- 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-grc2:3.30.1-3.30.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The author points out that Saguntum had been under Roman protection long before Hannibal's time, and argues how the justification of Carthage's war differs depending on whether the cause is attributed to the destruction of Saguntum or the seizure of Sardinia.
τούτων δὴ τοιούτων ὑπαρχόντων, ὁμολογούμενον ἦν κἀκεῖνο διότι Ζακανθαῖοι πλείοσιν ἔτεσιν ἤδη πρότερον τῶν κατʼ Ἀννίβαν καιρῶν ἐδεδώκεισαν αὑτοὺς εἰς τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων πίστιν.
These facts being so, it was also an agreed point that the Saguntines had already, many years before the time of Hannibal, placed themselves under the protection of the Romans.
σημεῖον δὲ τοῦτο μέγιστον καὶ παρʼ αὐτοῖς τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις ὁμολογούμενον ὅτι στασιάσαντες Ζακανθαῖοι πρὸς σφᾶς οὐ Καρχηδονίοις ἐπέτρεψαν, καίπερ ἐγγὺς ὄντων αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν ἤδη πραττόντων, ἀλλὰ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ διὰ τούτων ἐποιήσαντο τὴν κατόρθωσιν τῆς πολιτείας.
And the greatest proof of this, which was acknowledged even by the Carthaginians themselves, is that when the Saguntines fell into civil strife, they did not submit the matter to the Carthaginians, although they were near at hand and already managing affairs in Iberia, but to the Romans, and through them effected the settlement of their constitution.
διόπερ εἰ μέν τις τὴν Ζακάνθης ἀπώλειαν αἰτίαν τίθησι τοῦ πολέμου, συγχωρητέον ἀδίκως ἐξενηνοχέναι τὸν πόλεμον Καρχηδονίους κατά τε τὰς ἐπὶ τοῦ Λυτατίου συνθήκας, καθʼ ἃς ἔδει τοῖς ἑκατέρων συμμάχοις τὴν ὑφʼ ἑκατέρων ὑπάρχειν ἀσφάλειαν, κατά τε τὰς ἐπʼ Ἀσδρούβου, καθʼ ἃς οὐκ ἔδει διαβαίνειν τὸν Ἴβηρα ποταμὸν ἐπὶ πολέμῳ Καρχηδονίους·
Therefore, if anyone regards the destruction of Saguntum as the cause of the war, it must be conceded that the Carthaginians undertook the war unjustly, both in violation of the treaty of Lutatius, according to which security from each side ought to be guaranteed to the allies of both, and in violation of the agreement of Hasdrubal, according to which the Carthaginians were not to cross the river Iber in war.
εἰ δὲ τὴν Σαρδόνος ἀφαίρεσιν1 καὶ τὰ σὺν ταύτῃ χρήματα, πάντως ὁμολογητέον εὐλόγως πεπολεμηκέναι τὸν κατʼ Ἀννίβαν πόλεμον τοὺς Καρχηδονίους· καιρῷ γὰρ πεισθέντες ἠμύνοντο σὺν καιρῷ2 τοὺς βλάψαντας.
But if anyone regards the seizure of Sardinia and the money exacted with it as the cause, it must by all means be conceded that the Carthaginians had good reason for waging the war of Hannibal; for having yielded only to circumstances, they took advantage of a favorable opportunity to avenge themselves on those who had wronged them.
- 3.30.4εἰ δὲ τὴν Σαρδόνος ἀφαίρεσιν
In this conditional clause, the subject, verb, and complement τις ... αἰτίαν τίθησι τοῦ πολέμου are omitted from the preceding sentence in §3.30.3 (εἰ μέν τις τὴν Ζακάνθης ἀπώλειαν αἰτίαν τίθησι τοῦ πολέμου). The contrast (εἰ μέν vs. εἰ δέ) makes it clear that the omitted elements mean 'if anyone regards the seizure of Sardinia (as the cause of the war)'.
- 3.30.4καιρῷ γὰρ πεισθέντες ἠμύνοντο σὺν καιρῷ
A contrastive structure using different grammatical cases/expressions of the same noun: καιρῷ (dative) and σὺν καιρῷ (prepositional phrase). The participle πεισθέντες (passive aorist participle of πείθω) here has the passive sense of 'having yielded to/been forced by circumstances', which is contrasted with the active 'with a favorable opportunity' in the latter phrase.