Method of Integrating Regional Events into General History — Polybius, The Histories Book 4 (4.28.1–4.28.6), Greek & English

§4.28.1

ταῦτα δʼ ἐπράττετο κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς καθʼ οὓς Ἀννίβας, γεγονὼς ἤδη κύριος τῶν ἐντὸς Ἴβηρος ποταμοῦ πάντων, ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐπὶ τὴν Ζακανθαίων πόλιν.

These things were being done at the same time when Hannibal, having already become master of all the territory within the Iberus River, was making his advance against the city of the Zacanthaeans.

§4.28.2

εἰ μὲν οὖν τὰς πρώτας ἐπιβολὰς τὰς Ἀννίβου ταῖς Ἑλληνικαῖς πράξεσιν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς εὐθέως ἐπιπεπλέχθαι συνέβαινε, δῆλον ὡς ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ βύβλῳ περὶ τούτων ἂν ἡμᾶς ἐναλλὰξ ἔδει καὶ κατὰ παράθεσιν τοῖς Ἰβηρικοῖς πεποιῆσθαι τὴν ἐξήγησιν, ἀκολουθοῦντας τοῖς καιροῖς·

If, therefore, Hannibal’s first enterprises had from the very beginning been immediately interwoven with the affairs of Greece, it is clear that in our preceding book we should have had to make our narrative of these matters alternately and in juxtaposition with the Iberian events, following the chronological order.

§4.28.3

ἐπεὶ δὲ¹ τά τε κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν καὶ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς τῶν πολέμων τούτων ἰδίας εἰλήφει, τὰς δὲ συντελείας κοινάς, καὶ τὴν ἐξήγησιν περὶ αὐτῶν ἐκρίναμεν ποιήσασθαι κατʼ ἰδίαν, ἕως ἂν ἐπὶ τὸν καιρὸν ἔλθωμεν τοῦτον ἐν ᾧ συνεπλάκησαν αἱ προειρημέναι πράξεις ἀλλήλαις καὶ πρὸς ἓν τέλος ἤρξαντο τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχειν —

But since the events in Italy, Greece, and Asia took their beginnings in these wars individually, but reached their consummation in common, and we decided to make our narrative concerning them separately, until we should come to this time in which the aforementioned events became interwoven with one another and began to have reference to a single end —

§4.28.4

οὕτως γὰρ ἥ τε περὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἑκάστων ἔσται διήγησις σαφὴς ἥ τε συμπλοκὴ καταφανής, περὶ ἧς ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἐνεδειξάμεθα, παραδείξαντες πότε καὶ πῶς καὶ διʼ ἃς αἰτίας γέγονε — λοιπὸν ἤδη² κοινὴν ποιήσασθαι περὶ πάντων τὴν ἱστορίαν.

— for in this way both the narrative concerning the beginnings of each will be clear, and the interweaving, which we pointed out at the beginning, showing when and how and for what reasons it took place, will be manifest — it remains now to make our history of all these matters in common.

§4.28.5

ἐγένετο δʼ ἡ συμπλοκὴ τῶν πράξεων περὶ τὴν τοῦ πολέμου συντέλειαν κατὰ τὸ τρίτον ἔτος τῆς ἑκατοστῆς καὶ τετταρακοστῆς ὀλυμπιάδος. διὸ καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα κοινῇ τοῖς καιροῖς ἀκολουθοῦντες ἐξηγησόμεθα, τὰ δὲ πρὸ τοῦ³ κατʼ ἰδίαν, ὡς εἶπα, προσαναμιμνήσκοντες μόνον τῶν κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ βύβλῳ δεδηλωμένων, ἵνα μὴ μόνον εὐπαρακολούθητος, ἀλλὰ καὶ καταπληκτικὴ γίνηται τοῖς προσέχουσιν ἡ διήγησις.

This interweaving of events took place about the consummation of the war in the third year of the hundred and fortieth Olympiad. Therefore, we shall narrate the subsequent events in common, following the chronological order, but the prior events separately, as I said, merely reminding the reader of the events declared in the preceding book as occurring at the same periods, so that the narrative may be not only easy to follow but also striking to those who pay attention.

Syntax notes3 items

4.28.3ἐπεὶ δὲ ...
The subordinate clause introduced by ἐπεὶ δὲ spans a long distance, interrupted by the parenthetical clause οὕτως γὰρ... in §4.28.4, and eventually connects to the main clause λοιπὸν [ἐστι] ἤδη... at the end of §4.28.4.
4.28.4λοιπὸν ἤδη
An impersonal construction where the neuter adjective λοιπόν functions as a predicate with the copula ἐστί (or ἂν εἴη) omitted, taking the infinitive ποιήσασθαι as its subject: 'it remains now to make...'
4.28.5τὰ δὲ πρὸ τοῦ
πρὸ τοῦ (before this) is a prepositional phrase with the old genitive demonstrative τοῦ. Substantivized here as a neuter plural accusative, it serves as the object of ἐξηγησόμεθα ('we shall narrate').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.28.1-4.28.6