- 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-grc2:5.53.1-5.53.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Antiochus III deploys his forces for battle, positioning the cavalry on the wings, the phalanx in the center, elephants in the front, and reserves on the flanks. Molo, despite the night's confusion, prepares his own battle array with cavalry, infantry, and scythed chariots.
γεγενημένην ἐν αὐτοῖς ταραχήν·1 ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἕτοιμος ὢν πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον ἅμα τῷ φωτὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἐκίνει πᾶσαν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος.
...the confusion that had arisen among them. As for the king, being ready for the conflict, he moved his entire force out of the camp at daybreak.
ἐπὶ μὲν οὖν τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρως ἔταξε πρώτους τοὺς ξυστοφόρους ἱππεῖς, ἐπιστήσας Ἄρδυν, κεκριμένον ἄνδρα περὶ τὰς πολεμικὰς πράξεις·
On the right wing, then, he stationed first the lance-bearing cavalry, putting Ardys in command, a man well-tried in military affairs.
τούτοις δὲ παρέθηκε τοὺς συμμαχικοὺς Κρῆτας, ὧν εἴχοντο2 Γαλάται Ῥιγόσαγες· παρὰ δὲ τούτους ἔθηκε τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ξένους καὶ μισθοφόρους, οἷς ἑπόμενον παρενέβαλε τὸ τῆς φάλαγγος σύστημα.
Next to these he placed the allied Cretans, who were followed by the Rigosages Galatians; and beside these he stationed the foreign mercenaries from Greece, following whom he drew up the body of the phalanx.
τὸ δʼ εὐώνυμον κέρας ἀπέδωκε τοῖς Ἑταίροις προσαγορευομένοις, οὖσιν ἱππεῦσι. τὰ δὲ θηρία πρὸ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐν διαστήμασι κατέστησε, δέκα τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντα.
The left wing he assigned to the cavalry called the Companions. He stationed the beasts, ten in number, at intervals in front of the army.
τὰ δʼ ἐπιτάγματα3 τῶν πεζῶν καὶ τῶν ἱππέων ἐπὶ τὰ κέρατα μερίσας κυκλοῦν παρήγγειλε τοὺς πολεμίους, ἐπειδὰν συμβάλωσι.
Having distributed the reserves of infantry and cavalry upon the wings, he ordered them to encircle the enemy once they engaged.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παρεκάλει τὰς δυνάμεις ἐπιπορευόμενος διὰ βραχέων τὰ πρέποντα τοῖς καιροῖς. καὶ τὸ μὲν εὐώνυμον κέρας Ἑρμείᾳ καὶ Ζεύξιδι παρέδωκε, τὸ δὲ δεξιὸν αὐτὸς εἶχε. Μόλων δὲ δύσχρηστον μὲν ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἐξαγωγήν, ταραχώδη δὲ καὶ τὴν ἔκταξιν4 διὰ τὴν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ προγεγενημένην ἀλογίαν·
After this, going along the ranks, he encouraged the forces briefly with words suited to the occasion. He delivered the left wing to Hermeias and Zeuxis, and held the right himself. Molo, on his part, made the leading out of his troops a difficult matter, and his deployment was also confused owing to the panic that had occurred during the night;
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἱππεῖς ἐφʼ ἑκάτερον ἐμερίσατο κέρας, στοχαζόμενος τῆς τῶν ὑπεναντίων παρατάξεως, τοὺς δὲ θυρεαφόρους καὶ Γαλάτας καὶ καθόλου τὰ βαρέα τῶν ὅπλων εἰς τὸν μεταξὺ τόπον ἔθηκε τῶν ἱππέων.
nevertheless, he divided his cavalry between both wings, calculating the arrangement of the enemy, and placed the shield-bearers, the Galatians, and in general all the heavy-armed troops in the space between the cavalry.
ἔτι δὲ τοὺς τοξότας καὶ σφενδονήτας καὶ συλλήβδην τὸ τοιοῦτο γένος ἐκτὸς τῶν ἱππέων παρʼ ἑκάτερα παρενέβαλε, τὰ δὲ δρεπανηφόρα τῶν ἁρμάτων προεβάλετο τῆς δυνάμεως ἐν διαστάσει.
Furthermore, he drew up the archers, the slingers, and in short all that class of troops outside the cavalry on both sides, and projected the scythed chariots at intervals in front of his force.
καὶ τὸ μὲν εὐώνυμον κέρας Νεολάῳ παρέδωκε τἀδελφῷ, τὸ δὲ5
He delivered the left wing to his brother Neolaus, and the [right]...
- 5.53.1γεγενημένην ἐν αὐτοῖς ταραχήν
The phrase forms the direct object of the verb κατεπράϋνε ('calmed') at the end of the previous chapter (5.52.14). The perfect participle γεγενημένην modifies ταραχήν across the chapter division.
- 5.53.3ὧν εἴχοντο
The middle-passive verb ἔχομαι with a genitive (ὧν) means 'to cling to', 'to be adjacent to', or 'to follow immediately after'. Here it expresses that the Galatians were positioned next to/immediately behind the Cretans.
- 5.53.5τὰ δʼ ἐπιτάγματα
A military technical term referring to the 'reserve forces' or 'support divisions'. It is in the accusative case, serving as the direct object of the participle μερίσας.
- 5.53.7ταραχώδη δὲ καὶ τὴν ἔκταξιν
This structure is parallel to the preceding clause (δύσχρηστον μὲν ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἐξαγωγήν). The verb ἐποιήσατο is understood here, with τὴν ἔκταξιν as the object and ταραχώδη as the predicate adjective.
- 5.53.11τὸ δὲ
The sentence is interrupted at the end of the chunk, and the description of the corresponding right wing (τὸ δὲ [right wing...]) continues into the next chunk.