Reconciliation of Antiochus III and Xerxes — Polybius, The Histories Book 8 (8.23.1–8.23.5), Greek & English

§8.23.1

ὅτι Ξέρξου βασιλεύοντος πόλεως Ἀρμόσατα, ἣ κεῖται πρὸς τῷ Καλῷ πεδίῳ καλουμένῳ, μέσον Εὐφράτου καὶ Τίγριδος, ταύτῃ τῇ πόλει παραστρατοπεδεύσας Ἀντίοχος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπεβάλετο πολιορκεῖν αὐτήν.

That when Xerxes was ruling over the city of Armosata, which lies near the so-called Beautiful Plain, between the Euphrates and the Tigris, King Antiochus encamped near this city and attempted to besiege it.

§8.23.2

θεωρῶν δὲ τὴν παρασκευὴν τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ Ξέρξης, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον αὑτὸν ἐκποδὼν ἐποίησε, μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον δείσας μὴ τοῦ βασιλείου κρατηθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ τἄλλα τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῷ διατραπῇ,¹ μετεμελήθη καὶ διεπέμψατο πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίοχον, φάσκων βούλεσθαι συνελθεῖν εἰς λόγους.

But Xerxes, seeing the preparations of the king, at first withdrew out of the way; after a while, however, fearing lest, if the palace were captured by the enemy, his other affairs throughout his dominion might also be overturned, he repented and sent a message to Antiochus, saying that he wished to enter into negotiations.

§8.23.3

οἱ μὲν οὖν πιστοὶ τῶν φίλων οὐκ ἔφασκον δεῖν προΐεσθαι τὸν νεανίσκον λαβόντες εἰς χεῖρας, ἀλλὰ συνεβούλευον κυριεύσαντα τῆς πόλεως Μιθριδάτῃ παραδοῦναι τὴν δυναστείαν, ὃς ἦν υἱὸς τῆς ἀδελφῆς αὐτοῦ κατὰ φύσιν.

Now, the trustworthy among his friends said that they should not let the young man go, since they had him in their hands, but advised that, having made himself master of the city, he should hand over the sovereignty to Mithridates, who was the natural son of his sister.

§8.23.4

ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τούτων μὲν οὐδενὶ προσέσχε, μεταπεμψάμενος δὲ τὸν νεανίσκον διελύσατο τὴν ἔχθραν, ἀφῆκε δὲ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν χρημάτων, ἃ συνέβαινε τὸν πατέρα προσοφείλειν αὐτῷ τῶν φόρων.²

But the king paid no attention to any of these counsels, and having summoned the young man, he settled their enmity and remitted most of the money which his father happened to owe him from the tributes.

§8.23.5

λαβὼν δὲ παραχρῆμα τριακόσια τάλαντα παρʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ χιλίους ἵππους καὶ χιλίους ἡμιόνους μετὰ τῆς ἐπισκευῆς τά τε κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἅπαντʼ ἀποκατέστησε, καὶ συνοικίσας αὐτῷ τὴν ἀδελφὴν Ἀντιοχίδα πάντας τοὺς ἐκείνων τῶν τόπων ἐψυχαγώγησε καὶ προσεκαλέσατο, δόξας μεγαλοψύχως καὶ βασιλικῶς τοῖς πράγμασι κεχρῆσθαι.

And having immediately received from him three hundred talents, one thousand horses, and one thousand mules with their equipment, he restored all his dominions to him, and by giving him his sister Antiochis in marriage, he won the hearts of and conciliated all the inhabitants of those regions, being thought to have treated the matter magnanimously and kingly.

Syntax notes2 items

8.23.2μὴ τοῦ βασιλείου κρατηθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ τἄλλα τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῷ διατραπῇ
A structure where the genitive absolute clause τοῦ βασιλείου κρατηθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν is embedded within the clause of fearing introduced by the conjunction μὴ with the subjunctive διατραπῇ. The conjunction καὶ logically connects the event of the capture of the palace with the overturning of the rest of his affairs.
8.23.4ἃ συνέβαινε τὸν πατέρα προσοφείλειν αὐτῷ τῶν φόρων
The impersonal verb συνέβαινε takes the accusative and infinitive clause τὸν πατέρα προσοφείλειν as its subject. The relative pronoun ἃ (with the antecedent τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν χρημάτων) serves as the direct object of the infinitive προσοφείλειν, and the genitive τῶν φόρων functions as a partitive genitive qualifying ἃ or depending on προσοφείλειν.

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

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.23.1-8.23.5