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The Histories

§29.22.1-29.22.4

Eumenes II's False Security and the Galatian Uprising

The narrative explains the irony of fortune, wherein King Eumenes, immediately after securing his rule with the defeat of Perseus, faced the greatest danger due to an unexpected uprising of the Galatians in Asia.

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§29.22.1

ὅτι1 Εὐμένης ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς Περσέως καὶ Ῥωμαίων μάχης συντετελεσμένης2 εἰς παράλογον ἐνέπεσε διάθεσιν, ὡς οἱ πολλοί φασιν, ὡς δὲ τἀνθρώπινα πράγματα φύσιν ἔχει γίνεσθαι κατὰ τὸ πλεῖστον, εἴς τι τῶν εἰωθότων συμβαίνειν·

​That King Eumenes, when the battle between Perseus and the Romans was concluded, fell into an unexpected situation, as most people say, but, as human affairs naturally turn out for the most part, into one of those things that are accustomed to happen.

§29.22.2

ἱκανὴ γὰρ ἡ τύχη τοῖς παρὰ λόγον τὰ κατὰ λόγον ἐπιτρῖψαι, κἄν τινι συνεργήσῃ καὶ προσθῆται τὴν αὑτῆς ῥοπήν, αὖθις οἷον ἐκ μεταμελείας ἀντισηκοῦν3 καὶ λυμαίνεσθαι τὰ κατορθώματα παρὰ πόδας.

​For Fortune is capable of ruining reasonable expectations by unexpected events, and even if she cooperates with someone and adds her own weight to his scale, she counterbalances it again, as if out of repentance, and immediately ruins his successes.

§29.22.3

ὃ καὶ τότε περὶ τὸν Εὐμένη γενέσθαι συνέπεσε·

​Which indeed happened to be the case with Eumenes at that time.

§29.22.4

δόξας γὰρ μάλιστα τότε τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρχὴν ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ βεβηκέναι καὶ πολλὴν ἐπιφέρειν ῥᾳστώνην τὸν ἑξῆς χρόνον, ἅτε τοῦ Περσέως καὶ καθόλου τῆς ἐν Μακεδονίᾳ βασιλείας ἄρδην ἀνῃρημένης,4 τότε μεγίστοις ἐνεκύρησε κινδύνοις τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν Γαλατῶν ἀνυπονοήτως συνεξαναστάντων τοῖς καιροῖς.

​For, thinking at that time that his own rule was established in the greatest security and would bring great ease for the future, inasmuch as Perseus and the kingdom in Macedonia as a whole had been utterly destroyed, he then encountered the greatest dangers, as the Galatians in Asia unexpectedly rose up together in response to the occasion.

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 29.22.1ὅτι

    The introductory ὅτι, highly characteristic of historical excerpts (Excerpta), serves as a marker introducing the statement or indicating "that..." as a summary heading.

  2. 29.22.1τῆς Περσέως καὶ Ῥωμαίων μάχης συντετελεσμένης

    A genitive absolute construction expressing time ("when the battle between Perseus and the Romans was concluded").

  3. 29.22.2ἀντισηκοῦν

    The contracted form of the present active infinitive of ἀντισηκόω (from -όειν to -οῦν). It is coordinated with the preceding infinitive ἐπιτρῖψαι and the following λυμαίνεσθαι, serving as a complementary infinitive after the adjective ἱκανὴ.

  4. 29.22.4ἅτε ... ἀνῃρημένης

    The combination of the particle ἅτε with a genitive absolute construction. It emphasizes an objective reason or causal ground ("since/inasmuch as...") rather than a subjective motive.

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-grc2:29.22.1-29.22.4