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Pausanias · Description of Greece §1.13.1-1.13.4

Pyrrhus's Conquest of Macedonia and Cleonymus's Appeal

Passage 14 of 465 · Greek

Summary

Pyrrhus withdraws from Italy, defeats Antigonus, and takes control of Macedonia, but is persuaded by the Spartan Cleonymus to launch a campaign in the Peloponnese, whose Spartan lineage is then outlined.

§1.13.1τότε δὲ ὁ Πύρρος, ὡς ἡττήθη, ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐς Τάραντα ἀνήγετο ταῖς λοιπαῖς· ἐνταῦθα προσέπταισε μεγάλως καὶ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν—οὐ γὰρ ἀμαχεὶ Ῥωμαίους ἠπίστατο ἀφήσοντας—πορίζεται τρόπον τοῦτον.
Then Pyrrhus, when he was defeated, put to sea for Tarentum with his remaining ships; there he met with a great setback, and secured his retreat—for he knew that the Romans would not let them go without a fight—in the following manner.
ὡς ἐπανήκων ἐκ Σικελίας ἡττήθη, πρῶτον διέπεμπε γράμματα ἔς τε τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ πρὸς Ἀντίγονον, τοὺς μὲν στρατιὰν τῶν βασιλέων, τοὺς δὲ χρήματα, Ἀντίγονον δὲ καὶ ἀμφότερα αἰτῶν· ἀφικομένων δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὥς οἱ γράμματα ἀπεδόθη, συναγαγὼν τοὺς ἐν τέλει τῶν τε ἐξ Ἠπείρου καὶ τῶν Ταραντίνων, ὧν μὲν εἶχε τὰ βιβλία ἀνεγίνωσκεν οὐδέν, ὁ δὲ ἥξειν συμμαχίαν ἔλεγε.
When he was defeated upon his return from Sicily, he first sent letters both to Asia and to Antigonus, asking some of the kings for an army, others for money, and Antigonus for both; and when the messengers arrived and the letters were delivered to him, having gathered the officials of the Epirotes and the Tarentines, he read none of the letters he had, but said that an alliance would arrive.
ταχὺ δὲ καὶ ἐς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἦλθε φήμη Μακεδόνας καὶ ἄλλα ἔθνη περαιοῦσθαι τῶν Ἀσιανῶν ἐς τὴν Πύρρου βοήθειαν· Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἀκούοντες ἡσύχαζον, Πύρρος δὲ ὑπὸ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν περαιοῦται νύκτα πρὸς τὰ ἄκρα τῶν ὀρῶν, ἃ Κεραύνια ὀνομάζουσι.
And quickly a rumor reached the Romans that Macedonians and other Asian nations were crossing over to Pyrrhus' aid; so the Romans, hearing this, remained quiet, but Pyrrhus crossed over during the coming night to the peaks of the mountains which they call Ceraunia.
§1.13.2μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ πληγὴν ἀναπαύσας τὴν δύναμιν προεῖπεν Ἀντιγόνῳ πόλεμον, ἄλλα τε ποιούμενος ἐγκλήματα καὶ μάλιστα τῆς ἐς Ἰταλίαν βοηθείας διαμαρτίαν.
And after the defeat in Italy, having rested his army, he declared war on Antigonus, making other accusations against him and especially the failure of aid to Italy.
κρατήσας δὲ τήν τε ἰδίαν παρασκευὴν Ἀντιγόνου καὶ τὸ παρʼ αὐτῷ Γαλατῶν ξενικὸν ἐδίωξεν ἐς τὰς ἐπὶ θαλάσσῃ πόλεις, αὐτὸς δὲ Μακεδονίας τε τῆς ἄνω καὶ Θεσσαλῶν ἐπεκράτησε.
