- 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-grc2:4.53.1-4.53.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Immediately after the end of the Byzantine war, the Rhodians send ships at the request of the Cnossians, triggering a conflict with Eleutherna. Meanwhile, a major civil war erupts in Crete between the Cnossian-Gortynian alliance and other cities led by Lyttus.
τὸ τέλος· κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον Κνώσιοι πρεσβεύσαντες πρὸς Ῥοδίους ἔπεισαν τάς τε μετὰ Πολεμοκλέους ναῦς καὶ τρία τῶν ἀφράκτων προσκατασπάσαντας1 αὑτοῖς ἀποστεῖλαι.
termination. At this same time the Cnossians sent an embassy to the Rhodians and persuaded them to send to them the ships that were with Polemocles, and in addition to launch and dispatch three undecked vessels.
γενομένου δὲ τούτου, καὶ τῶν πλοίων ἀφικομένων εἰς τὴν Κρήτην, καὶ σχόντων2 ὑποψίαν τῶν Ἐλευθερναίων ὅτι τὸν πολίτην αὑτῶν Τίμαρχον οἱ περὶ τὸν Πολεμοκλῆ3 χαριζόμενοι τοῖς Κνωσίοις ἀνῃρήκασι, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ῥύσια κατήγγειλαν τοῖς Ῥοδίοις, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πόλεμον ἐξήνεγκαν.
When this was done and the ships arrived in Crete, the Eleuthernaeans, suspecting that Polemocles and his men, to gratify the Cnossians, had put to death their citizen Timarchus, first declared a right of reprisal against the Rhodians, and then openly made war upon them.
περιέπεσον δὲ καὶ Λύττιοι βραχὺ πρὸ τούτων τῶν καιρῶν ἀνηκέστῳ συμφορᾷ. καθόλου γὰρ τὰ κατὰ τὴν σύμπασαν Κρήτην ὑπῆρχεν ἐν τοιαύτῃ τινὶ τότε καταστάσει.
The Lyttians also, shortly before this time, had met with an irremediable disaster. For the affairs of Crete as a whole were then in some such condition as follows.
Κνώσιοι συμφρονήσαντες Γορτυνίοις πᾶσαν ἐποιήσαντο τὴν Κρήτην ὑφʼ αὑτοὺς πλὴν τῆς Λυττίων πόλεως· μόνης δὲ ταύτης ἀπειθούσης, ἐπεβάλοντο πολεμεῖν, σπεύδοντες αὐτὴν εἰς τέλος ἀνάστατον ποιῆσαι καὶ παραδείγματος καὶ φόβου χάριν τῶν ἄλλων Κρηταιέων.
The Cnossians, having leagued themselves with the Gortynians, had brought the whole of Crete under their power except the city of Lyttus; and since this city alone refused to submit, they undertook to make war upon it, being eager to destroy it utterly as an example and terror to the rest of the Cretans.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἐπολέμουν πάντες οἱ Κρηταιεῖς τοῖς Λυττίοις· ἐγγενομένης δὲ φιλοτιμίας ἐκ τῶν τυχόντων, ὅπερ ἔθος ἐστὶ Κρησίν, ἐστασίασαν πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους.
At first, then, all the Cretans made war upon the Lyttians; but on some trifling rivalry arising among them, as is the habit of the Cretans, they fell into factions against one another.
καὶ Πολυρρήνιοι μὲν καὶ Κεραῗται καὶ Λαππαῖοι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις Ὅριοι μετʼ Ἀρκάδων, ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἀποστάντες τῆς τῶν Κνωσίων φιλίας, ἔγνωσαν τοῖς Λυττίοις συμμαχεῖν, τῶν δὲ Γορτυνίων οἱ μὲν πρεσβύτεροι τὰ τῶν Κνωσίων, οἱ δὲ νεώτεροι τὰ τῶν Λυττίων αἱρούμενοι, διεστασίασαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
Thus the Polyrrhenians, the Ceraitae, and the Lappaeans, and with them the Horioi along with the Arcadians, with one accord revolting from the friendship of the Cnossians, resolved to ally themselves with the Lyttians; while among the Gortynians, the elders choosing the side of the Cnossians, and the younger men that of the Lyttians, they fell into conflict with one another.
οἱ δὲ Κνώσιοι, παραδόξου γεγονότος αὐτοῖς τοῦ περὶ τοὺς συμμάχους κινήματος, ἐπισπῶνται χιλίους ἐξ Αἰτωλίας ἄνδρας κατὰ συμμαχίαν.
The Cnossians, since this movement among their allies had occurred contrary to their expectation, brought over a thousand men from Aetolia in accordance with their alliance.
οὗ γενομένου παραυτίκα τῶν Γορτυνίων οἱ πρεσβύτεροι καταλαμβανόμενοι τὴν ἄκραν εἰσάγονται τούς τε Κνωσίους καὶ τοὺς Αἰτωλούς· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐξέβαλον, τοὺς δʼ ἀπέκτειναν τῶν
Upon this taking place, the elder Gortynians immediately occupied the citadel and admitted the Cnossians and Aetolians; and they expelled some, and put to death others of the (younger men).
- 4.53.1προσκατασπάσαντας
Accusative participle agreeing with Ῥοδίους, which is the object of the main verb ἔπεισαν and the subject of the infinitive ἀποστεῖλαι. It means 'having launched additionally'.
- 4.53.2σχόντων
Genitive absolute with τῶν Ἐλευθερναίων as its subject. Like the preceding γενομένου δὲ τούτου, καὶ τῶν πλοίων ἀφικομένων, it describes the background circumstances leading to the main action.
- 4.53.2οἱ περὶ τὸν Πολεμοκλῆ
A Greek idiomatic expression meaning 'those around Polemocles', referring here to 'Polemocles and his men' or 'Polemocles and his company'.