- 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-grc2:4.49.1-4.49.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
This passage explains the various grievances Prusias held against the Byzantines regarding statues, festivals, and diplomacy, which led him to ally with the Rhodians and resolve to attack Byzantium by land.
ὁ δὲ Προυσίας ἐνεκάλει μὲν πρότερον τοῖς Βυζαντίοις ὅτι ψηφισαμένων1 τινὰς εἰκόνας αὐτοῦ ταύτας οὐκ ἀνετίθεσαν, ἀλλʼ εἰς ἐπισυρμὸν καὶ λήθην ἄγοιεν,2 δυσηρέστει δʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πᾶσαν προσενέγκασθαι φιλονεικίαν3 εἰς τὸ διαλῦσαι τὴν Ἀχαιοῦ πρὸς Ἄτταλον ἔχθραν καὶ τὸν πόλεμον, νομίζων κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους ἀλυσιτελῆ τοῖς αὑτοῦ πράγμασιν ὑπάρχειν τὴν ἐκείνων φιλίαν.
Prusias, on his part, had previously been harboring grievances against the Byzantines, because, although they had voted to set up certain statues of him, they had not erected them, but let them fall into neglect and oblivion. He was also displeased with them because they had exerted every effort to put an end to the hostility and war between Achaeus and Attalus, believing as he did that the friendship between those two would be in many ways disadvantageous to his own interests.
ἠρέθιζε δʼ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ δοκεῖν Βυζαντίους πρὸς μὲν Ἄτταλον εἰς τοὺς τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἀγῶνας τοὺς συνθύσοντας ἐξαπεσταλκέναι, πρὸς αὐτὸν δʼ εἰς τὰ Σωτήρια μηδένα πεπομφέναι.
He was further irritated by the fact that the Byzantines appeared to have dispatched envoys to Attalus to join in sacrificing at the games of Athena, whereas they had sent no one to him for the Soteria.
διόπερ ἐκ πάντων τούτων ὑποικουρουμένης παρʼ αὐτῷ τῆς ὀργῆς, ἄσμενος ἐπελάβετο τῆς τῶν Ῥοδίων προφάσεως, καὶ συγκαταθέμενος τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς ἐκείνους μὲν ᾤετο δεῖν κατὰ θάλατταν πολεμεῖν, αὐτὸς δὲ κατὰ γῆν οὐκ ἐλάττω βλάψειν ἔδοξε4 τοὺς ὑπεναντίους.
For all these reasons, therefore, since his resentment was smoldering within him, he gladly seized upon the pretext offered by the Rhodians; and agreeing with their ambassadors, he thought that they ought to wage war by sea, while he himself resolved to inflict no less damage on the enemy by land.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Ῥοδίων πρὸς Βυζαντίους πόλεμος
Such, then, was the origin of the war of the Rhodians against the Byzantines—
- 4.49.1ψηφισαμένων
A participle in the genitive absolute. From the logical context of the passage, it carries a concessive force ('although they had voted'). The implied subject is the Byzantines (τοῖς Βυζαντίοις).
- 4.49.1ἄγοιεν
In the causal ὅτι clause, while the first verb ἀνετίθεσαν is in the indicative imperfect, the second verb ἄγοιεν is in the optative (oblique optative). This shift emphasizes the subjective grievance or accusation from Prusias' own perspective.
- 4.49.2ἐπὶ τῷ πᾶσαν προσενέγκασθαι φιλονεικίαν
The preposition ἐπί combined with the dative articular infinitive τῷ προσενέγκασθαι expresses the cause of displeasure (δυσηρέστει). The logical subject of the infinitive is the Byzantines, while the accusative πᾶσαν φιλονεικίαν ('all eagerness') is its direct object.
- 4.49.4ἔδοξε
The verb ἔδοξε is used here in a personal construction with the subject αὐτός (Prusias), meaning 'he resolved' or 'he decided'. This personal use should not be confused with the impersonal construction meaning 'it was decided'.