§13.4.1ἔχει δέ τινα ἡγεμονίαν πρὸς τοὺς τόπους τούτους τὸ Πέργαμον, ἐπιφανὴς πόλις καὶ πολὺν συνευτυχήσασα χρόνον τοῖς Ἀτταλικοῖς βασιλεῦσι· καὶ δὴ καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ἀρκτέον τῆς ἑξῆς περιοδείας, καὶ πρῶτον περὶ τῶν βασιλέων ὁπόθεν ὡρμήθησαν καὶ εἰς ἃ κατέστρεψαν ἐν βραχέσι δηλωτέον.
Pergamon has a certain hegemony over these regions, an illustrious city that shared in prosperity for a long time with the Attalid kings; and indeed, the next tour must begin from here, and first we must declare briefly about the kings, whence they started and how they ended.
ἦν μὲν δὴ τὸ Πέργαμον Λυσιμάχου γαζοφυλάκιον τοῦ Ἀγαθοκλέους, ἑνὸς τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου διαδόχων, αὐτὴν τὴν ἄκραν τοῦ ὄρους συνοικουμένην ἔχον· ἔστι δὲ στροβιλοειδὲς τὸ ὄρος εἰς ὀξεῖαν κορυφὴν ἀπολῆγον.
Pergamon was indeed the treasury of Lysimachus, son of Agathocles, one of the successors of Alexander, having the citadel of the mountain itself inhabited; and the mountain is cone-shaped, ending in a sharp peak.
ἐπεπίστευτο δὲ τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ ἐρύματος τούτου καὶ τῶν χρημάτων (ἦν δὲ τάλαντα ἐνακισχίλια) φιλέταιρος, ἀνὴρ Τιανός, θλιβίας ἐκ παιδός· συνέβη γὰρ ἔν τινι ταφῇ θέας οὔσης καὶ πολλῶν παρόντων ἀποληφθεῖσαν ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ τὴν κομίζουσαν τροφὸν τὸν Φιλέταιρον ἔτι νήπιον συνθλιβῆναι μέχρι τοσοῦδε ὥστε πηρωθῆναι τὸν παῖδα.
And Philetaerus, a man of Tieium, a eunuch from childhood, had been entrusted with the custody of this stronghold and the money (which was nine thousand talents); for it happened at a certain funeral, when there was a spectacle and many were present, that the nurse who carried Philetaerus, who was still an infant, being caught in the crowd, was crushed to such an extent that the child was maimed.
ἦν μὲν δὴ εὐνοῦχος, τραφεὶς δὲ καλῶς ἐφάνη τῆς πίστεως ταύτης ἄξιος.
He was indeed a eunuch, but having been well brought up, he appeared worthy of this trust.
τέως μὲν οὖν εὔνους διέμεινε τῷ Λυσιμάχῳ, διενεχθεὶς δὲ πρὸς Ἀρσινόην τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ διαβάλλουσαν αὐτὸν ἀπέστησε τὸ χωρίον καὶ πρὸς τοὺς καιροὺς ἐπολιτεύετο ὁρῶν ἐπιτηδείους πρὸς νεωτερισμόν· ὅ τε γὰρ Λυσίμαχος κακοῖς οἰκείοις περιπεσὼν ἠναγκάσθη τὸν υἱὸν ἀνελεῖν Ἀγαθοκλέα, Σέλευκός τε ἐπελθὼν ὁ Νικάτωρ ἐκεῖνόν τε κατέλυσε καὶ αὐτὸς κατελύθη δολοφονηθεὶς ὑπὸ Πτολεμαίου τοῦ Κεραυνοῦ.
For a time, therefore, he remained loyal to Lysimachus, but having fallen out with Arsinoe, his wife, who was slandering him, he revolted the place and conducted his affairs with a view to the times, seeing them as suitable for a revolution; for Lysimachus, having fallen into domestic troubles, was forced to put his son Agathocles to death; and Seleucus Nicator, having invaded, overthrew him, and was himself overthrown, being assassinated by Ptolemy Keraunos.
