- 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-grc2:3.58.1-3.58.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The author points out that previous historical accounts concerning the extremities of the inhabited world are full of errors, and explains the physical and linguistic difficulties that hindered exploration in past times.
διότι1 μὲν οὖν, εἰ καί τι τῶν τῆς ἱστορίας μερῶν ἄλλο, καὶ τοῦτο προσδεῖ λόγου καὶ διορθώσεως ἀληθινωτέρας, προφανὲς ἐκ πολλῶν μάλιστα δʼ ἐκ τούτων.
Therefore, that this part of history, if any other, also stands in need of discussion and of more truthful correction, is evident from many things, and most of all from what follows.
σχεδὸν γὰρ πάντων, εἰ δὲ μή γε, τῶν πλείστων συγγραφέων πεπειραμένων μὲν ἐξηγεῖσθαι τὰς ἰδιότητας καὶ θέσεις τῶν περὶ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς τόπων τῆς καθʼ ἡμᾶς οἰκουμένης, ἐν πολλοῖς δὲ τῶν πλείστων διημαρτηκότων,2 παραλείπειν μὲν οὐδαμῶς καθήκει, ῥητέον δέ τι πρὸς αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἐκ παρέργου καὶ διερριμμένως ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἐπιστάσεως, καὶ ῥητέον οὐκ ἐπιτιμῶντας οὐδʼ ἐπιπλήττοντας, ἐπαινοῦντας δὲ μᾶλλον καὶ διορθουμένους τὴν ἄγνοιαν αὐτῶν, γινώσκοντας ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι τῶν νῦν καιρῶν ἐπιλαβόμενοι πολλὰ τῶν αὐτοῖς εἰρημένων εἰς διόρθωσιν ἂν καὶ μετάθεσιν ἤγαγον.3
For since almost all, or at least most, writers have indeed attempted to explain the peculiarities and situations of the places at the extremities of our inhabited world, but have erred in most respects in many things, it is by no means proper to omit it, but we must say something in reply to them, not by the way and in a scattered manner, but with close attention; and we must speak not in a spirit of censure or rebuke, but rather praising them and correcting their ignorance, knowing that they too, if they had laid hold of the present opportunities, would have brought many of the things said by them to correction and change.
ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ προγεγονότι χρόνῳ σπανίους ἂν εὕροι τις τῶν Ἑλλήνων τοὺς ἐπιβεβλημένους πολυπραγμονεῖν τὰ κατὰ τὰς ἐσχατιὰς διὰ τὸ τῆς ἐπιβολῆς ἀδύνατον.
For in the preceding times, one would have found few of the Greeks who undertook to investigate the matters at the extremities of the world, owing to the impossibility of the undertaking.
πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ κατὰ θάλατταν τότε κίνδυνοι καὶ δυσεξαρίθμητοι, πολλαπλάσιοι δὲ τούτων οἱ κατὰ γῆν.
For the dangers by sea were then many and hard to number, and those by land were many times more than these.
ἀλλʼ εἰ καί τις ἢ κατʼ ἀνάγκην ἢ κατὰ προαίρεσιν ἐξίκοιτο πρὸς τὰ πέρατα τῆς οἰκουμένης, οὐδʼ οὕτως ἤνυεν τὸ προκείμενον.
But even if anyone, either by necessity or by choice, did reach the limits of the inhabited world, not even so did he achieve his purpose.
δυσχερὲς μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ πλέον τινῶν αὐτόπτην γενέσθαι διὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν ἐκβεβαρβαρῶσθαι τοὺς δʼ ἐρήμους εἶναι τόπους, ἔτι δὲ χαλεπώτερον τὸ περὶ τῶν ὁραθέντων διὰ λόγου τι γνῶναι καὶ μαθεῖν διὰ τὸ τῆς φωνῆς ἐξηλλαγμένον.
For it was difficult to become an eyewitness of any places to a greater extent, because some places were completely barbarized and others were desert, and still more difficult was it to know and learn anything about what was seen through conversation, because of the alteration of language.
ἐὰν δὲ καὶ γνῷ τις, ἔτι τῶν πρὸ τοῦ δυσχερέστερον τὸ τῶν ἑωρακότων τινὰ μετρίῳ χρῆσθαι τρόπῳ4 καὶ καταφρονήσαντα τῆς παραδοξολογίας καὶ τερατείας ἑαυτοῦ χάριν προτιμῆσαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ μηδὲν τῶν πάρεξ ὄντων ἡμῖν
And even if anyone did gain knowledge, more difficult still than the previous obstacles was it for any of those who had seen to observe moderation, and despising the storytelling of wonders and monstrosities for his own sake, to prefer the truth, and to say nothing beyond what actually exists to us
- 3.58.1διότι
Used here not as a causal conjunction (because), but synonymously with ὅτι to introduce a noun clause which functions as the subject of προφανές [ἐστιν] (it is obvious).
- 3.58.2σχεδὸν γὰρ πάντων... διημαρτηκότων
A genitive absolute construction with συγγραφέων as the subject. The μὲν... δέ... structure contrasts their attempt with their actual failure/errors.
- 3.58.4ἐπιλαβόμενοι ... ἂν ... ἤγαγον
The participle ἐπιλαβόμενοι functions as a conditional clause ('if they had laid hold of...'), which combined with the apodosis ἂν ἤγαγον (indicative past with ἄν) forms a past contrary-to-fact condition.
- 3.58.9ἔτι τῶν πρὸ τοῦ δυσχερέστερον τὸ τῶν ἑωρακότων τινὰ μετρίῳ χρῆσθαι τρόπῳ
The infinitive clause introduced by the article τό (governing χρῆσθαι and προτιμῆσαι) is the subject of the sentence, with τῶν ἑωρακότων τινά (some of those who had seen) acting as its subject accusative. The sentence is left unfinished at the end of the chunk.