- 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-grc2:3.5.1-3.5.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Polybius previews the various disturbances under Roman rule in Spain, Africa, Asia, Syria, and Greece, prays for Fortune's favor to complete his grand plan, and returns to the starting point of his historical narrative.
χὴν ποιησάμενος1 ἄλλην γράφειν. ἦν δʼ ἡ προειρημένη κίνησις, ἐν ᾗ Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν πρὸς Κελτίβηρας καὶ Οὐακκαίους ἐξήνεγκαν πόλεμον, Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ τὸν πρὸς Μασαννάσαν βασιλέα τῶν Λιβύων·
to make another beginning and write a new history. The aforementioned disturbance was that in which the Romans declared war against the Celtiberians and Vaccaei, and the Carthaginians against Masanassa, king of the Libyans;
περὶ δὲ τὴν Ἀσίαν Ἄτταλος μὲν καὶ Προυσίας πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐπολέμησαν, ὁ δὲ τῶν Καππαδοκῶν βασιλεὺς Ἀριαράθης ἐκπεσὼν ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὑπʼ Ὀροφέρνους διὰ Δημητρίου2 τοῦ βασιλέως αὖθις ἀνεκτήσατο διʼ Ἀττάλου τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρχήν.
and in Asia, Attalus and Prusias waged war against each other, and Ariarathes, king of the Cappadocians, having been expelled from his kingdom by Orophernes through the agency of King Demetrius, recovered his ancestral kingdom again through Attalus.
ὁ δὲ Σελεύκου Δημήτριος κύριος γενόμενος ἔτη δώδεκα τῆς ἐν Συρίᾳ βασιλείας ἅμα τοῦ βίου καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐστερήθη, συστραφέντων ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τῶν ἄλλων βασιλέων.
Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, after having been master of the kingdom in Syria for twelve years, was deprived of both his life and his rule at the same time, when the other kings united against him.
ἀποκατέστησαν δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι τοὺς Ἕλληνας εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ Περσικοῦ πολέμου3 καταιτιαθέντας, ἀπολύσαντες τῆς ἐπενεχθείσης αὐτοῖς διαβολῆς.
The Romans also restored to their own country those of the Greeks who had been accused during the war with Perseus, releasing them from the charge brought against them.
οἱ δʼ αὐτοὶ μετʼ οὐ πολὺ Καρχηδονίοις ἐπέβαλον τὰς χεῖρας, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον μεταναστῆσαι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάλιν ἄρδην αὐτοὺς ἐξαναστῆσαι προθέμενοι διὰ τὰς ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς ῥηθησομένας αἰτίας.
And not long afterwards, the same people laid hands upon the Carthaginians, proposing at first to displace them, and afterwards to utterly destroy them, for the reasons that will be told in what follows.
οἷς κατάλληλα Μακεδόνων μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαίων φιλίας, Λακεδαιμονίων δὲ τῆς τῶν Ἀχαιῶν συμπολιτείας ἀποστάντων, ἅμα τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸ τέλος ἔσχε τὸ κοινὸν ἀτύχημα πάσης τῆς Ἑλλάδος. τὰ μὲν οὖν τῆς ἐπιβολῆς ἡμῶν τοιαῦτα·
Corresponding to these events, when the Macedonians revolted from their friendship with Rome, and the Lacedaemonians from the league of the Achaeans, the common disaster of all Greece had both its beginning and its end at the same time. Such, then, is our plan;
προσδεῖ δʼ ἔτι τῆς τύχης, ἵνα συνδράμῃ τὰ τοῦ βίου πρὸς τὸ τὴν πρόθεσιν ἐπὶ τέλος ἀγαγεῖν.
but there is still need of Fortune, so that our life may run its course together with us to bring our purpose to its end.
πέπεισμαι μὲν γάρ, κἄν τι συμβῇ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀνθρώπινον,4 οὐκ ἀργήσειν τὴν ὑπόθεσιν οὐδʼ ἀπορήσειν ἀνδρῶν ἀξιόχρεων, διὰ δὲ τὸ κάλλος πολλοὺς κατεγγυηθήσεσθαι καὶ σπουδάσειν ἐπὶ τέλος ἀγαγεῖν αὐτήν.
For I am persuaded that, even if something human happens to us, the subject will not be left idle, nor will there be a lack of capable men, but because of its beauty, many will pledge themselves and strive to bring it to its completion.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰς ἐπιφανεστάτας τῶν πράξεων ἐπὶ κεφαλαίου διεληλύθαμεν, βουλόμενοι καὶ καθόλου καὶ κατὰ μέρος εἰς ἔννοιαν ἀγαγεῖν τῆς ὅλης ἱστορίας τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, ὥρα μνημονεύοντας τῆς προθέσεως ἐπαναγαγεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς αὑτῶν ὑποθέσεως.
But since we have gone through the most illustrious of actions in summary, wishing to bring the readers to a conception of the whole history both generally and in detail, it is now time, remembering our purpose, to return to the beginning of our subject.
- 3.5.1χὴν ποιησάμενος
Combines with ἀρ- at the end of the previous chunk to form ἀρχὴν. ἀρχὴν ποιήσασθαι is an idiomatic expression meaning "to make a beginning," which, taking the following infinitive γράφειν ("to write"), connects to προήχθην ("I was induced") in the preceding sentence.
- 3.5.2διὰ Δημητρίου
Clarification of the syntax of the two διά phrases. διὰ Δημητρίου τοῦ βασιλέως modifies the preceding participle ἐκπεσὼν ... ὑπʼ Ὀροφέρνους (having been expelled by Orophernes), indicating that the expulsion was brought about through the agency of King Demetrius. Conversely, διʼ Ἀττάλου modifies the main verb ἀνεκτήσατο (recovered).
- 3.5.4τοῦ Περσικοῦ πολέμου
The adjective Περσικός here refers not to "Persian" but to Perseus (Περσεύς), the last king of Macedon. Thus, the phrase refers to the "War against Perseus" (the Third Macedonian War, 171–168 BC).
- 3.5.8κἄν τι συμβῇ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀνθρώπινον
A conditional clause introduced by κἄν (contraction of καί and ἐάν, "even if"). τι ἀνθρώπινον ("something human") is a classic euphemistic expression in Greek referring to mortal accidents, specifically the author's own death.