τοιούτων δὲ θορύβων ὄντων διεγένετο μένων ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐρύματος ὁ εὐνοῦχος, καὶ πολιτευόμενος διʼ ὑποσχέσεων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης θεραπείας ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸν ἰσχύοντα καὶ ἐγγὺς παρόντα· διετέλεσε γοῦν ἔτη εἴκοσι κύριος ὢν τοῦ φρουρίου καὶ τῶν χρημάτων.
While such troubles were going on, the eunuch survived by remaining in the stronghold, and by managing his affairs through promises and other courtings always toward the one who was powerful and near at hand; at any rate, he continued for twenty years to be master of the fortress and the money.
§13.4.2ἦσαν δʼ αὐτῷ δύο ἀδελφοί, πρεσβύτερος μὲν Εὐμένης νεώτερος δʼ Ἄτταλος·
And he had two brothers, the elder Eumenes, and the younger Attalus.
ἐκ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Εὐμένους ἐγένετο ὁμώνυμος τῷ πατρὶ Εὐμένης, ὅσπερ καὶ διεδέξατο τὸ Πέργαμον, καὶ ἦν ἤδη δυνάστης τῶν κύκλῳ χωρίων ὥστε καὶ περὶ Σάρδεις ἐνίκησε μάχῃ συμβαλὼν Ἀντίοχον τὸν Σελεύκου· δύο δὲ καὶ εἴκοσιν ἄρξας ἔτη τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον.
Now from Eumenes was born Eumenes, homonymous with his father, who also succeeded to Pergamon; and he was already ruler of the surrounding places, so that he even won a battle near Sardis, engaging Antiochos the son of Seleucus; and having ruled for twenty-two years, he ended his life.
ἐκ δὲ Ἀττάλου καὶ Ἀντιοχίδος τῆς Ἀχαιοῦ γεγονὼς Ἄτταλος διεδέξατο τὴν ἀρχήν, καὶ ἀνηγορεύθη βασιλεὺς πρῶτος νικήσας Γαλάτας μάχῃ μεγάλῃ.
And Attalus, born of Attalus and Antiochis, the daughter of Achaeus, succeeded to the rule, and was first proclaimed king, having defeated the Galatians in a great battle.
οὗτος δὲ καὶ Ῥωμαίοις κατέστη φίλος καὶ συνεπολέμησε πρὸς Φίλιππον μετὰ τοῦ Ῥοδίων ναυτικοῦ· γηραιὸς δὲ ἐτελεύτα βασιλεύσας ἔτη τρία καὶ τετταράκοντα, κατέλιπε δὲ τέτταρας υἱοὺς ἐξ Ἀπολλωνίδος Κυζικηνῆς γυναικός, Εὐμένη Ἄτταλον Φιλέταιρον Ἀθήναιον.
He also became a friend to the Romans and fought along with them against Philip, together with the naval force of the Rhodians; and he died an old man after a reign of forty-three years, leaving four sons by Apollonis, a woman of Cyzicus, namely Eumenes, Attalus, Philetaerus, and Athenaeus.
οἱ μὲν οὖν νεώτεροι διετέλεσαν ἰδιῶται, τῶν δʼ ἄλλων ὁ πρεσβύτερος Εὐμένης ἐβασίλευσε·
Now the younger sons continued as private citizens, but of the others, the eldest, Eumenes, reigned.
συνεπολέμησε δὲ οὗτος Ῥωμαίοις πρός τε Ἀντίοχον τὸν μέγαν καὶ πρὸς Περσέα, καὶ ἔλαβε παρὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἅπασαν τὴν ὑπʼ Ἀντιόχῳ τὴν ἐντὸς τοῦ Ταύρου.
He fought along with the Romans against both Antiochos the Great and Perseus, and received from the Romans all the country under Antiochos this side of the Taurus.
