Conclusion of Peace and Interweaving of Mediterranean Affairs — Polybius, The Histories Book 5 (5.105.1–5.105.10), Greek & English

§5.105.1

ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀγέλαος τοιαῦτα διαλεχθεὶς πάντας μὲν παρώρμησε τοὺς συμμάχους πρὸς τὰς διαλύσεις, μάλιστα δὲ τὸν Φίλιππον, οἰκείοις¹ χρησάμενος λόγοις πρὸς τὴν ὁρμὴν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἤδη προκατεσκευασμένην ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ Δημητρίου παραινέσεων.

Agelaus, by speaking in this manner, urged all the allies towards peace, and especially Philip, using arguments well suited to the impulse that had already been prepared in him by the advice of Demetrius.

§5.105.2

διόπερ ἀνθομολογησάμενοι πρὸς σφᾶς ὑπὲρ τῶν κατὰ μέρος, καὶ κυρώσαντες τὰς διαλύσεις, ἐχωρίσθησαν, κατάγοντες εἰς τὰς οἰκείας ἕκαστοι πατρίδας εἰρήνην ἀντὶ πολέμου.

Therefore, having come to an agreement among themselves on the details and ratified the peace, they departed, each carrying back to their respective countries peace instead of war.

§5.105.3

ταῦτα δὲ πάντα συνέβη γενέσθαι κατὰ τὸν τρίτον ἐνιαυτὸν τῆς ἑκατοστῆς καὶ τετταρακοστῆς ὀλυμπιάδος, λέγω δὲ τὴν τῶν Ῥωμαίων περὶ Τυρρηνίαν μάχην καὶ τὴν Ἀντιόχου περὶ Κοίλην Συρίαν, ἔτι δὲ τὰς Ἀχαιῶν καὶ Φιλίππου πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς διαλύσεις. τὰς μὲν οὖν Ἑλληνικὰς² καὶ τὰς Ἰταλικάς, ἔτι δὲ τὰς Λιβυκὰς πράξεις, οὗτος ὁ καιρὸς καὶ τοῦτο τὸ διαβούλιον συνέπλεξε πρῶτον·

All these things happened to take place in the third year of the hundred and fortieth Olympiad; I mean the battle of the Romans in Tyrrhenia, that of Antiochus in Coele-Syria, and also the peace of the Achaeans and Philip with the Aetolians. Thus, the affairs of Greece, Italy, and also those of Libya, were first interwoven by this crisis and this conference.

§5.105.5

οὐ γὰρ ἔτι Φίλιππος οὐδʼ οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων προεστῶτες ἄρχοντες πρὸς τὰς κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα πράξεις ποιούμενοι τὰς ἀναφορὰς³ οὔτε τοὺς πολέμους οὔτε τὰς διαλύσεις ἐποιοῦντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἀλλʼ ἤδη πάντες πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ σκοποὺς ἀπέβλεπον.

For no longer did Philip or the leading rulers of the Greeks make war or peace with one another by referring to the affairs in Greece, but all already turned their eyes to what was going on in Italy.

§5.105.6

ταχέως δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς νησιώτας καὶ τοὺς τὴν Ἀσίαν κατοικοῦντας τὸ παραπλήσιον συνέβη γενέσθαι·

And quickly the same thing came to pass also for the islanders and those who inhabited Asia.

§5.105.7

καὶ γὰρ οἱ Φιλίππῳ δυσαρεστούμενοι καί τινες τῶν Ἀττάλῳ διαφερομένων οὐκέτι πρὸς Ἀντίοχον καὶ Πτολεμαῖον οὐδὲ πρὸς μεσημβρίαν καὶ τὰς ἀνατολὰς ἔνευον, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὴν ἑσπέραν ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν καιρῶν ἔβλεπον, καὶ τινὲς μὲν πρὸς Καρχηδονίους, οἱ δὲ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπρέσβευον, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι⁴ πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας, δεδιότες τὴν τοῦ Φιλίππου τόλμαν καὶ προορώμενοι μὴ συνεπίθηται τοῖς τότε περιεστῶσιν αὐτοὺς καιροῖς.

For those who were displeased with Philip and some of those who had differences with Attalus no longer turned towards Antiochus and Ptolemy, nor towards the south and the east, but from this time on looked towards the west, and some sent embassies to the Carthaginians, others to the Romans; likewise also the Romans turned their attention towards the Greeks, fearing the boldness of Philip and anticipating lest he should attack them during the crises then surrounding them.

§5.105.9

ἡμεῖς δʼ ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπόσχεσιν σαφῶς, οἶμαι, δεδείχαμεν πότε καὶ πῶς καὶ διʼ ἃς αἰτίας αἱ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα πράξεις συνεπλάκησαν ταῖς Ἰταλικαῖς καὶ Λιβυκαῖς, λοιπὸν κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς ποιησάμενοι τὴν διήγησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ἕως εἰς τοὺς καιρούς, ἐν οἷς Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν περὶ Κάνναν μάχην ἡττήθησαν, ἐφʼ ἣν⁵ τῶν Ἰταλικῶν πράξεων τὴν καταστροφὴν ἐποιησάμεθα, καὶ ταύτην τὴν βύβλον ἀφοριοῦμεν, ἐξισώσαντες τοῖς προειρημένοις καιροῖς.

But since I have, in accordance with my original promise, clearly shown, I think, when, how, and for what reasons the affairs of Greece became interwoven with those of Italy and Libya, it remains for me to carry on the narrative of Greek history continuously down to the period in which the Romans were defeated at the battle of Cannae—at which point we made the conclusion of the Italian affairs—and to bring this book to an end, having made it coincide with the aforementioned period.

Syntax notes5 items

5.105.1οἰκείοις
The adjective οἰκεῖος, meaning "one's own" or "proper/suitable," is used here to indicate that Agelaus's speech was highly appropriate to Philip's current state of mind and aligned with his political ambitions.
5.105.3τὰς μὲν οὖν Ἑλληνικὰς
The phrase τὰς μὲν οὖν Ἑλληνικὰς καὶ τὰς Ἰταλικάς at the end of §5.105.3 coordinates with ἔτι δὲ τὰς Λιβυκὰς πράξεις in §5.105.4 as the direct object of the verb συνέπλεξε (whose subjects are οὗτος ὁ καιρὸς καὶ τοῦτο τὸ διαβούλιον). Although split by the section markers, they grammatically form a single sentence.
5.105.5ποιούμενοι τὰς ἀναφορὰς
The phrase ποιέομαι τὴν ἀναφοράν πρὸς... is an idiomatic expression meaning "to refer to" or "to make something the basis/standard of judgment." The middle participle ποιούμενοι coordinates with the main verb ἐποιοῦντο.
5.105.8ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι
The main verb is omitted in this clause. Following the verbs in the previous section (§5.105.7, namely ἔβλεπον and ἐπρέσβευον), we must supply a verb of directing attention or sending embassies to the Greeks.
5.105.10ἐφʼ ἣν
The relative pronoun ἥν refers back to the antecedent τοὺς καιρούς. In the relative clause, Ἰταλικῶν πράξεων is a genitive depending on τὴν καταστροφὴν (conclusion/end), functioning as an objective genitive ("the conclusion of Italian affairs").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.105.1-5.105.10