- 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-grc2:26.1.1-26.1.14
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Describes the eccentric behavior of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Epimanes) as recorded by Polybius. Abandoning royal dignity, he associated with commoners and artisans, and exhibited unpredictable behavior and excessive generosity in public spaces and baths.
Ἀντίοχος ὁ Ἐπιφανὴς μὲν κληθείς, Ἐπιμανὴς δʼ ἐκ τῶν πράξεων ὀνομασθείς περὶ οὗ φησι Πολύβιος τάδε, ὡς ἀποδιδράσκων ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ἐνίοτε τοὺς θεραπεύοντας, οὗ τύχοι τῆς πόλεως,1 ἀλύων ἐφαίνετο δεύτερος καὶ τρίτος.2
Antiochus, who was called Epiphanes but named Epimanes from his conduct, is described by Polybius as follows: sometimes escaping from his attendants in the palace, he would be seen wandering about in whatever part of the city he happened to be, with only one or two companions.
μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἀργυροκοπείοις εὑρίσκετο καὶ χρυσοχοείοις, εὑρησιλογῶν καὶ φιλοτεχνῶν πρὸς τοὺς τορευτὰς καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους τεχνίτας.
He was chiefly to be found at the shops of the silversmiths and goldsmiths, conversing with the engravers and other artisans on matters of invention and their craft.
ἔπειτα καὶ μετὰ δημοτῶν ἀνθρώπων συγκαταβαίνων ὡμίλει, ᾧ τύχοι, καὶ μετὰ τῶν παρεπιδημούντων συνέπινε τῶν εὐτελεστάτων.
Furthermore, he would condescend to associate with common people, conversing with whomever he met, and drank with the cheapest of the visiting foreigners.
ὅτε δὲ τῶν νεωτέρων αἴσθοιτό τινας συνευωχουμένους, οὐδεμίαν ἔμφασιν ποιήσας παρῆν ἐπικωμάζων μετὰ κερατίου καὶ συμφωνίας, ὥστε τοὺς πολλοὺς διὰ τὸ παράδοξον ἀφισταμένους φεύγειν.
And whenever he perceived any of the younger men feasting together, he would present himself without any warning to join the revelry with a horn and a band of music, so that most of them, departing because of the unexpectedness of it, fled.
πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀποθέμενος ἐσθῆτα τήβενναν ἀναλαβὼν περιῄει κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν ἀρχαιρεσιάζων καὶ τοὺς μὲν δεξιούμενος, τοὺς δὲ καὶ περιπτύσσων παρεκάλει φέρειν αὑτῷ τὴν ψῆφον, ποτὲ μὲν ὡς ἀγορανόμος γένηται, ποτὲ δὲ καὶ ὡς δήμαρχος.
Often, too, putting off his royal robe and assuming a toga, he would go about the marketplace canvassing for votes, grasping some by the hand and embracing others, entreating them to cast their vote for him, sometimes that he might become an aedile, and sometimes a tribune.
τυχὼν δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ καθίσας ἐπὶ τὸν ἐλεφάντινον δίφρον κατὰ τὸ παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἔθος διήκουε τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν γινομένων συναλλαγμάτων καὶ διέκρινε μετὰ πολλῆς σπουδῆς καὶ προθυμίας. ἐξ ὧν3 εἰς ἀπορίαν ἦγε τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοὺς ἐπιεικεῖς·
Having obtained the office and seating himself upon the curule chair after the Roman fashion, he would hear the contracts made in the marketplace and decide them with great earnestness and zeal. By this conduct he reduced the respectable citizens to utter perplexity;
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀφελῆ τινα αὐτὸν εἶναι ὑπελάμβανον, οἱ δὲ μαινόμενον. καὶ γὰρ περὶ τὰς δωρεὰς ἦν παραπλήσιος· ἐδίδου γὰρ τοῖς μὲν ἀστραγάλους δορκαδείους, τοῖς δὲ φοινικοβαλάνους, ἄλλοις δὲ χρυσίον.
for some supposed him to be a simpleton, and others a madman. His conduct regarding gifts was also very similar; for to some he would give knuckle-bones of gazelles, to others dates, and to others gold.
