- 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-grc2:20.8.1-20.8.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
This section describes how Antiochus the Great fell in love and married a young woman in Chalcis, indulging in pleasure despite being at war, which eventually led to his defeat, flight to Ephesus, and the destruction of almost his entire army.
Ἀντίοχος δὲ ὁ μέγας ἐπικαλούμενος, ὃν Ῥωμαῖοι καθεῖλον, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Πολύβιος ἐν τῇ εἰκοστῇ, παρελθὼν εἰς Χαλκίδα τῆς Εὐβοίας συνετέλει γάμους, πεντήκοντα μὲν ἔτη γεγονὼς καὶ δύο1 τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἔργων ἀνειληφώς, τήν τε τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθέρωσιν, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπηγγέλλετο, καὶ τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον.
Antiochus, called the Great, whom the Romans overthrew, as Polybius records in his twentieth book, having come to Chalcis in Euboea, celebrated his marriage, although he was fifty-two years old and had undertaken two of the greatest enterprises: the liberation of the Greeks, as he himself promised, and the war against the Romans.
ἐρασθεὶς οὖν παρθένου Χαλκιδικῆς κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου καιρὸν ἐφιλοτιμήσατο γῆμαι αὐτήν, οἰνοπότης ὢν καὶ μέθαις χαίρων.
Therefore, having fallen in love with a Chalcidian maiden during the very time of the war, he was eager to marry her, being a heavy drinker and delighting in drunkenness.
ἦν δʼ αὕτη Κλεοπτολέμου μὲν θυγάτηρ, ἑνὸς τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, κάλλει δὲ πάσας ὑπερβάλλουσα.
She was the daughter of Cleoptolemus, one of the notable men, and surpassed all women in beauty.
καὶ τοὺς γάμους συντελῶν ἐν τῇ Χαλκίδι αὐτόθι διέτριψε τὸν χειμῶνα, τῶν ἐνεστώτων οὐδʼ ἡντινοῦν ποιούμενος πρόνοιαν, ἔθετο δὲ καὶ τῇ παιδὶ ὄνομα Εὔβοιαν.
And celebrating his marriage, he spent the winter there in Chalcis, making not the slightest provision for the pressing affairs, and he also gave the girl the name Euboea.
ἡττηθεὶς οὖν τῷ πολέμῳ ἔφυγεν εἰς Ἔφεσον μετὰ τῆς νεογάμου.
Having thus been defeated in the war, he fled to Ephesus with his bride.
nec praeter quingentos,2 qui circa regem fuerunt, ex toto exercitu quisquam effugit, etiam ex decem milibus militum, quos polybio auctore traiecisse secum regem in graeciam scripsimus, exiguus numerus.
Nor did anyone from the whole army escape except about five hundred who were around the king; even of the ten thousand soldiers, whom we wrote on the authority of Polybius that the king had crossed with him into Greece, only a tiny number survived.
- 20.8.1πεντήκοντα μὲν ἔτη γεγονὼς καὶ δύο
Although the numerals πεντήκοντα (fifty) and δύο (two) are separated, they combine to mean "fifty-two years old." The phrase μὲν ἔτη γεγονὼς καὶ is inserted between them.
- 20.8.6nec praeter quingentos
The phrase Polybio auctore is an ablative absolute meaning 'on the authority of Polybius' (Polybius 20.8 / Livy 36.19.11), and regem is the subject accusative of the infinitive traiecisse.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)
- 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1