and a battle ensues; when the Romans are hard pressed, Titus sends reinforcements including Aetolians, reversing the situation.
ὁ δὲ Τίτος στρατοπεδεύων περὶ τὸ Θετίδειον, καὶ διαπορούμενος ὑπὲρ τῶν πολεμίων ποῦ ποτʼ εἰσί, δέκα προθέμενος οὐλαμοὺς καὶ τῶν εὐζώνων εἰς χιλίους ἐξαπέστειλε, παρακαλέσας εὐλαβῶς ἐξερευνωμένους ἐπιπορεύεσθαι τὴν χώραν·
Titus, on his part, who was encamped near Thetidium and was in doubt as to where on earth the enemy were, sent forward ten troops of cavalry and about a thousand of his light-armed infantry, instructing them to traverse the country, reconnoitring cautiously.
οἳ καὶ προάγοντες ὡς ἐπὶ τὰς ὑπερβολὰς ἔλαθον ἐμπεσόντες1 εἰς τὴν τῶν Μακεδόνων ἐφεδρείαν διὰ τὸ δύσοπτον τῆς ἡμέρας.
As they advanced towards the passes, they unwittingly fell in with the Macedonian outpost, owing to the poor visibility of the day.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἐν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐπὶ βραχὺ διαταραχθέντες ἀμφότεροι μετʼ ὀλίγον ἤρξαντο καταπειράζειν ἀλλήλων, διεπέμψαντο δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἡγεμόνας ἑκάτεροι τοὺς διασαφήσοντας2 τὸ γεγονός·
At first, then, both parties were slightly thrown into confusion, but after a short time they began to skirmish with each other, and each side also sent messengers to their own commanders to report what had happened.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ κατὰ τὴν συμπλοκὴν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι κατεβαροῦντο καὶ κακῶς ἔπασχον ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν Μακεδόνων ἐφεδρείας, πέμποντες εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν παρεμβολὴν ἐδέοντο σφίσι βοηθεῖν.
But when, in the course of the engagement, the Romans were being hard pressed and suffered severely at the hands of the Macedonian outpost, they sent to their own camp, begging them to send help.
ὁ δὲ Τίτος, παρακαλέσας τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀρχέδαμον καὶ τὸν Εὐπόλεμον Αἰτωλοὺς3 καὶ δύο τῶν παρʼ αὑτοῦ χιλιάρχων, ἐξέπεμψε μετὰ πεντακοσίων ἱππέων καὶ δισχιλίων πεζῶν.
Titus, having called upon the Aetolians under Archidamus and Eupolemus and two of his own military tribunes, sent them out with five hundred cavalry and two thousand infantry.
ὧν προσγενομένων τοῖς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀκροβολιζομένοις, παραυτίκα τὴν ἐναντίαν ἔσχε διάθεσιν ὁ κίνδυνος·
When these had joined those who had been skirmishing from the first, the aspect of the combat at once took the opposite turn.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι, προσλαβόντες τὴν ἐκ τῆς βοηθείας ἐλπίδα διπλασίως ἐπερρώσθησαν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν, οἱ δὲ Μακεδόνες ἠμύνοντο μὲν γενναίως, πιεζούμενοι δὲ πάλιν οὗτοι καὶ καταβαρούμενοι τοῖς ὅλοις4 προσέφυγον πρὸς τοὺς ἄκρους καὶ διεπέμποντο πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα περὶ βοηθείας.
For the Romans, gaining hope from the reinforcement, were doubly strengthened for the struggle, while the Macedonians defended themselves bravely, but being in their turn hard pressed and thoroughly overpowered, they fled to the summits and sent to the king for help.
- 18.21.2ἔλαθον ἐμπεσόντες
The combination of the verb λανθάνω with the nominative participle ἐμπεσόντες expresses that the subject does something without noticing or without being noticed. Here, due to the poor visibility, it means that the Roman scouts unwittingly fell in with the enemy.
- 18.21.3τοὺς διασαφήσοντας
The future participle expressing purpose, qualifying the omitted accusative object of διεπέμψαντο (the messengers sent to their own commanders), meaning 'those who would report what had happened'.
- 18.21.5τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀρχέδαμον καὶ τὸν Εὐπόλεμον Αἰτωλούς
The idiomatic expression 'οἱ περί + accusative' can refer to a leader and his associates, or sometimes simply the leaders themselves. Here, it refers to the Aetolian commanders Archidamus and Eupolemus and their forces.
- 18.21.8τοῖς ὅλοις
The dative neuter plural with the article is used adverbially to mean 'completely', 'thoroughly', or 'altogether', modifying the participle καταβαρούμενοι (being overpowered).