καὶ ἐξ ἀπαντήσεως δέ τισιν ἐντυγχάνων, οὓς μὴ ἑωράκει ποτέ, ἐδίδου δωρεὰς ἀπροσδοκήτους.
And meeting people by chance whom he had never seen before, he would bestow unexpected gifts upon them.
ἐν δὲ ταῖς πρὸς τὰς πόλεις θυσίαις καὶ ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς τιμαῖς πάντας ὑπερέβαλλε τοὺς βεβασιλευκότας.
But in the sacrifices he offered to cities and the honors he paid to the gods, he surpassed all who had ever reigned.
τοῦτο δʼ ἄν τις τεκμήραιτο ἔκ τε τοῦ παρʼ Ἀθηναίοις Ὀλυμπιείου καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν ἐν Δήλῳ βωμὸν ἀνδριάντων.
This one might infer both from the Olympieum at Athens and from the statues around the altar at Delos.
ἐλούετο δὲ κἀν τοῖς δημοσίοις βαλανείοις, ὅτε δημοτῶν ἦν τὰ βαλανεῖα πεπληρωμένα, κεραμίων εἰσφερομένων αὐτῷ μύρων τῶν πολυτελεστάτων.
He would also bathe in the public baths when they were filled with common citizens, very costly ointments being brought in for him in jars.
ὅτε καί τινος εἰπόντος "3Μακάριοί ἐστε ὑμεῖς οἱ βασιλεῖς οἱ καὶ τούτοις χρώμενοι καὶ ὀδωδότες ἡδύ"3 [καὶ] μηδὲν τὸν ἄνθρωπον προσειπών, ὅπου ʼκεῖνος τῇ ἑξῆς ἐλοῦτο, ἐπεισελθὼν ἐποίησεν αὐτοῦ καταχυθῆναι4 τῆς κεφαλῆς μέγιστον κεράμιον πολυτελεστάτου μύρου, τῆς στακτῆς καλουμένης, ὡς πάντας ἀναστάντας κυλίεσθαι τοὺς λουομένους τῷ μύρῳ καὶ διὰ τὴν γλισχρότητα καταπίπτοντας γέλωτα παρέχειν, καθάπερ καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα.
On one occasion, when someone said, “Blessed are you kings who use such things and smell so sweet,” he said nothing to the man, but entering the place where that man was bathing on the following day, he caused a huge jar of the most costly ointment, called stacte, to be poured over his head, so that all the bathers arose and rolled themselves in the ointment, and falling down because of its slipperiness, they provoked laughter, just as the king himself did.
- 26.1.1οὗ τύχοι τῆς πόλεως
The relative adverb of place οὗ ('wherever') is construed with the genitive of place/whole τῆς πόλεως ('of the city'). The optative verb τύχοι indicates a past general/repeated condition ('wherever in the city he might happen to be').
- 26.1.1δεύτερος καὶ τρίτος
This expression idiomatically means 'himself being the second or third,' i.e., accompanied by only one or two others. It emphasizes the extremely small number of attendants he had.
- 26.1.6ἐξ ὧν
Consisting of the preposition ἐκ and the genitive plural neuter pronoun ὧν (used transitionally), referring back to the various eccentric behaviors of Antiochus mentioned previously. It denotes source or cause ('as a result of these things').
- 26.1.13ἐποίησεν αὐτοῦ καταχυθῆναι
A causative construction consisting of the verb ποιέω and the passive infinitive καταχυθῆναι ('to be poured'). The subject of the infinitive is the accusative noun phrase μέγιστον κεράμιον ('a huge jar'), while the genitive pronoun αὐτοῦ modifies τῆς κεφαλῆς ('over his head').