- 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-grc2:4.21.1-4.21.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The author argues that the harsh environment of Arcadia affects its inhabitants' character and that various customs were introduced to soften it, explaining how the Cynaethians' neglect of these led to their brutalization and rejection by other cities.
οἱ νέοι.1 ταῦτά τέ μοι δοκοῦσιν οἱ πάλαι παρεισαγαγεῖν οὐ τρυφῆς καὶ περιουσίας χάριν, ἀλλὰ θεωροῦντες μὲν τὴν ἑκάστων αὐτουργίαν καὶ συλλήβδην τὸ τῶν βίων ἐπίπονον καὶ σκληρόν, θεωροῦντες δὲ τὴν τῶν ἠθῶν αὐστηρίαν, ἥτις αὐτοῖς παρέπεται διὰ τὴν τοῦ περιέχοντος ψυχρότητα καὶ στυγνότητα τὴν κατὰ τὸ πλεῖστον ἐν τοῖς τόποις ὑπάρχουσαν, ᾧ συνεξομοιοῦσθαι πεφύκαμεν2 πάντες ἄνθρωποι κατʼ ἀνάγκην·
The young men. And they seem to me to have introduced these practices of old, not for the sake of luxury and abundance, but because they observed the manual labor of each and, in a word, the painful and hard character of their lives, and because they observed the austerity of their manners, which attended them owing to the coldness and gloominess of the atmosphere, which exists for the most part in their climate, to which we all men by nature must of necessity assimilate ourselves.
οὐ γὰρ διʼ ἄλλην, διὰ δὲ ταύτην τὴν αἰτίαν κατὰ τὰς ἐθνικὰς καὶ τὰς ὁλοσχερεῖς διαστάσεις πλεῖστον ἀλλήλων διαφέρομεν ἤθεσί τε καὶ μορφαῖς καὶ χρώμασιν, ἔτι δὲ τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων τοῖς πλείστοις.
For it is not for any other reason, but for this very cause, that we differ most from one another in manners, physical forms, and colors, and furthermore in most of our institutions, according to our national and major geographical divisions.
βουλόμενοι δὲ μαλάττειν καὶ κιρνᾶν τὸ τῆς φύσεως αὔθαδες καὶ σκληρόν, τά τε προειρημένα πάντα παρεισήγαγον, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις συνόδους κοινὰς καὶ θυσίας πλείστας ὁμοίως ἀνδράσι καὶ γυναιξὶ κατείθισαν, ἔτι δὲ χοροὺς παρθένων ὁμοῦ καὶ παίδων, καὶ συλλήβδην πᾶν ἐμηχανήσαντο, σπεύδοντες τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀτέραμνον διὰ τῆς τῶν ἐθισμῶν κατασκευῆς ἐξημεροῦν καὶ πραΰνειν.
Desiring to soften and temper the stubbornness and hardness of their nature, they introduced all the aforesaid practices, and in addition to these, they established the custom of joint assemblies and frequent sacrifices for men and women alike, and further, dances of maidens and boys together. And in a word, they devised every means, striving to domesticate and soften the stiffness of the soul through the institution of customs.
ὧν Κυναιθεῖς ὀλιγωρήσαντες εἰς τέλος, καὶ ταῦτα.3 πλείστης δεόμενοι τῆς τοιαύτης ἐπικουρίας διὰ τὸ σκληρότατον παρὰ πολὺ τῆς Ἀρκαδίας ἔχειν ἀέρα καὶ τόπον, πρὸς αὐτὰς δὲ τὰς ἐν ἀλλήλοις διατριβὰς καὶ φιλοτιμίας ὁρμήσαντες, τέλος ἀπεθηριώθησαν οὕτως ὥστε μηδʼ ἐν ὁποίᾳ γεγονέναι τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων ἀσεβήματα μείζονα καὶ συνεχέστερα.
But the Cynaethians, completely neglecting these things, and that too though they stood in the greatest need of such help because they possessed by far the harshest air and climate in Arcadia, and turning instead to mutual conflicts and rivalries, finally became so brutalized that no greater or more continuous impieties ever occurred in any of the Greek cities.
