- 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-grc2:5.73.1-5.73.16
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Describes the battle around Pednelissus where Garsyeris's relief forces faced the Selgian besiegers; despite initial difficulties, a successful flank attack by Garsyeris's cavalry turned the tide, leading to a major defeat for the Selgians.
Πεδνηλισσεῦσιν. οἱ δὲ Σελγεῖς κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον, στρατηγὸν ἐξαποστείλαντες μετὰ δυνάμεως, ἤλπισαν καταπληξάμενοι ταῖς τῶν τόπων ἐμπειρίαις1 ἐκβαλεῖν τὸν Φάϋλλον ἐκ τῶν ὀχυρωμάτων.
to the Pednelissians. The Selgians at this time, having dispatched a commander with a force, hoped, by intimidating him through their experience of the terrain, to drive Phayllus out of the strongholds.
οὐ καθικόμενοι δὲ τῆς προθέσεως, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς ἀποβαλόντες τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐν ταῖς προσβολαῖς, ταύτης μὲν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀπέστησαν, τῇ δὲ πολιορκίᾳ καὶ τοῖς ἔργοις οὐχ ἧττον, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἢ πρὸ τοῦ προσεκαρτέρουν.
Failing, however, to achieve their purpose, and having lost many of their soldiers in the attacks, they abandoned this hope, but persisted in the siege and the works no less, but even more than before.
τοῖς δὲ περὶ Γαρσύηριν2 Ἐτεννεῖς μὲν οἱ τῆς Πισιδικῆς τὴν ὑπὲρ Σίδης ὀρεινὴν κατοικοῦντες, ὀκτακισχιλίους ὁπλίτας ἔπεμψαν, Ἀσπένδιοι δὲ τοὺς ἡμίσεις·
To Garsyeris and his men, the Etenneans, who inhabit the mountainous region of Pisidia above Side, sent eight thousand hoplites, and the Aspendians sent half that number;
Σιδῆται δὲ τὰ μὲν στοχαζόμενοι τῆς πρὸς Ἀντίοχον εὐνοίας, τὸ δὲ πλεῖον διὰ τὸ πρὸς Ἀσπενδίους μῖσος, οὐ μετέσχον τῆς βοηθείας.
but the Sidetans, partly because they calculated on the goodwill of Antiochus, but even more because of their hatred towards the Aspendians, took no part in the assistance.
ὁ δὲ Γαρσύηρις ἀναλαβὼν τάς τε τῶν βεβοηθηκότων καὶ τὰς ἰδίας δυνάμεις ἧκε πρὸς τὴν Πεδνηλισσόν, πεπεισμένος ἐξ ἐφόδου λύσειν τὴν πολιορκίαν· οὐ καταπληττομένων δὲ τῶν Σελγέων, λαβὼν σύμμετρον ἀπόστημα κατεστρατοπέδευσε.
Garsyeris, taking both the forces of those who had come to assist and his own, arrived at Pednelissus, confident that he would raise the siege by an immediate assault; but as the Selgians were not intimidated, he encamped, keeping a moderate distance.
τῶν δὲ Πεδνηλισσέων πιεζομένων ὑπὸ τῆς ἐνδείας, ὁ Γαρσύηρις σπεύδων ποιεῖν τὰ δυνατά, δισχιλίους ἑτοιμάσας ἄνδρας καὶ δοὺς ἑκάστῳ μέδιμνον πυρῶν, νυκτὸς εἰς τὴν Πεδνηλισσὸν εἰσέπεμπε.3
As the Pednelissians were hard pressed by want, Garsyeris, eager to do what was possible, prepared two thousand men and gave each a medimnus of wheat, and tried to send them into Pednelissus by night.
τῶν δὲ Σελγέων συνέντων τὸ γινόμενον καὶ παραβοηθησάντων, συνέβη τῶν μὲν ἀνδρῶν τῶν εἰσφερόντων κατακοπῆναι τοὺς πλείστους, τοῦ δὲ σίτου παντὸς κυριεῦσαι τοὺς Σελγεῖς.
But the Selgians, perceiving what was happening and running to the rescue, it happened that most of the men carrying in the provisions were cut to pieces, and the Selgians became masters of all the corn.
οἷς ἐπαρθέντες ἐνεχείρησαν οὐ μόνον τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Γαρσύηριν πολιορκεῖν· ἔχουσι γὰρ δή τι τολμηρὸν ἀεὶ καὶ παράβολον ἐν τοῖς πολεμίοις οἱ Σελγεῖς.
