- 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-grc2:9.27.1-9.27.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Describes the topography, beauty, strong defenses, and magnificent temples of Akragas, and further reports the removal of the outlaws of Agathyrna in Sicily to Italy by the Roman commander Marcus.
καὶ θαυμαζόντων, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω.1 ἡ δὲ τῶν Ἀκραγαντίνων πόλις οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὰ προειρημένα διαφέρει τῶν πλείστων πόλεων, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ὀχυρότητα, καὶ μάλιστα κατὰ τὸ κάλλος καὶ τὴν κατασκευήν.
And concerning those who are astonished, let our discussion proceed only so far. But the city of the Agrigentines not only differs from most cities in the aforementioned respects, but also in its strength, and most of all in its beauty and construction.
ἔκτισται μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ θαλάττης ἐν ὀκτωκαίδεκα σταδίοις, ὥστε μηδενὸς ἀμοίρους εἶναι τῶν ἐκ ταύτης χρησίμων·
For it is built at a distance of eighteen stades from the sea, so that it is not without a share in any of the advantages derived from it.
ὁ δὲ περίβολος αὐτῆς καὶ φύσει καὶ κατασκευῇ διαφερόντως ἠσφάλισται.
Its perimeter is exceptionally well secured both by nature and by art.
κεῖται γὰρ τὸ τεῖχος ἐπὶ πέτρας ἀκροτόμου καὶ περιρρῶγος, ᾗ μὲν αὐτοφυοῦς, ᾗ δὲ χειροποιήτου, περιέχεται δὲ ποταμοῖς·
For the wall lies upon a precipitous and craggy rock, partly natural, partly man-made, and is surrounded by rivers.
ῥεῖ γὰρ αὐτῆς παρὰ μὲν τὴν νότιον πλευρὰν ὁ συνώνυμος τῇ πόλει, παρὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τὰς δύσεις καὶ τὸν λίβα τετραμμένην ὁ προσαγορευόμενος Ὕψας.
For along its southern side flows the river of the same name as the city, and along the side turned towards the west and the southwest wind flows the one called Hypsas.
ἡ δʼ ἄκρα τῆς πόλεως ὑπέρκειται κατʼ αὐτὰς τὰς θερινὰς ἀνατολάς, κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἔξωθεν ἐπιφάνειαν ἀπροσίτῳ φάραγγι περιεχομένη, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐντὸς μίαν ἔχουσα πρόσοδον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως.
The citadel of the city looms directly over the summer sunrise, being surrounded on its outer face by an inaccessible ravine, and on its inner face having only one approach from the city.
ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς κορυφῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερὸν ἔκτισται καὶ Διὸς Ἀταβυρίου, καθάπερ καὶ παρὰ Ῥοδίοις·
On its summit are built temples of Athena and of Zeus Atabyrius, just as among the Rhodians.
τοῦ γὰρ Ἀκράγαντος ὑπὸ Ῥοδίων ἀπῳκισμένης,2 εἰκότως ὁ θεὸς οὗτος τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχει προσηγορίαν ἣν καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Ῥοδίοις.
For since Akragas was colonized by the Rhodians, this god naturally has the same title as he does among the Rhodians.
κεκόσμηται δὲ καὶ τἄλλα μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἡ πόλις ναοῖς καὶ στοαῖς. καὶ μὴν ὁ τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Ὀλυμπίου νεὼς παντέλειαν μὲν οὐκ εἴληφε, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐπιβολὴν καὶ τὸ μέγεθος οὐδʼ ὁποίου τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα δοκεῖ λείπεσθαι.
The city is also magnificently adorned in other respects with temples and porticoes. Indeed, the temple of Olympian Zeus, though it did not receive completion, seems to fall short of none of those in Greece in its design and size.
Πολύβιος δὲ τὸν ποταμὸν καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας ὠνομάσθαι Ἀκράγης διὰ τὸ εὔγεων. Ἀγάθυρνα, πόλις Σικελίας, ὡς Πολύβιος ἐνάτῃ.
Polybius says that the river and the city were named Akrages after the territory because of its fertile soil. Agathyrna, a city in Sicily, as Polybius says in the ninth book.
ὁ δὲ Μάρκος δοὺς πίστεις ὑπὲρ ἀσφαλείας ἔπεισεν ἐκχωρεῖν εἰς Ἰταλίαν, ἐφʼ ᾧ3 λαμβάνοντας μέτρημα παρὰ τῶν Ῥηγίνων πορθεῖν τὴν Βρεττιανήν, κυρίους ὄντας4 ὧν ἂν ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας ὠφεληθῶσι.
Marcus, having given pledges for their safety, persuaded them to withdraw into Italy, on the condition that they should receive rations from the Rhegians and ravage the Brettian territory, being masters of whatever booty they might secure from the enemy’s country.
- 9.27.1καὶ θαυμαζόντων, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω.
θαυμαζόντων is a genitive absolute participle (present active) with an implied subject referring to the people mentioned in the preceding context who are astonished by their own ignorance. ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω is an impersonal construction using the third-person singular perfect passive imperative, meaning 'let it have been spoken by us to this extent.'
- 9.27.8τοῦ γὰρ Ἀκράγαντος ὑπὸ Ῥοδίων ἀπῳκισμένης
Although the city name Ἀκράγας (genitive Ἀκράγαντος) is usually masculine, the modifying participle ἀπῳκισμένης is feminine. This construction shows synesis (construction according to sense), agreeing with the unexpressed feminine noun πόλις (city) or χώρα (land).
- 9.27.11ἐφʼ ᾧ
The construction ἐφ' ᾧ followed by the infinitive (πορθεῖν here) introduces a clause of proviso, meaning 'on the condition that' or 'with the understanding that.'
- 9.27.11κυρίους ὄντας
The accusative participle ὄντας agrees with the implicit subject of the infinitive πορθεῖν (the people of Agathyrna), which is also the direct object of the main verb ἔπεισεν. κύριος governing a genitive means 'having control over' or 'being masters of.'
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1