σημεῖον δὲ τῆς Κυναιθέων ἀτυχίας4 περὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος καὶ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων Ἀρκάδων τοῖς τοιούτοις τῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων δυσαρεστήσεως·
And there is a proof of the misfortune of the Cynaethians in this respect, and of the displeasure of the other Arcadians at such practices:
καθʼ οὓς γὰρ καιροὺς τὴν μεγάλην σφαγὴν ποιήσαντες Κυναιθεῖς ἐπρέσβευσαν πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους, εἰς ἃς πόλεις ποτʼ Ἀρκαδικὰς εἰσῆλθον κατὰ τὴν ὁδόν, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι παραχρῆμα πάντες αὐτοὺς ἐξεκήρυξαν, Μαντινεῖς δὲ μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν αὐτῶν καὶ καθαρμὸν ἐποιήσαντο καὶ σφάγια περιήνεγκαν τῆς τε πόλεως κύκλῳ καὶ τῆς χώρας πάσης.
for at the time when the Cynaethians, having committed the great massacre, sent ambassadors to the Lacedaemonians, into whatever Arcadian cities they entered on their way, all the other peoples immediately banished them by public proclamation; and the Mantineans, after their departure, even performed a purification and carried sacrificial victims round both their city and their whole territory.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω χάριν τοῦ μὴ διὰ μίαν πόλιν τὸ κοινὸν ἦθος διαβάλλεσθαι5 τῶν Ἀρκάδων, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τοῦ μὴ νομίσαντας ἐνίους τῶν κατοικούντων τὴν Ἀρκαδίαν περιουσίας χάριν τὰ κατὰ μουσικὴν ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἀσκεῖσθαι παρʼ αὑτοῖς ὀλιγωρεῖν ἐγχειρῆσαι τούτου τοῦ μέρους, ἔτι δὲ καὶ Κυναιθέων ἕνεκεν, ἵνʼ ἄν ποτʼ αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς εὖ δῷ, τραπέντες πρὸς παιδείαν ἡμερῶσιν αὑτούς, καὶ μάλιστα ταύτης πρὸς μουσικήν· οὕτως γὰρ μόνως ἂν λήξαιεν τῆς τότε περὶ αὐτοὺς γενομένης ἀγριότητος.
Therefore, let these things be said by us so that the common character of the Arcadians may not be slandered because of one city, and likewise so that some of those inhabiting Arcadia may not attempt to neglect this part, thinking that music is practiced among them to a greater extent merely for the sake of abundance; and furthermore for the sake of the Cynaethians, so that, if ever God should grant them favor, they may civilize themselves by turning to education, and especially this part of it, music; for only in this way could they cease from the savagery that then came upon them.
ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐπειδὴ τὰ περὶ Κυναιθέων ὑποπίπτοντα δεδηλώκαμεν, αὖτις ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκτροπὴν ἐπάνιμεν.
But since we have explained the events relating to the Cynaethians, we shall return again to the point of our digression.
- 4.21.1οἱ νέοι.
Placed at the beginning of the section in the nominative case to explicitly identify the subject of the verb ἐπιδείκνυνται (they exhibit) from the end of the previous chapter (§4.20.12). It functions as an inverted subject of the preceding sentence.
- 4.21.1ᾧ συνεξομοιοῦσθαι πεφύκαμεν
The antecedent of the relative pronoun ᾧ is τοῦ περιέχοντος, meaning 'the surrounding environment' or 'climate'. The verb πεφύκαμεν followed by the infinitive expresses a natural or inherent necessity of human assimilation to the environment.
- 4.21.5καὶ ταῦτα.
An idiomatic expression meaning 'and that too' or 'especially when'. Here, accompanied by the participle phrase πλείστης δεόμενοι..., it introduces a concessive sense: 'even though they stood in the greatest need of such help'.
- 4.21.7σημεῖον δὲ τῆς Κυναιθέων ἀτυχίας
A nominal sentence lacking a main verb, functioning as 'and this is proof of...'. The assertion is subsequently supported by the detailed explanation starting with καθʼ οὓς γὰρ... ('for at the time when...').
- 4.21.10τοῦ μὴ ... διαβάλλεσθαι
A construction consisting of the genitive article τοῦ + negative μή + infinitive, expressing purpose or prevention. Appended in parallel with the prepositional genitive χάριν (for the sake of), it denotes the objective 'so that the common character of Arcadians may not be slandered'.