- 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-grc2:2.15.1-2.15.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The author describes the extraordinary fertility and cheapness of food in the Po valley, mentioning the flat-rate system at inns, and explains the geographical distribution of various tribes living on both sides of the Alps.
τῶν μυρίων σταδίων. περί γε μὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς οὐδʼ εἰπεῖν ῥᾴδιον. σίτου τε γὰρ τοσαύτην ἀφθονίαν ὑπάρχειν συμβαίνει κατὰ τοὺς τόπους ὥστʼ ἐν τοῖς καθʼ ἡμᾶς καιροῖς πολλάκις τεττάρων ὀβολῶν εἶναι τῶν πυρῶν τὸν Σικελικὸν μέδιμνον, τῶν δὲ κριθῶν δυεῖν, τοῦ δʼ οἴνου τὸν μετρητὴν ἰσόκριθον.
...ten thousand stades. As for the fertility of the country, it is not even easy to describe. For there is such an abundance of corn in these regions that in our own times a Sicilian medimnus of wheat is often sold for four obols, one of barley for two, and a metretes of wine is exchanged at an equal price with the barley.
ἐλύμου γε μὴν καὶ κέγχρου τελέως ὑπερβάλλουσα δαψίλεια γίνεται παρʼ αὐτοῖς. τὸ δὲ τῶν βαλάνων πλῆθος τὸ γινόμενον ἐκ τῶν κατὰ διάστημα δρυμῶν ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις ἐκ τούτων ἄν τις μάλιστα τεκμήραιτο·
Moreover, an absolutely extraordinary abundance of panic grass and millet is produced among them. As for the quantity of acorns produced from the oak-forests scattered at intervals over the plains, one can best estimate it from the following fact.
πλείστων γὰρ ὑϊκῶν ἱερείων κοπτομένων1 ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ διά τε τὰς εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους βίους καὶ τὰς εἰς τὰ στρατόπεδα παραθέσεις, τὴν ὁλοσχερεστάτην χορηγίαν ἐκ τούτων συμβαίνει τῶν πεδίων αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχειν.
For although a vast number of swine are slaughtered in Italy, both for private life and for the provisioning of the armies, the most complete supply is provided for them from these plains.
περὶ δὲ τῆς κατὰ μέρος εὐωνίας καὶ δαψιλείας τῶν πρὸς τὴν τροφὴν ἀνηκόντων οὕτως ἄν τις ἀκριβέστατα κατανοήσειεν·
One could understand most accurately the cheapness and abundance of articles of food in detail in the following way.
ποιοῦνται γὰρ τὰς καταλύσεις οἱ διοδεύοντες τὴν χώραν ἐν τοῖς πανδοκείοις, οὐ συμφωνοῦντες περὶ τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἐπιτηδείων, ἀλλʼ ἐρωτῶντες πόσου τὸν ἄνδρα δέχεται.
For those who travel through the country make their stay at the inns, not agreeing on the price of individual items of provision, but asking for how much the innkeeper receives a man.
ὡς μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ παρίενται τοὺς καταλύτας οἱ πανδοκεῖς, ὡς ἱκανὰ πάντʼ ἔχειν τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν, ἡμιασσαρίου·2 τοῦτο δʼ ἔστι τέταρτον μέρος ὀβολοῦ· σπανίως δὲ τοῦθʼ ὑπερβαίνουσι.
Now as a general rule the innkeepers let their guests go for half an assarion—this is a quarter of an obol—as having everything sufficient for their needs; and they rarely exceed this price.
τό γε μὴν πλῆθος τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ κάλλος τῶν σωμάτων, ἔτι δὲ τὴν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις τόλμαν ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πράξεων σαφῶς ἔσται καταμαθεῖν. τῶν δʼ Ἄλπεων ἑκατέρας τῆς πλευρᾶς,3 τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥοδανὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ προειρημένα πεδία νευούσης, τοὺς βουνώδεις καὶ γεώδεις τόπους κατοικοῦσι τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τὸν Ῥοδανὸν καὶ τὰς ἄρκτους ἐστραμμένους Γαλάται Τρανσαλπῖνοι προσαγορευόμενοι, τοὺς δʼ ἐπὶ τὰ πεδία Ταυρίσκοι καὶ Ἄγωνες καὶ πλείω γένη βαρβάρων ἕτερα.
The number of the men, and the size and beauty of their bodies, and further their daring in war, will be clearly seen from their actual deeds. Now, of the two sides of the Alps, the one sloping towards the river Rhone and the other towards the aforementioned plains, the hilly and fertile districts are inhabited, on the side turned towards the Rhone and the north, by those called Transalpine Galatae, and on the side facing the plains by the Taurisci, the Agones, and many other barbarian tribes.
Τρανσαλπῖνοί γε μὴν οὐ διὰ τὴν τοῦ γένους, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν τοῦ τόπου διαφορὰν προσαγορεύονται· τὸ γὰρ τρὰνς ἐξερμηνευόμενόν ἐστι πέραν, διὸ τοὺς ἐπέκεινα τῶν Ἄλπεων Τρανσαλπίνους καλοῦσι.
They are called Transalpine, however, not because of a difference in race, but because of a difference in locality; for “trans” translated means “beyond”, and therefore they call those beyond the Alps Transalpines.
τὰ δʼ ἄκρα διά τε τὴν τραχύτητα καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῆς ἐπι
But the heights, because of their ruggedness and the quantity of... on them,
- 2.15.3πλείστων γὰρ ὑϊκῶν ἱερείων κοπτομένων
Genitive absolute expressing cause or concession. The main clause consists of an accusative with infinitive construction (τὴν ὁλοσχερεστάτην χορηγίαν... ὑπάρχειν) dependent on the impersonal verb συμβαίνει.
- 2.15.6ἡμιασσαρίου
Genitive of price indicating the rate of accommodation. It expresses the compensation or price in relation to the verb παρίενται ("let the guests go").
- 2.15.7ἑκατέρας τῆς πλευρᾶς
The phrase τῶν δʼ Ἄλπεων ἑκατέρας τῆς πλευρᾶς... νευούσης (continuing from §2.15.7) is a genitive absolute ("each of the two sides of the Alps sloping..."). The following accusative τοὺς βουνώδεις καὶ γεώδεις τόπους serves as the direct object of κατοικοῦσι.