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The Histories

§30.17.1-30.17.4

Cotys' Embassy and Rome's Restoration of His Son

Cotys, king of the Odrysae, sent an embassy to Rome to request his son's return and defend his actions, and the Romans, with the war against Perseus won, granted his request to display their clemency.

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§30.17.1

ὅτι κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον Κότυς ὁ τῶν Ὀδρυσῶν βασιλεὺς ἀπέστειλε πρεσβευτὰς εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην, ἀξιῶν ἀποδοθῆναι τὸν υἱὸν αὑτῷ καὶ περὶ τῆς γενομένης πρὸς Περσέα κοινοπραγίας δικαιολογούμενος.

ὅτι At this time Cotys, the king of the Odrysae, sent ambassadors to Rome, requesting that his son be restored to him and defending himself regarding the alliance made with Perseus.

§30.17.2

οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι νομίσαντες ἠνύσθαι σφίσι τὸ προκείμενον, τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Περσέα πολέμου κατὰ νοῦν προκεχωρηκότος,1 τὴν δὲ πρὸς Κότυν διαφορὰν πρὸς οὐδὲν ἔτι διατείνειν,2 συνεχώρησαν αὐτῷ κομίζεσθαι τὸν υἱόν, ὃς ὁμηρείας χάριν δοθεὶς εἰς Μακεδονίαν ἑαλώκει μετὰ τῶν Περσέως τέκνων, βουλόμενοι τὴν αὑτῶν πρᾳότητα καὶ μεγαλοψυχίαν ἐμφαίνειν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸν Κότυν ἀναδούμενοι3 διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης χάριτος. —

​The Romans, considering that their immediate object had been achieved for them, since the war against Perseus had proceeded according to their wish, and that the dispute with Cotys no longer tended to anything of importance, ​permitted him to take back his son, who had been given to Macedonia as a hostage and had been captured along with the children of Perseus, ​wishing to display their own clemency and magnanimity, and at the same time binding Cotys to themselves by such a favor.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 30.17.2τοῦ πρὸς τὸν Περσέα πολέμου κατὰ νοῦν προκεχωρηκότος

    A genitive absolute construction expressing the circumstances or reason that led to the judgment in the participle νομίσαντες.

  2. 30.17.2τὴν δὲ πρὸς Κότυν διαφορὰν πρὸς οὐδὲν ἔτι διατείνειν

    The infinitive διατείνειν with its accusative subject τὴν ... διαφορὰν forms an accusative and infinitive construction, serving as the second object of the participle νομίσαντες. The intransitive verb διατείνειν means 'to tend to' or 'to have a bearing on'.

  3. 30.17.4ἀναδούμενοι

    Present middle-passive participle of ἀναδέω (to bind up, tie). Here used metaphorically to mean 'binding' or 'attaching' Cotys to the Romans through obligation and gratitude.

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-grc2:30.17.1-30.17.4