- 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-grc2:8.6.1-8.6.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The defense engines devised by Archimedes, including the "iron hand," lift and capsize the Roman ships, causing devastating damage. The Roman commander Marcellus retreats with self-deprecating humor, marking the failure of the naval siege.
καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κινδυνεύειν ὁλοσχερῶς.1 τινά τε τῶν μηχανημάτων πάλιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐφορμῶντας καὶ προβεβλημένους γέρρα καὶ διὰ τούτων ἠσφαλισμένους πρὸς τὸ μηδὲν πάσχειν ὑπὸ τῶν διὰ τοῦ τείχους φερομένων βελῶν, ἠφίει μὲν καὶ λίθους συμμέτρους πρὸς τὸ φεύγειν ἐκ τῆς πρώρρας τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους,2 ἅμα δὲ καὶ καθίει χεῖρα σιδηρᾶν ἐξ ἁλύσεως δεδεμένην, ᾗ δραξάμενος ὁ τὴν κεραίαν οἰακίζων ὅθεν ἐπιλάβοιτο τῆς πρώρρας,3 κατῆγε τὴν πτέρναν τῆς μηχανῆς ἐντὸς τοῦ τείχους.
and those inside her were placed in extreme danger. Furthermore, some of the engines, conversely, against those who were charging and had advanced with wicker-shields, securing themselves by means of them so as to suffer nothing from the missiles discharged through the wall, let fly stones of sufficient size to force the combatants to flee from the prow; at the same time, he also let down an iron hand bound to a chain, with which the operator of the yard-arm, having gripped the prow wherever he could take hold of it, pulled down the heel of the engine inside the wall.
ὅτε δὲ κουφίζων τὴν πρῶρραν ὀρθὸν ποιήσειε τὸ σκάφος ἐπὶ πρύμναν, τὰς μὲν πτέρνας τῶν ὀργάνων εἰς ἀκίνητον καθῆπτε, τὴν δὲ χεῖρα καὶ τὴν ἅλυσιν ἐκ τῆς μηχανῆς ἐξέρραινε διά τινος σχαστηρίας.
Then, when by lifting the prow he had made the vessel stand upright on its stern, he fastened the heels of the engines so as to remain immovable, and released the hand and the chain from the engine by means of a trigger.
οὗ γινομένου τινὰ μὲν τῶν πλοίων πλάγια κατέπιπτε, τινὰ δὲ καὶ κατεστρέφετο, τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα τῆς πρώρρας ἀφʼ ὕψους ῥιφθείσης βαπτιζόμενα πλήρη θαλάττης ἐγίνετο καὶ ταραχῆς.
When this took place, some of the ships fell on their sides, some were even capsized, and the majority, when the prow was plunged down from a height, were submerged and filled with seawater and confusion.
Μάρκος δὲ δυσχρηστούμενος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀπαντωμένοις ὑπʼ Ἀρχιμήδους, καὶ θεωρῶν μετὰ βλάβης καὶ χλευασμοῦ τοὺς ἔνδον ἀποτριβομένους αὑτοῦ τὰς ἐπιβολάς, δυσχερῶς μὲν ἔφερε τὸ συμβαῖνον, ὅμως δʼ ἐπισκώπτων τὰς αὑτοῦ πράξεις ἔφη ταῖς μὲν ναυσὶν αὐτοῦ κυαθίζειν ἐκ θαλάττης Ἀρχιμήδη,4 τὰς δὲ σαμβύκας ῥαπιζομένας ὥσπερ ἐκσπόνδους μετʼ αἰσχύνης ἐκπεπτωκέναι.
Marcus, being greatly distressed by these obstacles encountered from Archimedes, and seeing with damage and mockery those inside the city baffling his attempts, took what was happening hard, yet joking at his own actions, he said that Archimedes was using his ships to ladle seawater, and that his sambucae, being beaten like uninvited guests at a banquet, had been driven off in disgrace.
καὶ τῆς μὲν κατὰ θάλατταν πολιορκίας τοιοῦτον ἀπέβη τὸ τέλος.
And such was the end of the siege by sea.
- 8.6.1καὶ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ κινδυνεύειν ὁλοσχερῶς.
A continuation of the accusative with infinitive construction dependent on the impersonal verb συνέβαινε ("it resulted that...") from the preceding section (§8.5.11), where τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ("those inside her") functions as the subject accusative of the infinitive κινδυνεύειν.
- 8.6.1πρὸς τὸ φεύγειν ἐκ τῆς πρώρρας τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους
The preposition πρός combined with the articular infinitive τὸ φεύγειν expresses purpose ("in order to make them flee"). The accusative τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους ("the combatants") serves as the subject of the infinitive.
- 8.6.2ᾗ δραξάμενος ὁ τὴν κεραίαν οἰακίζων ὅθεν ἐπιλάβοιτο τῆς πρώρρας
The relative pronoun ᾗ (dative feminine singular) depends on the participle δραξάμενος ("having gripped"), indicating means. The optative ἐπιλάβοιτο (governing the genitive τῆς πρώρρας) in the ὅθεν clause expresses a past iterative or potential action ("wherever he might take hold").
- 8.6.6ταῖς μὲν ναυσὶν αὐτοῦ κυαθίζειν ἐκ θαλάττης Ἀρχιμήδη
An accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse introduced by the main verb ἔφη ("he said"). The accusative Ἀρχιμήδη acts as the subject, and κυαθίζειν ("to ladle") is the infinitive.