- 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-grc2:22.18.1-22.18.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Polybius discusses the origin of the evils in the Macedonian royal house and criticizes the "causes" of the Roman war proposed by other historians. He argues for a strict distinction between the "cause," "pretext," and "beginning" of a war.
ὅτι φησὶν ὁ Πολύβιος ἐν τῷ εἰκοστῷ δευτέρῳ· περὶ δὲ τὴν τῶν ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ βασιλέων οἰκίαν ἤδη τις ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν καιρῶν ἐφύετο κακῶν ἀνηκέστων ἀρχή.
That Polybius says in the twenty-second book: “But about the royal house of Macedonia, already from these times, a certain beginning of incurable evils was growing.”
καίτοι γʼ οὐκ ἀγνοῶ διότι τινὲς τῶν συγγραφόντων περὶ τοῦ συστάντος Ῥωμαίοις πολέμου πρὸς Περσέα, βουλόμενοι τὰς αἰτίας ἡμῖν ἐπιδεικνύναι τῆς διαφορᾶς, πρῶτον μὲν ἀποφαίνουσι τὴν Ἀβρουπόλιος ἔκπτωσιν ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας δυναστείας, ὡς καταδραμόντος αὐτοῦ1 τὰ περὶ τὸ Πάγγαιον μέταλλα μετὰ τὸν τοῦ Φιλίππου θάνατον·
Although I am not ignorant that some of the historians who write about the war that arose between the Romans and Perseus, wishing to show us the causes of the disagreement, point out, first, the expulsion of Abrupolis from his own principality, on the ground that he overran the mines around Pangaeum after the death of Philip;
Περσεὺς δὲ παραβοηθήσας καὶ τρεψάμενος ὁλοσχερῶς ἐξέβαλε τὸν προειρημένον ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας ἀρχῆς·
and that Perseus, having come to the rescue and completely routed him, expelled the aforementioned from his own rule;
ἑξῆς δὲ ταύτῃ τὴν εἰς Δολοπίαν εἰσβολὴν2 καὶ τὴν εἰς Δελφοὺς παρουσίαν Περσέως, ἔτι δὲ τὴν κατʼ Εὐμένους τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιβουλὴν γενομένην ἐν Δελφοῖς καὶ τὴν τῶν ἐκ Βοιωτίας πρεσβευτῶν ἐπαναίρεσιν, ἐξ ὧν ἔνιοί φασι φῦναι Περσεῖ τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον.
and next to this, the invasion into Dolopia and the presence of Perseus at Delphi, and further, the plot against King Eumenes that took place in Delphi and the murder of the ambassadors from Boeotia, from which some say that the war against the Romans arose for Perseus.
ἐγὼ δέ φημι κυριώτατον μὲν εἶναι καὶ τοῖς συγγράφουσι καὶ τοῖς φιλομαθοῦσι τὸ γινώσκειν τὰς αἰτίας, ἐξ ὧν ἕκαστα γεννᾶται καὶ φύεται τῶν πραγμάτων· συγκέχυται δὲ ταῦτα παρὰ τοῖς πλείστοις τῶν συγγραφέων διὰ τὸ μὴ κρατεῖσθαι τίνι διαφέρει πρόφασις αἰτίας καὶ πάλιν προφάσεως ἀρχὴ πολέμου.
But I say that it is most important both for those who write history and for those who love learning to know the causes from which each of the events is born and grows; but these have been confused by most writers because they do not grasp how a pretext differs from a cause, and again how a pretext differs from a beginning of a war.
καὶ νῦν δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν προσυπομιμνησκόντων3 ἠνάγκασμαι πάλιν ἀνανεώσασθαι τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον.
And now, as the events themselves remind us, I am forced to renew the same discourse again.
