Exaggeration of Gracchus' Deeds and Falsehoods in History — Polybius, The Histories Book 25 (25.1.1–25.1.2), Greek & English

§25.1.1

Πολυβίου δʼ εἰπόντος τριακοσίας αὐτῶν καταλῦσαι πόλεις Τεβέριον Γράκχον, κωμῳδῶν φησι τοῦτο τῷ Γράκχῳ χαρίσασθαι τὸν ἄνδρα,¹ τοὺς πύργους² καλοῦντα πόλεις, ὥσπερ ἐν ταῖς θριαμβικαῖς πομπαῖς.

While Polybius says that Tiberius Gracchus destroyed three hundred of their cities, [the critic] says in a mocking tone that the man made a present of this to Gracchus, calling the towers “cities,” just as in triumphal processions.

§25.1.2

καὶ ἴσως οὐκ ἄπιστον τοῦτο λέγει·³ καὶ γὰρ οἱ στρατηγοὶ καὶ οἱ συγγραφεῖς ῥᾳδίως ἐπὶ τοῦτο φέρονται τὸ ψεῦσμα, καλλωπίζοντες τὰς πράξεις.

And perhaps what he says is not incredible; for both generals and historians are easily carried away to this kind of falsehood, embellishing their achievements.

Syntax notes3 items

25.1.1τοῦτο τῷ Γράκχῳ χαρίσασθαι τὸν ἄνδρα
The accusative τὸν ἄνδρα, acting as the subject of the infinitive χαρίσασθαι, refers back to Polybius. The verb χαρίζομαι here carries the nuance of "to grant as a favor" or "to curry favor with," conveying the critic's claim that Polybius biased his historical account to please Gracchus.
25.1.1τοὺς πύργους
Meaning "towers" or "forts." It satirizes the Roman custom in triumphal processions where minor fortresses or watchtowers were represented in paintings or models as if they were major cities.
25.1.2καὶ ἴσως οὐκ ἄπιστον τοῦτο λέγει
The subject of λέγει is the critic, and the author admits the plausibility of his point. The double negative οὐκ ἄπιστον ("not incredible") is justified in the following clause by a general statement about how easily generals and historians yield to vanity.

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

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:25.1.1-25.1.2