Elated by this, they attempted to besiege not only the city but also Garsyeris and his men; for indeed the Selgians always have something daring and venturesome in war.
διʼ ἃ καὶ τότε καταλιπόντες φυλακὴν τὴν ἀναγκαίαν τοῦ χάρακος, τοῖς λοιποῖς περιστάντες κατὰ πλείους τόπους ἅμα προσέβαλον εὐθαρσῶς τῇ τῶν ὑπεναντίων παρεμβολῇ.
Therefore, on this occasion also, leaving only the necessary guard for their own camp, they surrounded the enemy with the rest of their forces and bravely attacked their encampment in several places at once.
πανταχόθεν δὲ τοῦ κινδύνου παραδόξως περιεστῶτος, κατὰ δέ τινας τόπους καὶ τοῦ χάρακος ἤδη διασπωμένου, θεωρῶν ὁ Γαρσύηρις τὸ συμβαῖνον καὶ μοχθηρὰς ἐλπίδας ἔχων ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων, ἐξέπεμψε τοὺς ἱππεῖς κατά τινα τόπον ἀφυλακτούμενον·
As the danger unexpectedly surrounded them on all sides, and in some places the stockade was already being broken through, Garsyeris, seeing what was happening and having poor hopes for the whole situation, sent out his cavalry at a place that was unguarded.
οὓς νομίσαντες οἱ Σελγεῖς καταπεπληγμένους καὶ δεδιότας τὸ μέλλον ἀποχωρήσειν οὐ προσέσχον, ἀλλʼ ἁπλῶς ὠλιγώρησαν.
The Selgians, thinking that they were panic-stricken and retreating out of fear of what was to come, paid no attention to them, but utterly disregarded them.
οἱ δὲ περιιππεύσαντες καὶ γενόμενοι κατὰ νώτου τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐνέβαλον, καὶ προσέφερον τὰς χεῖρας ἐρρωμένως.
But they, riding round and getting to the rear of the enemy, fell upon them and attacked them vigorously.
οὗ συμβαίνοντος ἀναθαρρήσαντες οἱ τοῦ Γαρσυήριδος πεζοί, καίπερ ἤδη τετραμμένοι, πάλιν ἐκ μεταβολῆς ἠμύνοντο τοὺς εἰσπίπτοντας·
When this happened, Garsyeris’s infantry, taking heart again, although already turned to flight, faced about and resisted those who were breaking in.
ἐξ οὗ περιεχόμενοι πανταχόθεν οἱ Σελγεῖς τέλος εἰς φυγὴν ὥρμησαν.
Consequently, the Selgians, being surrounded on all sides, finally turned to flight.
ἅμα δὲ τούτοις οἱ Πεδνηλισσεῖς ἐπιθέμενοι τοὺς ἐν τῷ χάρακι καταλειφθέντας ἐξέβαλον.
At the same time, the Pednelissians attacked and drove out those who had been left in the camp.
γενομένης δὲ τῆς φυγῆς ἐπὶ πολὺν τόπον, ἔπεσον μὲν οὐκ ἐλάττους μυρίων, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οἱ μὲν σύμμαχοι πάντες εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν, οἱ δὲ Σελγεῖς διὰ τῆς ὀρεινῆς εἰς τὴν αὑτῶν πατρίδα κατέφυγον.
As the flight extended over a large area, no fewer than ten thousand fell; and of the rest, the allies all fled to their own countries, and the Selgians through the mountainous region to their own homeland.
- 5.73.1ταῖς τῶν τόπων ἐμπειρίαις
The genitive τῶν τόπων is an objective genitive dependent on the noun ἐμπειρίαις ("experience/knowledge of the terrain"). In this context, it refers to the Selgians' own familiarity with the rugged local terrain, which they used to intimidate their enemy.
- 5.73.3τοῖς δὲ περὶ Γαρσύηριν
An idiomatic construction of the preposition περί + accusative of a proper name, meaning "Garsyeris and his associates/forces". It is in the dative case, serving as the indirect object of the main verb ἔπεμψαν.
- 5.73.6εἰσέπεμπε
Imperfect indicative of εἰσπέμπω. Here, it functions as a conative imperfect ("tried to send in" or "attempted to introduce"), rather than expressing a completed action. This interpretation is confirmed by §5.73.7, where the attempt was intercepted and failed.