- 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-grc2:36.4.1-36.4.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
After confirming the rights and obligations of surrender, the Roman Senate guarantees Carthage its freedom and land on certain conditions such as delivering hostages, but the omission of any mention of the 'city' causes great apprehension among the Carthaginian citizens.
περὶ δὲ τῆς ἐπιτροπῆς εἴρηται μὲν ἡμῖν καὶ πρότερον, ἀναγκαῖον δʼ ἔστιν καὶ νῦν ὑπομνῆσαι κεφαλαιωδῶς.
With regard to the surrender, we have indeed spoken before, but it is necessary even now to recall it in summary.
οἱ γὰρ διδόντες αὑτοὺς εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐπιτροπὴν διδόασι πρῶτον μὲν χώραν τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν αὐτοῖς καὶ πόλεις τὰς ἐν ταύτῃ, σὺν δὲ τούτοις ἄνδρας καὶ γυναῖκας τοὺς ὑπάρχοντας ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ καὶ ταῖς πόλεσιν ἅπαντας, ὁμοίως ποταμούς, λιμένας, ἱερά, τάφους, συλλήβδην ὥστε πάντων εἶναι κυρίους Ῥωμαίους, αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς διδόντας ἁπλῶς μηκέτι μηδενός.1
For those who surrender themselves to the Roman power of decision give up first their land and the cities in it, and besides these, all the men and women who are in the land and the cities, likewise the rivers, harbors, sanctuaries, tombs, and in a word, so that the Romans become masters of everything, and those who surrendered themselves simply possess nothing anymore.
γενομένης δὲ τῆς ἀνθομολογήσεως τοιαύτης ὑπὸ τῶν Καρχηδονίων, καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγον εἰσκληθέντων αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον, ἔλεγεν ὁ στρατηγὸς τὴν τῆς συγκλήτου γνώμην ὅτι καλῶς αὐτῶν βεβουλευμένων2 δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς ἡ σύγκλητος τήν τʼ ἐλευθερίαν καὶ τοὺς νόμους, ἔτι δὲ τὴν χώραν ἅπασαν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ὑπαρχόντων κτῆσιν καὶ κοινῇ καὶ κατʼ ἰδίαν.
When such an agreement was made by the Carthaginians, and shortly after they were summoned into the Senate, the general declared the opinion of the Senate, that since they had deliberated well, the Senate granted them their freedom and laws, and furthermore all their land and the possession of their other property, both public and private.
οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι ταῦτʼ ἀκούσαντες ἔχαιρον, δόξαντες ὡς ἐν κακῶν αἱρέσει καλῶς σφίσιν κεχρῆσθαι τὴν σύγκλητον, ἅτε τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων καὶ μεγίστων αὐτοῖς συγκεχωρημένων.
The Carthaginians, on hearing this, were rejoiced, thinking that, in a choice of evils, the Senate had treated them well, inasmuch as their most necessary and important rights had been conceded to them.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ στρατηγοῦ διασαφοῦντος διότι τεύξονται τούτων, ἐὰν τριακοσίους ὁμήρους εἰς τὸ Λιλύβαιον ἐκπέμψωσιν ἐν τριάκονθʼ ἡμέραις τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἐκ τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ τῆς γερουσίας καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων παραγγελλομένοις πειθαρχήσωσιν, ἐπὶ ποσὸν ἠπόρησαν ποῖα τὰ διὰ τῶν ὑπάτων αὐτοῖς ἔσται παραγγελλόμενα· πλὴν τότε γʼ ἐξ αὐτῆς ὥρμησαν, σπεύδοντες ἀναγγεῖλαι τῇ πατρίδι περὶ τούτων.
After this, when the general made it clear that they would obtain these things on condition that they sent three hundred hostages to Lilybaeum within thirty days, being the sons of members of the Senate and the council of elders, and obeyed the commands given to them by the consuls, they were for a moment puzzled as to what the commands to be given to them by the consuls would be; however, for the time being they set out from there at once, hastening to report these things to their country.
παραγενόμενοι δʼ εἰς τὴν Καρχηδόνα διεσάφουν τοῖς πολίταις τὰ κατὰ μέρος.
When they arrived in Carthage, they explained the details to the citizens.
οἱ δὲ διακούσαντες τἄλλα μὲν ἐνδεχομένως ἐνόμιζον βεβουλεῦσθαι τοὺς πρεσβευτάς, περὶ δὲ πόλεως μὴ γεγονέναι μνείαν3 εἰς μεγάλην ἐπίστασιν αὐτοὺς ἦγε καὶ πολλὴν ἀμηχανίαν.
The citizens, after listening to everything, thought that on other points the ambassadors had acted properly, but the fact that no mention had been made of the city led them into great apprehension and complete helplessness.
- 36.4.3αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς διδόντας ἁπλῶς μηκέτι μηδενός
The genitive μηδενός is governed by κυρίους [εἶναι], which is supplied from the preceding clause ὥστε πάντων εἶναι κυρίους Ῥωμαίους, resulting in the sense 'and those who surrender themselves simply no longer [being masters] of anything.' Although it could also be interpreted as an ellipsis of a verb like κρατεῖν (to rule), the parallel structure with κυρίους makes the former reading more natural.
- 36.4.4καλῶς αὐτῶν βεβουλευμένων
A genitive absolute construction with αὐτῶν (referring to the Carthaginians) as its logical subject. Within the ὅτι clause, it functions as an adverbial phrase expressing cause ('since they had deliberated well').
- 36.4.9περὶ δὲ πόλεως μὴ γεγονέναι μνείαν
An accusative-with-infinitive clause serving as the subject of the main verb ἦγε ('led/brought'). This is an example in Greek where an infinitive clause without the article τό functions as a noun clause expressing a fact and acts as the subject of the sentence.