- 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-grc2:5.85.1-5.85.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
During the Battle of Raphia, after both armies suffered the collapse of one wing, Ptolemy encouraged his central phalanx to advance, causing the Syrian forces to retreat, while the young Antiochus, occupied with pursuing the enemy, realized his army's defeat too late and retreated to Raphia.
τρόπον πιεζόμενον ἐνέκλινε πᾶν, Ἐχεκράτης δʼ ὁ τὸ δεξιὸν ἔχων κέρας τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐκαραδόκει τὴν τῶν προειρημένων κεράτων σύμπτωσιν, ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸν μὲν κονιορτὸν ἑώρα κατὰ τῶν ἰδίων φερόμενον, τὰ δὲ παρʼ αὑτοῖς θηρία τὸ παράπαν οὐδὲ προσιέναι τολμῶντα1 τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, τῷ μὲν Φοξίδᾳ παρήγγειλε τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἔχοντι μισθοφόρους συμβαλεῖν τοῖς κατὰ πρόσωπον ἀντιτεταγμένοις, αὐτὸς δʼ ἐξαγαγὼν κατὰ κέρας τοὺς ἱππεῖς καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τὰ θηρία τεταγμένους τῆς μὲν ἐφόδου τῶν θηρίων ἐκτὸς ἐγεγόνει,2 τοὺς δὲ τῶν πολεμίων ἱππεῖς, οὓς μὲν ὑπεραίρων, οἷς δὲ κατὰ κέρας ἐμβάλλων, ταχέως ἐτρέψατο.
manner, being hard pressed, gave way in its entirety. Echecrates, who was in command of the right wing, at first waited for the result of the encounter between the aforementioned wings; but when he saw the cloud of dust being driven towards his own men, and that the elephants on his side did not even dare to go near the enemy at all, he ordered Phoxidas, who had the mercenaries from Greece, to charge the enemy drawn up opposite them, while he himself, leading his cavalry and the infantry stationed behind the elephants around the flank, got clear of the attack of the elephants, and, by outflanking some of the enemy’s cavalry and charging others on their flank, quickly put them to flight.
τὸ δὲ παραπλήσιον ὅ τε Φοξίδας καὶ πάντες οἱ περὶ αὐτὸν ἐποίησαν· προσπεσόντες γὰρ τοῖς Ἄραψι καὶ τοῖς Μήδοις ἠνάγκασαν ἀποστραφέντας φεύγειν προτροπάδην.
Phoxidas and all his men did much the same; for falling upon the Arabs and Medes, they forced them to turn and flee headlong.
τὸ μὲν οὖν δεξιὸν τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀντίοχον ἐνίκα, τὸ δʼ εὐώνυμον ἡττᾶτο τὸν προειρημένον τρόπον.
Thus the right wing of Antiochus was victorious, while his left was defeated in the manner described above.
αἱ δὲ φάλαγγες, ἀμφοτέρων τῶν κεράτων αὐταῖς ἐψιλωμένων, ἔμενον ἀκέραιοι κατὰ μέσον τὸ πεδίον, ἀμφηρίστους ἔχουσαι τὰς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐλπίδας.
The phalanxes, stripped of both their wings, remained intact in the middle of the plain, having uncertain hopes for the future.
κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον Ἀντίοχος μὲν ἐνηγωνίζετο τῷ κατὰ τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας προτερήματι, Πτολεμαῖος δὲ τὴν ἀποχώρησιν ὑπὸ τὴν φάλαγγα πεποιημένος,3 τότε προελθὼν εἰς μέσον καὶ φανεὶς ταῖς δυνάμεσι τοὺς μὲν ὑπεναντίους κατεπλήξατο, τοῖς δὲ παρʼ αὑτοῦ μεγάλην ὁρμὴν ἐνειργάσατο καὶ προθυμίαν.
At this juncture, Antiochus was actively pursuing the advantage gained on his right wing; but Ptolemy, having made his retreat behind the phalanx, now came forward into the middle and, appearing before his forces, struck terror into the enemy and inspired great momentum and eagerness in his own men.
διὸ καὶ καταβαλόντες παραχρῆμα τὰς σαρίσας οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀνδρόμαχον καὶ Σωσίβιον ἐπῆγον.
Therefore, those under Andromachus and Sosibius immediately lowered their sarisas and charged.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπίλεκτοι τῶν Συριακῶν βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἀντέστησαν, οἵ τε μετὰ τοῦ Νικάρχου ταχέως ἐγκλίναντες ὑπεχώρουν·
The select men of the Syrian forces indeed resisted for a short time, but those under Nicarchus quickly gave way and retreated;
ὁ δʼ Ἀντίοχος, ὡς ἂν ἄπειρος καὶ νέος, ὑπολαμβάνων ἐκ τοῦ καθʼ ἑαυτὸν μέρους καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ παραπλησίως αὑτῷ πάντα νικᾶν, ἐπέκειτο τοῖς φεύγουσιν.
and Antiochus, being inexperienced and young, and supposing from his own part that all the rest was likewise victorious for him, kept pressing upon the fugitives.
ὀψὲ δέ ποτε τῶν πρεσβυτέρων τινὸς ἐπιστήσαντος αὐτόν, καὶ δείξαντος φερόμενον τὸν κονιορτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς φάλαγγος ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν παρεμβολήν, τότε συννοήσας τὸ γινόμενον ἀνατρέχειν ἐπειρᾶτο μετὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἴλης ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς παρατάξεως τόπον.
But at last, when one of the older officers stopped him and pointed out the dust being driven from the phalanx towards their own camp, then, realizing what was happening, he tried to ride back with the royal squadron to the position of the battle-line.
καταλαβὼν δὲ τοὺς παρʼ αὑτοῦ πάντας πεφευγότας, οὕτως ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἀποχώρησιν εἰς τὴν Ῥαφίαν, τὸ μὲν καθʼ αὑτὸν μέρος πεπεισμένος νικᾶν, διὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ἀγεννίαν καὶ δειλίαν ἐσφάλθαι νομίζων τοῖς ὅλοις.
And finding that all his men had fled, he thus made his retreat to Raphia, convinced that as far as his own part was concerned he was victorious, but believing that he had failed in the whole battle through the baseness and cowardice of the others.
- 5.85.1τὰ δὲ παρʼ αὑτοῖς θηρία τὸ παράπαν οὐδὲ προσιέναι τολμῶντα
The participle τολμῶντα acts as a predicative participle complementing the accusative object (τὰ θηρία) of the verb of perception ἑώρα (third-person singular imperfect of ὁράω). Literally, "he saw the beasts on their side not even daring to go near."
- 5.85.3τῆς μὲν ἐφόδου τῶν θηρίων ἐκτὸς ἐγεγόνει
The word ἐκτός is a prepositional adverb that governs the genitive case (here τῆς ἐφόδου), meaning "outside of" or "clear of." Together it means "having gotten clear of the charge of the elephants."
- 5.85.8τὴν ἀποχώρησιν ὑπὸ τὴν φάλαγγα πεποιημένος
The preposition ὑπό combined with the accusative (τὴν φάλαγγα) literally indicates motion to a position behind or under something. Modifying the perfect participle πεποιημένος (having made), it dynamically describes the state of having completed his retreat behind the phalanx and being stationed there.