- 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-grc2:18.24.1-18.24.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Philip leads the right wing of his phalanx up the hills and temporarily secures the high ground, but as his mercenaries retreat under heavy Roman pressure, he reorganizes his line to prepare for a decisive clash.
Φίλιππος δὲ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρόν, ἐπειδὴ τὸ πλέον μέρος ἤδη τῆς ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμεως ἑώρα παρεμβεβληκὸς1 πρὸ τοῦ χάρακος, αὐτὸς μὲν ἀναλαβὼν τοὺς πελταστὰς καὶ τὸ δεξιὸν τῆς φάλαγγος προῆγε, σύντονον ποιούμενος τὴν πρὸς τοὺς λόφους ἀνάβασιν, τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὸν Νικάνορα2 τὸν ἐπικαλούμενον ἐλέφαντα συνέταξε φροντίζειν ἵνα τὸ λοιπὸν μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως ἐκ ποδὸς ἕπηται.
Philip, at the same time, seeing that the greater part of his force was already drawn up in front of the camp, himself advanced, taking the peltasts and the right wing of the phalanx, making a rapid ascent towards the hills. He ordered Nicanor, surnamed the Elephant, and his men to take care that the rest of the force should follow close behind.
ἅμα δὲ τῷ τοὺς πρώτους ἅψασθαι τῆς ὑπερβολῆς εὐθέως ἐξ ἀσπίδος3 παρενέβαλε καὶ προκατελάμβανε τοὺς ὑπερδεξίους· τῶν γὰρ προκινδυνευόντων Μακεδόνων ἐπὶ πολὺ τεθλιφότων τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἐπὶ θάτερα μέρη τῶν λόφων, ἐρήμους κατέλαβε τοὺς ἄκρους.
As soon as the foremost men reached the ridge, he immediately drew them up to the left and preoccupied the high ground; for, as the Macedonian vanguard had pushed the Romans far back onto the other side of the hills, he found the summits unoccupied.
ἔτι δὲ παρεμβάλλοντος αὐτοῦ τὰ δεξιὰ μέρη τῆς στρατιᾶς, παρῆσαν οἱ μισθοφόροι, πιεζούμενοι κατὰ κράτος ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων·
While he was still drawing up the right portions of his army, the mercenaries arrived, being hard pressed by the enemy.
προσγενομένων γὰρ τοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων εὐζώνοις τῶν ἐν τοῖς βαρέσιν ὅπλοις ἀνδρῶν, καθάπερ ἀρτίως εἶπα, καὶ συνεργούντων κατὰ τὴν μάχην, προσλαβόντες οἷον εἰ σήκωμα τὴν τούτων χρείαν,4 βαρέως ἐπέκειντο τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ πολλοὺς αὐτῶν ἔκτεινον.
For when the heavy-armed men joined the Roman light-armed troops, as I have just said, and co-operated in the battle, receiving their support like a decisive weight in the scale, the Romans pressed heavily upon the enemy and killed many of them.
ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἐν μὲν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς, ὅτε παρεγίνετο, θεωρῶν οὐ μακρὰν τῆς τῶν πολεμίων παρεμβολῆς συνεστῶτα τὸν τῶν εὐζώνων κίνδυνον περιχαρὴς ἦν·
Now the king, at first, when he arrived and saw that the combat of the light-armed troops was going on not far from the enemy’s camp, was filled with joy.
ὡς δὲ πάλιν ἐκ μεταβολῆς ἑώρα κλίνοντας5 τοὺς ἰδίους καὶ προσδεομένους ἐπικουρίας, ἠναγκάζετο βοηθεῖν καὶ κρίνειν ἐκ τοῦ καιροῦ τὰ ὅλα, καίπερ ἔτι τῶν πλείστων μερῶν τῆς φάλαγγος κατὰ πορείαν ὄντων καὶ προσβαινόντων πρὸς τοὺς βουνούς.
But when he saw the tide of battle turn and his own men giving way and needing assistance, he was forced to come to their aid and decide the whole issue from the circumstances, although the greater part of the phalanx was still on the march and ascending the hills.
προσδεξάμενος δὲ τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους, τούτους μὲν ἥθροιζε πάντας ἐπὶ τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας, καὶ τοὺς πεζοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἱππέας, τοῖς δὲ πελτασταῖς καὶ τοῖς φαλαγγίταις παρήγγελλε διπλασιάζειν τὸ βάθος καὶ πυκνοῦν ἐπὶ τὸ δεξιόν. γενομένου δὲ τούτου, καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐν χερσὶν ὄντων, τοῖς μὲν φαλαγγίταις ἐδόθη παράγγελμα καταβαλοῦσι τὰς σαρίσας ἐπάγειν, τοῖς δʼ εὐζώνοις κερᾶν.6
Receiving those who were fighting, he collected them all, both infantry and cavalry, on the right wing, and ordered the peltasts and the phalangites to double their depth and close up to the right. When this was done, and the enemy were close at hand, the order was given to the phalangites to lower their pikes (sarissas) and charge, and to the light-armed troops to outflank the enemy.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν καὶ Τίτος, δεξάμενος εἰς τὰ διαστήματα τῶν σημαιῶν τοὺς προκινδυνεύοντας, προσέβαλε τοῖς πολεμίοις.
At the same time Titus also, having received the vanguard into the intervals of his maniples, charged the enemy.
- 18.24.1ἑώρα παρεμβεβληκὸς
The perfect middle-passive participle παρεμβεβληκός functions as a predicative participle after the verb of perception ἑώρα, agreeing grammatically with the accusative neuter singular noun phrase τὸ πλέον μέρος, expressing what Philip perceived.
- 18.24.2τοῖς δὲ περὶ τὸν Νικάνορα
The idiomatic expression οἱ περί + accusative refers to Nicanor and his associates or subordinates. The dative phrase here serves as the indirect object of the main verb συνέταξε.
- 18.24.3ἐξ ἀσπίδος
Literally 'from the shield side', this is an ancient Greek military term meaning 'to the left' (the side on which the shield is carried), in contrast to ἐπὶ δόρυ ('to the spear side' or 'to the right').
- 18.24.5προσλαβόντες οἷον εἰ σήκωμα τὴν τούτων χρείαν
The noun σήκωμα refers to a counterpoise or a decisive weight added to a scale. The metaphorical phrase with οἷον εἰ ('as if') indicates that the assistance (χρεία) of the heavy infantry acted as a decisive weight that tipped the scale of battle.
- 18.24.7κλίνοντας
The present active participle in the accusative plural, acting as a predicative participle after ἑώρα. It is used here intransitively to mean 'giving way' or 'retreating', describing the state of Philip's own men (τοὺς ἰδίους).
- 18.24.9κερᾶν
This infinitive, derived from a verb meaning 'to outflank' or 'to extend the wing' in military contexts, directs the tactical action to be taken by the light-armed troops to support or cover the phalanx.