Abundance of Nature and Cheap Prices in Lusitania — Polybius, The Histories Book 34 (34.8.1–34.8.10), Greek & English

§34.8.1

Πολύβιος δʼ ὁ Μεγαλοπολίτης ἐν τετάρτῃ καὶ τριακοστῇ τῶν Ἱστοριῶν περὶ τῆς ἐν Ἰβηρίᾳ Λυσιτανίας χώρας διαλεγόμενός φησιν ὅτι βάλανοί εἰσι κατὰ βάθος ἐν τῇ αὐτόθι θαλάττῃ πεφυτευμέναι, ὧν τὸν καρπὸν σιτουμένους τοὺς θύννους πιαίνεσθαι.¹

Polybius of Megalopolis, in the thirty-fourth book of his Histories, in discussing the country of Lusitania in Iberia, says that there are acorns growing in the depths of the sea there, by feeding on the fruit of which the tunnies grow fat.

§34.8.2

διόπερ οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι τις² λέγων ὗς εἶναι θαλαττίους τοὺς θύννους. —

Wherefore one would not be mistaken in saying that tunnies are pigs of the sea. —

§34.8.3

λέγει δʼ ὁ Πολύβιος καὶ μέχρι τῆς Λατίνης ἐκπίπτειν τὴν βάλανον ταύτην, εἰ μὴ ἄρα, φησί, καὶ ἡ Σαρδὼ φέρει καὶ ἡ πλησιόχωρος ταύτῃ. — τὴν κατὰ Λυσιτανίαν³ —

And Polybius says that this acorn is cast up even as far as Latium, unless, indeed, he says, Sardinia also bears it, and the country neighboring to this. — As for the... in Lusitania—

§34.8.4

χώρα δʼ ἐστὶν αὕτη τῆς Ἰβηρίας, ἣν νῦν Ῥωμαῖοι Σπανίαν ὀνομάζουσι — διηγούμενος εὐδαιμονίαν Πολύβιος ὁ Μεγαλοπολίτης ἐν τῇ τετάρτῃ καὶ τριακοστῇ τῶν Ἱστοριῶν φησιν ὡς αὐτόθι διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος εὐκρασίαν καὶ τὰ ζῷα πολύγονα καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ καρποὶ οὐδέποτε φθείρονται·

and this is a region of Iberia which the Romans now call Spania—describing its fertility, Polybius of Megalopolis in the thirty-fourth book of his Histories says that there, owing to the temperate climate, both animals and men are very prolific, and the crops in the country are never destroyed;

§34.8.5

ῥόδα μὲν γὰρ αὐτόθι καὶ λευκόια καὶ ἀσπάραγοι καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια τούτοις οὐ πλεῖον διαλείπει μηνῶν τριῶν, τὸ δὲ θαλάττιον ὄψον καὶ κατὰ τὸ πλῆθος καὶ κατὰ τὴν χρηστότητα καὶ κατὰ τὸ κάλλος μεγάλην ἔχει διαφορὰν πρὸς τὸ γινόμενον ἐν τῇ καθʼ ἡμᾶς θαλάττῃ.

for roses, white violets, asparagus, and things similar to these do not fail for more than three months; and the seafood, both in quantity, goodness, and beauty, has a great superiority over that produced in our sea.

§34.8.7

καὶ ὁ μὲν τῶν κριθῶν Σικελικὸς μέδιμνός ἐστι δραχμῆς,⁴ ὁ δὲ τῶν πυρῶν ἐννέα ὀβολῶν Ἀλεξανδρεινῶν·

And the Sicilian medimnus of barley is at one drachma, and that of wheat at nine Alexandrian obols;

§34.8.8

τοῦ δʼ οἴνου δραχμῆς ὁ μετρητὴς καὶ ἔριφος ὁ μέτριος ὀβολοῦ καὶ λαγώς. τῶν δʼ ἀρνῶν τριώβολον καὶ τετρώβολον ἡ τιμή. ὗς δὲ πίων ἑκατὸν μνᾶς ἄγων πέντε δραχμῶν καὶ πρόβατον δυεῖν. τάλαντον δὲ σύκων τριῶν ὀβολῶν, μόσχος δραχμῶν πέντε καὶ βοῦς ζύγιμος δέκα.

and the metretes of wine is at one drachma, and a medium-sized kid is at one obol, and a hare likewise. The price of lambs is three or four obols. A fat pig weighing one hundred minae is at five drachmae, and a sheep at two. A talent of figs is at three obols, a calf is at five drachmae, and a yoke-ox at ten.

§34.8.10

τὰ δὲ τῶν ἀγρίων ζῴων κρέα σχεδὸν οὐδὲ κατηξιοῦτο τιμῆς, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἐπιδόσει καὶ χάριτι τὴν ἀλλαγὴν ποιοῦνται τούτων.

And the meat of wild animals was scarcely even thought worthy of a price, but they make the exchange of these by way of extra-measure and free gift.

Syntax notes4 items

34.8.1πιαίνεσθαι
The infinitive πιαίνεσθαι is dependent on the main verb φησίν in indirect discourse. Although it is inside a relative clause introduced by ὧν, it adopts the accusative-and-infinitive construction (AcI) with τοὺς θύννους as its subject, under the ongoing influence of indirect speech.
34.8.2οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι τις
Optative with ἄν expressing potentiality. The participle λέγων functions adverbially, representing either a condition ('if one were to say') or a means ('in saying').
34.8.3τὴν κατὰ Λυσιτανίαν
The accusative phrase τὴν κατὰ Λυσιτανίαν at the end of §34.8.3 and εὐδαιμονίαν in §34.8.4 form a single coherent unit ('the fertility in Lusitania'). They are separated by the explanatory parenthetical clause with a relative clause, χώρα δʼ ἐστὶν ... ὀνομάζουσι (hyperbaton).
34.8.7δραχμῆς
Genitive of price or value used with the copula ἐστί to indicate the monetary worth of the product. The same construction occurs in §34.8.8 with ὀβολοῦ and δραχμῶν πέντε.

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-grc2:34.8.1-34.8.10