τῶν γὰρ ἄρτι ῥηθέντων πραγμάτων τὰ μὲν πρῶτα προφάσεις εἰσί, τὰ δὲ τελευταῖα τὰ περὶ τὴν κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως Εὐμένους ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν τῶν πρεσβευτῶν ἀναίρεσιν καὶ τούτοις ἕτερα παραπλήσια τῶν κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς γεγονότων ἀρχαὶ πρόδηλοι τοῦ συστάντος Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Περσεῖ πολέμου καὶ τοῦ καταλυθῆναι τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχήν·
For of the events just mentioned, the first are pretexts, while the last—the plot against King Eumenes, the murder of the ambassadors, and other things similar to these that occurred during the same times—are the manifest beginnings of the war that arose between the Romans and Perseus, and of the destruction of the Macedonian rule;
αἰτία δὲ τούτων ἁπλῶς ἐστιν οὐδεμία. δῆλον δὲ τοῦτʼ ἔσται διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς ῥηθησομένων.
but of these there is absolutely no cause. This will be clear from what will be said next.
καθάπερ γὰρ εἴπομεν Φίλιππον τὸν Ἀμύντου διανοηθῆναι καὶ προθέσθαι συντελεῖν τὸν πρὸς τοὺς Πέρσας πόλεμον, Ἀλέξανδρον δὲ τοῖς ὑπʼ ἐκείνου κεκριμένοις ἐπιγενέσθαι χειριστὴν τῶν πράξεων, οὕτω καὶ νῦν Φίλιππον μὲν τὸν Δημητρίου φαμὲν4 διανοηθῆναι πρότερον πολεμεῖν Ῥωμαίοις τὸν τελευταῖον πόλεμον καὶ τὰς παρασκευὰς ἑτοίμας πάσας πρὸς ταύτην ἔχειν τὴν ἐπιβολήν, ἐκείνου δʼ ἐκχωρήσαντος Περσέα γενέσθαι χειριστὴν τῶν πράξεων·
For just as we said that Philip, the son of Amyntas, conceived and proposed to carry out the war against the Persians, and Alexander became the executor of the deeds, succeeding to what had been decided by him, so also now we say that Philip, the son of Demetrius, first conceived of waging this last war against the Romans and had all preparations ready for this undertaking, and when he had departed, Perseus became the executor of the deeds;
εἰ δὲ τοῦτʼ ἀληθές, κἀκεῖνο σαφές· οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε τὰς αἰτίας ὕστερον γενέσθαι τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ κρίναντος καὶ προθεμένου πολεμεῖν· ὃ συμβαίνει τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων συγγραφέων εἰρημένοις· πάντα γάρ ἐστι τὰ λεγόμενα παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὕστερα τῆς Φιλίππου τελευτῆς. —
and if this is true, that other thing is also clear: for it is impossible for the causes to arise after the death of the one who decided and proposed to make war; which is what happens in the statements made by the other writers; for everything said by them is later than the death of Philip.
- 22.18.2ὡς καταδραμόντος αὐτοῦ
A genitive absolute construction with the conjunction ὡς, expressing an alleged or subjective reason ('on the ground that...', 'under the pretext that...'). Here, it refers to the justification claimed by other historians for the expulsion of Abrupolis.
- 22.18.4ἑξῆς δὲ ταύτῃ τὴν εἰς Δολοπίαν εἰσβολὴν
This accusative phrase (and those in 22.18.5) serves as the direct object of the main verb ἀποφαίνουσι ('they point out', 'they show') in 22.18.2, in apposition/parallel to τὴν Ἀβρουπόλιος ἔκπτωσιν (the expulsion of Abrupolis). One must supply the verb from the preceding context.
- 22.18.7τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν προσυπομιμνησκόντων
A genitive absolute construction with the transitive verb προσυπομιμνήσκω ('to remind besides', 'to prompt further'). Literally, 'the events themselves reminding (me)'. The direct object (referring to the author) is implied and omitted.
- 22.18.10καθάπερ γὰρ εἴπομεν ... οὕτω καὶ νῦν ... φαμὲν
A grand comparative structure with καθάπερ ('just as') and οὕτω ('so'). In the subordinate clause, εἴπομεν governs the accusative and infinitive (A.C.I.) constructions (Φίλιππον... διανοηθῆναι and Ἀλέξανδρον... ἐπιγενέσθαι), while in the main clause, φαμέν governs parallel A.C.I. constructions (Φίλιππον... διανοηθῆναι and Περσέα... γενέσθαι), highlighting the structural parallel between the historical precedent (Persian campaign) and the current events (Roman war).
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