- 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-grc2:4.56.1-4.56.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Upon Mithridates' declaration of war against Sinope, the Sinopeans request aid from Rhodes and prepare their armaments. The narrative describes the unique peninsular geography of Sinope and their defensive measures to prepare for the anticipated siege.
τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν Κρήτην ἐν τούτοις ἦν· περὶ δὲ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους καὶ Μιθριδάτης ἐξήνεγκε Σινωπεῦσι πόλεμον, καί τις οἷον ἀρχὴ τότε καὶ πρόφασις ἐγένετο τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ τέλος ἀχθείσης ἀτυχίας Σινωπεῦσιν.
Such, then, was the state of affairs in Crete. About this same time, Mithridates also declared war against the Sinopeans, and a certain beginning and pretext, as it were, was then created for the misfortune that was ultimately brought upon the Sinopeans.
εἰς δὲ τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον πρεσβευσάντων αὐτῶν1 πρὸς Ῥοδίους καὶ παρακαλούντων βοηθεῖν, ἔδοξε τοῖς Ῥοδίοις προχειρίσασθαι τρεῖς ἄνδρας, καὶ δοῦναι τούτοις δραχμῶν δεκατέτταρας μυριάδας, τοὺς δὲ λαβόντας παρασκευάσαι2 τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐπιτήδεια τοῖς Σινωπεῦσιν.
When they sent ambassadors to the Rhodians for this war and entreated them for help, the Rhodians decided to appoint three men, to give them a hundred and forty thousand drachmae, and that these men, having received the money, should prepare the supplies necessary for the need of the Sinopeans.
οἱ δὲ κατασταθέντες ἡτοίμασαν οἴνου κεράμια μύρια, τριχὸς εἰργασμένης τάλαντα τριακόσια, νεύρων εἰργασμένων ἑκατὸν τάλαντα, πανοπλίας χιλίας, χρυσοῦς ἐπισήμους τρισχιλίους, ἔτι δὲ λιθοφόρους τέτταρας καὶ τοὺς ἀφέτας τούτοις.
Those who were appointed prepared ten thousand jars of wine, three hundred talents of prepared hair, one hundred talents of prepared sinews, one thousand suits of armor, three thousand coined gold pieces, and furthermore, four stone-throwing engines along with their operators.
ἃ καὶ λαβόντες οἱ τῶν Σινωπέων πρέσβεις ἐπανῆλθον. ἦσαν γὰρ οἱ Σινωπεῖς ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ μὴ πολιορκεῖν σφᾶς ὁ Μιθριδάτης ἐγχειρήσῃ καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν· διὸ καὶ τὰς παρασκευὰς πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἐποιοῦντο πάσας.
Having received these, the ambassadors of the Sinopeans returned home. For the Sinopeans were in great anxiety lest Mithridates should attempt to besiege them both by land and by sea; wherefore they made all their preparations to meet this danger.
ἡ δὲ Σινώπη κεῖται μὲν ἐν τοῖς δεξιοῖς μέρεσι τοῦ Πόντου παρὰ τὸν εἰς Φᾶσιν πλοῦν, οἰκεῖται δʼ ἐπί τινος χερρονήσου προτεινούσης εἰς τὸ πέλαγος, ἧς τὸν μὲν αὐχένα τὸν συνάπτοντα πρὸς τὴν Ἀσίαν, ὅς ἐστιν οὐ πλεῖον δυεῖν σταδίων, ἡ πόλις ἐπικειμένη διακλείει κυρίως·
Sinope lies on the right-hand side of the Pontus along the voyage to Phasis, and is situated upon a peninsula projecting into the open sea, the neck of which, connecting it to Asia and being not more than two stades in width, is completely blocked off by the city lying upon it.
τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν τῆς χερρονήσου πρόκειται μὲν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος, ἔστι δʼ ἐπίπεδον καὶ πανευέφοδον ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν, κύκλῳ δʼ ἐκ θαλάττης ἀπότομον καὶ δυσπροσόρμιστον καὶ παντελῶς ὀλίγας ἔχον προσβάσεις.
The rest of the peninsula projects into the sea and is flat and very easy to traverse towards the city, but on the seaward side it is steep all around, difficult to anchor at, and has altogether very few approaches.
διόπερ ἀγωνιῶντες οἱ Σινωπεῖς μήποτε κατὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀσίας πλευρὰν ὁ Μιθριδάτης συστησάμενος ἔργα, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀπέναντι ταύτης ὁμοίως ποιησάμενος ἀπόβασιν κατὰ θάλατταν εἰς τοὺς ὁμαλοὺς καὶ τοὺς ὑπερκειμένους τῆς πόλεως τόπους, ἐγχειρήσῃ πολιορκεῖν αὐτούς, ἐπεβάλοντο3 τῆς χερρονήσου κύκλῳ τὸ νησίζον4 ὀχυροῦν, ἀποσταυροῦντες καὶ περιχαρακοῦντες τὰς ἐκ θαλάττης προσβάσεις, ἅμα δὲ καὶ βέλη καὶ στρατιώτας τιθέντες ἐπὶ τοὺς εὐκαίρους τῶν τόπων·
Therefore, the Sinopeans, being anxious lest Mithridates, having constructed siege-works on the side towards Asia, and likewise having made a landing by sea on the side opposite to this upon the flat ground and the heights overlooking the city, should attempt to besiege them, undertook to fortify the peninsular part of the peninsula all around, blocking the approaches from the sea with palisades and stockades, while at the same time placing missiles and soldiers at the advantageous points;
ἔστι γὰρ τὸ πᾶν μέγεθος αὐτῆς οὐ πολύ, τελέως δʼ εὐκατακράτητον καὶ μέτριον.
for its entire extent is not large, but altogether manageable and of moderate size.
- 4.56.2πρεσβευσάντων αὐτῶν
Genitive absolute. The pronoun αὐτῶν refers back to the dative plural Σινωπεῦσιν in the preceding section §4.56.1.
- 4.56.2τοὺς δὲ λαβόντας παρασκευάσαι
An accusative and infinitive construction governed by the impersonal verb ἔδοξε. The accusative subject τοὺς δέ refers back to the preceding dative pronoun τούτοις, which agrees with the participle λαβόντας and acts as the subject of the infinitive παρασκευάσαι.
- 4.56.7διόπερ ἀγωνιῶντες... ἐπεβάλοντο...
This marks the structure of a very long main clause. The nominative subject οἱ Σινωπεῖς in the participle phrase in §4.56.7 goes with the main verb ἐπεβάλοντο in §4.56.8. In between, a subordinate clause of fearing introduced by μήποτε... ἐγχειρήσῃ is inserted, along with multiple circumstantial participles.
- 4.56.8τὸ νησίζον
The substantive neuter singular accusative of the present participle of νησίζω, meaning 'the island-like part'. It refers to the main body of the peninsula beyond the neck (αὐχήν), which projects into the sea and practically resembles an island.