πρότερον δʼ ἦν τὰ περὶ Πέργαμον οὐ πολλὰ χωρία μέχρι τῆς θαλάττης τῆς κατὰ τὸν Ἐλαΐτην κόλπον καὶ τὸν Ἀδραμυττηνόν.
Previously the territory around Pergamon was not large, extending only to the sea at the Elaitic Gulf and the Adramyttene Gulf.
κατεσκεύασε δʼ οὗτος τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ Νικηφόριον ἄλσει κατεφύτευσε, καὶ ἀναθήματα καὶ βιβλιοθήκας καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοσόνδε κατοικίαν τοῦ Περγάμου τὴν νῦν οὖσαν ἐκεῖνος προσεφιλοκάλησε· βασιλεύσας ἔτη τετταράκοντα καὶ ἐννέα ἀπέλιπεν υἱῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν Ἀττάλῳ, γεγονότι ἐκ Στρατονίκης τῆς Ἀριαράθου θυγατρὸς τοῦ Καππαδόκων βασιλέως.
And he adorned the city and planted the Nikephorion with a grove, and added out of love of beauty the offerings and libraries and the settlement of Pergamon to such an extent as it now is; after a reign of forty-nine years, he left the rule to his son Attalus, born of Stratonice, the daughter of Ariarathes, king of the Cappadocians.
ἐπίτροπον δὲ κατέστησε καὶ τοῦ παιδὸς νέου τελέως ὄντος καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἄτταλον.
But he appointed his brother Attalus as guardian both of his son, who was extremely young, and of the kingdom.
ἓν δὲ καὶ εἴκοσιν ἔτη βασιλεύσας γέρων οὗτος τελευτᾷ κατορθώσας πολλά· καὶ γὰρ Δημήτριον τὸν Σελεύκου συγκατεπολέμησεν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ τῷ Ἀντιόχου καὶ συνεμάχησε Ῥωμαίοις ἐπὶ τὸν Ψευδοφίλιππον, ἐχειρώσατο δὲ καὶ Διήγυλιν τὸν Καινῶν βασιλέα στρατεύσας εἰς τὴν Θρᾴκην, ἀνεῖλε δὲ καὶ Προυσίαν ἐπισυστήσας αὐτῷ Νικομήδη τὸν υἱόν, κατέλιπε δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῷ ἐπιτροπευθέντι Ἀττάλῳ·
And having reigned twenty-one years, he died an old man, having achieved many successes; for he helped Alexander, the son of Antiochus, to fight against Demetrius, the son of Seleucus; and he allied with the Romans against the Pseudo-Philip; and having campaigned into Thrace, he subdued Diegylis, the king of the Caeni; and he also overthrew Prusias, having set up his son Nicomedes against him; and he left the kingdom to Attalus, who had been his ward.
βασιλεύσας δὲ οὗτος ἔτη πέντε καὶ κληθεὶς Φιλομήτωρ ἐτελεύτα νόσῳ τὸν βίον, κατέλιπε δὲ κληρονόμους Ῥωμαίους· οἱ δʼ ἐπαρχίαν ἀπέδειξαν τὴν χώραν Ἀσίαν προσαγορεύσαντες ὁμώνυμον τῇ ἠπείρῳ.
And having reigned five years, and being called Philometor, he died of disease, and left the Romans as heirs; and they declared the country a province, calling it Asia, homonymous with the continent.
παραρρεῖ δʼ ὁ Κάικος τὸ Πέργαμον, διὰ τοῦ Καΐκου πεδίου προσαγορευομένου σφόδρα εὐδαίμονα γῆν διεξιὼν σχεδὸν δέ τι καὶ τὴν ἀρίστην τῆς Μυσίας.
The Caïcus flows past Pergamon, traversing through the so-called Caïcus plain an extremely fertile land, and indeed almost the best in Mysia.