- 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-grc2:8.21.1-8.21.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Achaeus is brutally executed, throwing his wife Laodice and the people in the citadel into deep grief and confusion. Following internal division, they surrender the citadel to Antiochus, leaving Achaeus's fate as a historical lesson.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ἅμα τῷ φωτὶ συναθροιζομένων τῶν φίλων εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμόν, καὶ τοῦ πράγματος ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν θεωρουμένου, τὸ παραπλήσιον τῷ βασιλεῖ συνέβαινε πάσχειν καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους· θαυμάζοντες γὰρ τὸ γεγονὸς ἠπίστουν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις.
Nevertheless, as soon as it was daylight, when his friends assembled at the tent according to custom and the event was seen before their eyes, a similar thing happened to the others as well; for wondering at what had occurred, they could not believe their eyes.
καθίσαντος δὲ τοῦ συνεδρίου, πολλοὶ μὲν ἐγίνοντο λόγοι περὶ τοῦ τίσι δεῖ κατʼ αὐτοῦ χρήσασθαι τιμωρίαις·
When the council sat, many speeches were made as to what punishments they ought to inflict upon him.
ἔδοξε δʼ οὖν πρῶτον μὲν ἀκρωτηριάσαι τὸν ταλαίπωρον, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμόντας αὐτοῦ καὶ καταρράψαντας εἰς ὄνειον ἀσκὸν ἀνασταυρῶσαι τὸ σῶμα.
It was therefore decided first to mutilate the wretched man, and after that, having cut off his head and sewn it up in an ass’s skin, to crucify his body.
γενομένων δὲ τούτων, καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπιγνούσης τὸ συμβεβηκός, τοιοῦτος ἐνθουσιασμὸς ἐγένετο καὶ παράστασις τοῦ στρατοπέδου παντὸς ὥστε τὴν Λαοδίκην ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας μόνον συνειδυῖαν τὴν ἔξοδον τἀνδρός, τεκμήρασθαι1 τὸ γεγονὸς ἐκ τῆς περὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ταραχῆς καὶ κινήσεως.
When this was done and the army became aware of what had happened, there was such excitement and consternation throughout the whole camp that Laodice, who inside the citadel was only aware of her husband’s departure, guessed what had happened from the tumult and movement in the camp.
ταχὺ δὲ καὶ τοῦ κήρυκος παραγενομένου πρὸς τὴν Λαοδίκην καὶ διασαφοῦντος τὰ περὶ τὸν Ἀχαιόν, καὶ κελεύοντος τίθεσθαι τὰ πράγματα καὶ παραχωρεῖν τῆς ἄκρας, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀναπόκριτος οἰμωγὴ καὶ θρῆνοι παράλογοι κατεῖχον τοὺς περὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν, οὐχ οὕτως διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀχαιὸν εὔνοιαν ὡς διὰ τὸ παράδοξον καὶ τελέως ἀνέλπιστον ἑκάστῳ φαίνεσθαι τὸ συμβεβηκός,2 μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πολλή τις ἦν ἀπορία καὶ δυσχρηστία περὶ τοὺς ἔνδον.
Soon a herald also came to Laodice, explaining the circumstances regarding Achaeus and ordering her to settle her affairs and surrender the citadel. At first, a wailing that brooked no answer and frantic lamentation overcame those in the citadel, not so much because of their goodwill toward Achaeus as because the event appeared to each of them so unexpected and utterly hopeless. But after this there was great perplexity and division among those within.
Ἀντίοχος δὲ διακεχειρισμένος τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἐπεῖχε τοῖς κατὰ τὴν ἄκραν ἀεί, πεπεισμένος ἀφορμὴν ἐκ τῶν ἔνδον αὑτῷ παραδοθήσεσθαι, καὶ μάλιστα διὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν.
Antiochus, having disposed of Achaeus, kept a constant watch on those in the citadel, convinced that an opportunity would be handed to him from within, and especially through the soldiers.
ὃ καὶ τέλος ἐγένετο· στασιάσαντες γὰρ πρὸς σφᾶς ἐμερίσθησαν, οἱ μὲν πρὸς Ἀρίβαζον, οἱ δὲ πρὸς τὴν Λαοδίκην. οὗ γενομένου διαπιστήσαντες ἀλλήλοις ταχέως ἀμφότεροι παρέδοσαν αὑτοὺς καὶ τὰς ἀκροπόλεις. Ἀχαιὸς μὲν οὖν πάντα τὰ κατὰ λόγον πράξας, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς τῶν πιστευθέντων ἡττηθεὶς ἀθεσίας, κατεστρέψατο τὸν βίον, κατὰ δύο τρόπους οὐκ ἀνωφελὲς ὑπόδειγμα γενόμενος τοῖς ἐπεσομένοις, καθʼ ἕνα μὲν πρὸς τὸ μηδενὶ πιστεύειν ῥᾳδίως, καθʼ ἕτερον δὲ πρὸς τὸ μὴ μεγαλαυχεῖν ἐν ταῖς εὐπραγίαις, πᾶν δὲ προσδοκᾶν ἀνθρώπους ὄντας.
And this is what finally happened; for they mutinied and split into factions, some taking the side of Aribazus and others that of Laodice. When this occurred, distrusting each other, both quickly surrendered themselves and the citadels. Thus Achaeus, though he had done everything that reason required, but defeated by the treachery of those whom he trusted, ended his life, leaving to posterity a lesson useful in two ways: one, never to trust anyone easily, and the other, not to be boastful in prosperity, but as we are men, to expect anything.
- 8.21.4ὥστε τὴν Λαοδίκην ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας μόνον συνειδυῖαν τὴν ἔξοδον τἀνδρός, τεκμήρασθαι
An infinitive clause introduced by ὥστε (clause of result). The accusative τὴν Λαοδίκην is the subject of the infinitive τεκμήρασθαι (to guess), and the perfect participle συνειδυῖαν (knowing), which is inserted between them, agrees with it in the feminine accusative singular. The object of this participle is τὴν ἔξοδον τἀνδρός (the departure of her husband).
- 8.21.6διὰ τὸ παράδοξον καὶ τελέως ἀνέλπιστον ἑκάστῳ φαίνεσθαι τὸ συμβεβηκός
The articular infinitive τὸ ... φαίνεσθαι (to appear) functions as the object of the preposition διά. The subject of this infinitive is the substantivized participle τὸ συμβεβηκός (the event) in the accusative at the end of the phrase. The adjectives παράδοξον καὶ τελέως ἀνέλπιστον (unexpected and utterly hopeless) function as predicate adjectives agreeing with the subject of the infinitive in the accusative.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-10-09)
- 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1