- 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-grc2:27.11.1-27.11.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The author describes the shape, structure, and launching mechanism using a sling of the newly-invented missile weapon called 'kestros' during the war against Perseus, along with its destructive power.
Κέστρος. ξένον ἦν τοῦτο τὸ εὕρημα κατὰ τὸν Περσικὸν πόλεμον.
The kestros. This was a novel invention during the war against Perseus.
τὸ δὲ βέλος τοιοῦτον· διπάλαιστον ἦν, ἴσον ἔχον τὸν αὐλίσκον τῇ προβολῇ.1 τούτῳ ξύλον ἐνήρμοστο τῷ μὲν μήκει σπιθαμιαῖον, τῷ δὲ πάχει δακτυλιαίαν ἔχον τὴν διάμετρον.
The missile was of the following description: it was two palms long, having its socket equal in length to its point. Into this socket was fitted a wooden shaft, a span in length, and having a diameter of a finger’s breadth in thickness.
εἰς δὲ τούτου τὸ μέσον ἐσφήνωτο πτερύγια τρία ξύλινα, βραχέα παντελῶς.
Into the middle of this shaft were wedged three wooden wings, which were extremely short.
τοῦτο, δυεῖν κώλων ἀνίσων ὑπαρχόντων τῆς σφενδόνης,2 εἰς τὸ μέσον ἐνηγκυλίζετο τῶν κώλων εὐλύτως.
Since the sling had two unequal thongs, this missile was fitted into the loop in the middle of the thongs in such a way as to be easily released.
λοιπὸν ἐν μὲν τῇ περιαγωγῇ τεταμένων τούτων3 ἔμενεν· ὅτε δὲ παραλυθείη θάτερον τῶν κώλων κατὰ τὴν ἄφεσιν, ἐκπῖπτον ἐκ τῆς ἀγκύλης καθαπερεὶ μολυβδὶς ἐκ τῆς σφενδόνης ἐφέρετο καὶ προσπῖπτον μετὰ βιαίας πληγῆς κακῶς διετίθει τοὺς συγκυρήσαντας. —
Consequently, during the whirling, while these thongs remained taut, the missile stayed in place; but when one of the two thongs was let go at the moment of release, it slipped out of the loop, and just like a leaden bullet discharged from a sling, it flew through the air, and striking with a violent blow, it gravely injured those who happened to be hit.
- 27.11.2ἴσον ἔχον τὸν αὐλίσκον τῇ προβολῇ
The neuter participle ἔχον modifies the main subject τὸ βέλος. The adjective ἴσον (equal) governs the dative τῇ προβολῇ, describing a state in which the socket (αὐλίσκος) is of equal length to the projectile's point (προβολή).
- 27.11.5δυεῖν κώλων ἀνίσων ὑπαρχόντων τῆς σφενδόνης
A genitive absolute construction where δυεῖν κώλων is the logical subject and ὑπαρχόντων is the participle, with τῆς σφενδόνης as a genitive depending on κώλων. It means 'since the two thongs of the sling were of unequal length,' which explains the mechanism of releasing only one thong.
- 27.11.6τεταμένων τούτων
A genitive absolute construction. The pronoun τούτων refers back to the κώλων (thongs) of the preceding sentence, and the perfect passive participle τεταμένων indicates that they are kept taut. This describes how the missile is held in place by centrifugal force during the whirling action.