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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §2.99.1-2.99.6

Geography and Historical Expansion of the Macedonian Kingdom

Passage 245 of 917 · Greek

Summary

As Sitalces' army prepares for invasion at Doberus, the author provides a geographical and historical overview of Lower Macedonia, explaining how Perdiccas' ancestors from Argos conquered various native tribes to establish the kingdom.

§2.99.1ξυνηθροίζοντο οὖν ἐν τῇ Δοβήρῳ καὶ παρεσκευάζοντο, ὅπως κατὰ κορυφὴν ἐσβαλοῦσιν ἐς τὴν κάτω Μακεδονίαν, ἧς ὁ Περδίκκας ἦρχεν.
So they assembled in Doberus and prepared to make an invasion from the heights into Lower Macedonia, which Perdiccas ruled.
§2.99.2τῶν γὰρ Μακεδόνων εἰσὶ καὶ Λυγκησταὶ καὶ Ἐλιμιῶται καὶ ἄλλα ἔθνη ἐπάνωθεν, ἃ ξύμμαχα μέν ἐστι τούτοις καὶ ὑπήκοα, βασιλείας δ’ ἔχει καθ’ αὑτά.
For among the Macedonians are also the Lyncestae, the Elimiotae, and other tribes of the upper country, which are allied and subject to these, but have kingdoms of their own.
§2.99.3τὴν δὲ παρὰ θάλασσαν νῦν Μακεδονίαν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Περδίκκου πατὴρ καὶ οἱ πρόγονοι αὐτοῦ, Τημενίδαι τὸ ἀρχαῖον ὄντες ἐξ Ἄργους, πρῶτοι ἐκτήσαντο καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν ἀναστήσαντες μάχῃ ἐκ μὲν Πιερίας Πίερας, οἳ ὕστερον ὑπὸ τὸ Πάγγαιον πέραν Στρυμόνος ᾤκησαν Φάγρητα καὶ ἄλλα χωρία (καὶ ἔτι καὶ νῦν Πιερικὸς κόλπος καλεῖται ἡ ὑπὸ τῷ Παγγαίῳ πρὸς θάλασσαν γῆ), ἐκ δὲ τῆς Βοττίας καλουμένης Βοττιαίους, οἳ νῦν ὅμοροι Χαλκιδέων οἰκοῦσιν·
As for the present maritime Macedonia, Alexander, the father of Perdiccas, and his ancestors, who were originally Temenidae from Argos, first acquired and ruled it, having driven out in battle the Pierians from Pieria (who afterwards dwelt under Mount Pangaeum beyond the Strymon, in Phagres and other places, and even now the land under Pangaeum towards the sea is called the Pierian Gulf), and from the country called Bottia the Bottiaeans, who now live adjacent to the Chalcidians.
§2.99.4τῆς δὲ Παιονίας παρὰ τὸν Ἀξιὸν ποταμὸν στενήν τινα καθήκουσαν ἄνωθεν μέχρι Πέλλης καὶ θαλάσσης ἐκτήσαντο, καὶ πέραν Ἀξιοῦ μέχρι Στρυμόνος τὴν Μυγδονίαν καλουμένην Ἠδῶνας ἐξελάσαντες νέμονται.
They also acquired a narrow strip of Paeonia along the Axius river, extending from the upper country down to Pella and the sea; and they possess the district called Mygdonia beyond the Axius as far as the Strymon, having driven out the Edones.
§2.99.5ἀνέστησαν δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῆς νῦν Ἐορδίας καλουμένης Ἐορδούς, ὧν οἱ μὲν πολλοὶ ἐφθάρησαν, βραχὺ δέ τι αὐτῶν περὶ Φύσκαν κατῴκηται, καὶ ἐξ Ἀλμωπίας Ἄλμωπας.
They also expelled the Eordi from what is now called Eordia (of whom the greater part perished, but a small portion of them has settled around Physca), and the Almopes from Almopia.
§2.99.6ἐκράτησαν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν οἱ Μακεδόνες οὗτοι, ἃ καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἔχουσι, τόν τε Ἀνθεμοῦντα καὶ Κρηστωνίαν καὶ Βισαλτίαν καὶ Μακεδόνων αὐτῶν πολλήν.
These Macedonians also conquered other tribes, which they still hold to this day: Anthemus, Crestonia, Bisaltia, and a large part of the country of the Macedonians themselves.
τὸ δὲ ξύμπαν Μακεδονία καλεῖται, καὶ Περδίκκας Ἀλεξάνδρου βασιλεὺς αὐτῶν ἦν ὅτε Σιτάλκης ἐπῄει.
The whole is called Macedonia, and Perdiccas, the son of Alexander, was their king when Sitalces invaded.

Notes

  1. 2.99.1ὅπως κατὰ κορυφὴν ἐσβαλοῦσιν — The conjunction ὅπως is followed by the future indicative third-person plural ἐσβαλοῦσιν. Here, rather than an indirect question, it functions as an adverbial clause of purpose or effort complementing the verb παρεσκευάζοντο ('they were preparing'). The use of the future indicative emphasizes the strong intention or certainty of the action's realization.
  2. 2.99.2τῶν γὰρ Μακεδόνων — A partitive genitive. It expresses the relationship between a part and the whole, meaning 'among the Macedonians are (also the Lyncestae...)'. It limits the scope of the predicate εἰσὶ καὶ Λυγκησταὶ...
  3. 2.99.3τὴν δὲ παρὰ θάλασσαν νῦν Μακεδονίαν Ἀλέξανδρος... πρῶτοι ἐκτήσαντο — A long and complex sentence structure. The accusative phrase τὴν δὲ παρὰ θάλασσαν νῦν Μακεδονίαν at the beginning is fronted as the object of the main verbs ἐκτήσαντο καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν (hyperbaton/syntactic emphasis). The subject Ἀλέξανδρος... καὶ οἱ πρόγονοι αὐτοῦ appears in the middle, and the verbs and adjectives are in the plural (πρῶτοι... ἐκτήσαντο) to agree with this composite subject. The participle ἀναστήσαντες ('having expelled') modifies the action, taking Πίερας and Βοττιαίους as its parallel objects, each followed by lengthy explanatory clauses.
  4. 2.99.4τῆς δὲ Παιονίας ... στενήν τινα — The partitive genitive τῆς Παιονίας modifies the accusative phrase στενήν τινα ('a certain narrow strip', with γῆν understood), meaning 'a certain narrow strip of Paeonia.'

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §2.99.1-2.99.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.99.1-2.99.6

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