Reasons for the Starting Point and the World Renewal — Polybius, The Histories Book 4 (4.2.1–4.2.11), Greek & English

§4.2.1

καλλίστην ὑπόστασιν¹ ὑπολαμβάνοντες εἶναι ταύτην διὰ τὸ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν Ἀράτου σύνταξιν ἐπὶ τούτους καταστρέφειν τοὺς καιρούς, οἷς συνάπτοντες τὴν διήγησιν τὸν ἀκόλουθον ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀποδιδόναι προῃρήμεθα λόγον, δεύτερον δὲ διὰ τὸ καὶ τοὺς χρόνους οὕτως συντρέχειν τοὺς ἑξῆς καὶ τοὺς πίπτοντας ὑπὸ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἱστορίαν ὥστε τοὺς μὲν καθʼ ἡμᾶς εἶναι, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τοὺς πατέρας ἡμῶν· ἐξ οὗ² συμβαίνει τοῖς μὲν αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς παραγεγονέναι, τὰ δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἑωρακότων ἀκηκοέναι.

considering this to be the finest starting-point, first because the work of Aratus ends at these very times, connecting our narrative with which we have chosen to deliver the subsequent account concerning the Greeks, and secondly because the subsequent times, namely those falling under our history, so coincide that some belong to our own age, and others to that of our fathers; from which it results that we ourselves have been present at some of the events, and have heard of the others from those who saw them.

§4.2.3

τὸ γὰρ ἀνωτέρω προσλαμβάνειν τοῖς χρόνοις, ὡς ἀκοὴν ἐξ ἀκοῆς γράφειν, οὐκ ἐφαίνεθʼ ἡμῖν ἀσφαλεῖς³ ἔχειν οὔτε τὰς διαλήψεις οὔτε τὰς ἀποφάσεις.

For to take in times still further back, so as to write hearsay from hearsay, did not seem to us to afford any secure basis either for judgements or for assertions.

§4.2.4

μάλιστα δʼ ἀπὸ τούτων ἠρξάμεθα τῶν καιρῶν διὰ τὸ καὶ τὴν τύχην ὡς ἂν εἰ κεκαινοποιηκέναι πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν τοῖς προειρημένοις καιροῖς.

And we made our beginning especially from these times because Fortune, as it were, had also made a complete revolution in all the affairs of the inhabited world during the aforementioned times.

§4.2.5

Φίλιππος μὲν γὰρ ὁ Δημητρίου κατὰ φύσιν υἱὸς ἔτι παῖς ὢν ἄρτι παρελάμβανε τὴν Μακεδόνων ἀρχήν·

For Philip, the son of Demetrius by nature, being still a boy, was just taking over the sovereignty of the Macedonians;

§4.2.6

Ἀχαιὸς δὲ τῆς ἐπὶ τάδε τοῦ Ταύρου δυναστεύων οὐ μόνον προστασίαν εἶχε βασιλικήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δύναμιν·

and Achaeus, ruling over the country on this side of Taurus, had not only royal authority, but also power;

§4.2.7

ὁ δὲ Μέγας ἐπικληθεὶς Ἀντίοχος μικροῖς ἀνώτερον χρόνοις, τἀδελφοῦ Σελεύκου μετηλλαχότος, ἔτι κομιδῇ νέος ὢν τὴν ἐν Συρίᾳ διεδέδεκτο βασιλείαν.

and Antiochus, surnamed the Great, a little before this time, upon the death of his brother Seleucus, being still quite young, had succeeded to the kingdom in Syria.

§4.2.8

ἅμα δὲ τούτοις Ἀριαράθης παρέλαβε τὴν Καππαδοκῶν ἀρχήν. ὁ δὲ Φιλοπάτωρ Πτολεμαῖος ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς καιροῖς τῶν κατʼ Αἴγυπτον ἐγεγόνει κύριος.

At the same time with these, Ariarathes took over the sovereignty of the Cappadocians. And Ptolemy Philopator, in the same periods, had become master of Egypt.

§4.2.9

Λυκοῦργος δὲ Λακεδαιμονίων μετʼ οὐ πολὺ κατεστάθη βασιλεύς. ᾕρηντο δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι προσφάτως ἐπὶ τὰς προειρημένας πράξεις στρατηγὸν αὑτῶν Ἀννίβαν.

And Lycurgus not long after was established as king of the Lacedaemonians. And the Carthaginians had recently elected Hannibal as their general for the aforementioned operations.

§4.2.10

οὕτως δὲ τοιαύτης περὶ πάσας τὰς δυναστείας καινοποιίας οὔσης, ἔμελλε πραγμάτων ἔσεσθαι καινῶν ἀρχή. τοῦτο γὰρ δὴ πέφυκε καὶ φιλεῖ⁴ συμβαίνειν κατὰ φύσιν· ὃ καὶ τότε συνέβη γενέσθαι.

Since therefore there was such a renewal in all the ruling powers, there was bound to be a beginning of new affairs. For this indeed is natural and is wont to happen in the course of nature, which also came to pass at that time.

§4.2.11

Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν γὰρ καὶ Καρχηδόνιοι τὸν προειρημένον ἐνεστήσαντο πόλεμον, Ἀντίοχος δὲ καὶ Πτολεμαῖος ἅμα τούτοις τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς Κοίλης Συρίας, Ἀχαιοὶ δὲ καὶ Φίλιππος τὸν πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους· οὗ τὰς αἰτίας συνέβη γενέσθαι τοιαύτας.

For the Romans and Carthaginians engaged in the aforementioned war, and Antiochus and Ptolemy at the same time in that for Coele-Syria, and the Achaeans and Philip in that against the Aetolians and Lacedaemonians, of which the causes happened to be as follows.

Syntax notes4 items

4.2.1καλλίστην ὑπόστασιν
In the accusative-and-infinitive construction dependent on the participle ὑπολαμβάνοντες, ταύτην is the subject, while καλλίστην ὑπόστασιν is the predicate, connected by εἶναι. ταύτην refers back to the decision mentioned at the end of the previous section (§4.1.9) to start the history with the events following the preliminary ones.
4.2.2ἐξ οὗ
A relative pronoun construction where the antecedent is the entire preceding statement, i.e., 'that the times of our history coincide with our own generation and that of our fathers.' In the infinitive clauses acting as the subject of the impersonal verb συμβαίνει, two contrasting clauses τοῖς μὲν ... παραγεγονέναι and τὰ δὲ ... ἀκηκοέναι are placed in parallel.
4.2.3ἀσφαλεῖς
A predicative adjective modifying τὰς διαλήψεις and τὰς ἀποφάσεις, creating the meaning 'to hold either judgements or assertions as secure (i.e., to have reliable grounds).' The main verb οὐκ ἐφαίνετο with ἡμῖν (dative of agent) means 'it did not seem to us.'
4.2.10φιλεῖ
A metaphorical development from 'to love,' used here with an infinitive (συμβαίνειν) as an idiomatic expression meaning 'to be wont to' or 'to be accustomed to' (expressing a natural tendency).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 2

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.2.1-4.2.11