And having defeated the personal preparation of Antigonus and the mercenary force of Galatians with him, he drove him into the cities on the sea, while he himself gained control of upper Macedonia and the Thessalians.
δηλοῖ δὲ μάλιστα τὸ μέγεθος τῆς μάχης καὶ τὴν Πύρρου νίκην, ὡς παρὰ πολὺ γένοιτο, τὰ ἀνατεθέντα ὅπλα τῶν Κελτῶν ἐς τὸ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἱερὸν τῆς Ἰτωνίας Φερῶν μεταξὺ καὶ Λαρίσης καὶ τὸ ἐπίγραμμα τὸ ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς· " τοὺς θυρεοὺς ὁ Μολοσσὸς Ἰτωνίδι δῶρον Ἀθάνᾳ " §1.13.3" Πύρρος ἀπὸ θρασέων ἐκρέμασεν Γαλατᾶν, πάντα τὸν Ἀντιγόνου καθελὼν στρατόν.
What shows most of all the size of the battle and Pyrrhus' victory, that it was by far, are the arms of the Celts dedicated in the sanctuary of Itonian Athena between Pherae and Larisa, and the inscription upon them: "These shields the Molossian Pyrrhus hung as a gift for Itonian Athena, from the bold Galatians, having destroyed all the army of Antigonus.
οὐ μέγα θαῦμα· αἰχματαὶ καὶ νῦν καὶ πάρος Αἰακίδαι. " τούτους μὲν δὴ ἐνταῦθα, τῷ δὲ ἐν Δωδώνῃ Διὶ Μακεδόνων ἀνέθηκεν αὐτῶν τὰς ἀσπίδας.
No great marvel: the descendants of Aeacus are warriors both now and of old." These indeed he dedicated there, but to Zeus in Dodona he dedicated the shields of the Macedonians themselves.
ἐπιγέγραπται δὲ καὶ ταύταις· " αἵδε ποτʼ Ἀσίδα γαῖαν ἐπόρθησαν πολύχρυσον, αἵδε καὶ Ἕλλασιν δουλοσύναν ἔπορον.
And upon these also it is inscribed: "These once laid waste the golden land of Asia, these also brought slavery to the Greeks.
νῦν δὲ Διὸς ναῶ ποτὶ κίονας ὀρφανὰ κεῖται τᾶς μεγαλαυχήτω σκῦλα Μακεδονίας. " Πύρρῳ δὲ Μακεδόνας ἐς ἅπαν μὴ καταστρέψασθαι παρʼ ὀλίγον ὅμως ἥκοντι ἐγένετο Κλεώνυμος αἴτιος, §1.13.4ἑτοιμοτέρῳ καὶ ἄλλως ὄντι ἑλέσθαι τὰ ἐν χερσίν.
But now by the pillars of Zeus' temple they lie as abandoned spoils of proud Macedonia." But that Pyrrhus did not entirely subdue the Macedonians, though he had come within a little of doing so, was due to Cleonymus, who was even otherwise readier to choose what was at hand.
Κλεώνυμος δὲ οὗτος, ὁ τὸν Πύρρον ἀπολιπόντα τὰ Μακεδόνων πείσας ἐς Πελοπόννησον ἐλθεῖν, Λακεδαιμόνιος ὢν Λακεδαιμονίοις στρατὸν ἐς τὴν χώραν πολέμιον ἐπῆγε διʼ αἰτίαν, ἣν ἐγὼ τοῦ γένους ὕστερον τοῦ Κλεωνύμου δηλώσω.
This Cleonymus, who persuaded Pyrrhus to abandon the affairs of the Macedonians and come to the Peloponnese, was a Lacedaemonian, but brought a hostile army into Lacedaemonian territory against them for a reason which I will make clear later when explaining the family of Cleonymus.
Παυσανίου τοῦ περὶ Πλάταιαν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἡγησαμένου Πλειστοάναξ υἱὸς ἐγένετο, τοῦ δὲ Παυσανίας, τοῦ δὲ Κλεόμβροτος, ὃς ἐναντία Ἐπαμινώνδᾳ καὶ Θηβαίοις μαχόμενος ἀπέθανεν ἐν Λέκτροις· Κλεομβρότου δὲ Ἀγησίπολις ἦν καὶ Κλεομένης, Ἀγησιπόλιδος δὲ ἄπαιδος τελευτήσαντος Κλεομένης τὴν βασιλείαν ἔσχε.
To Pausanias, who led the Greeks at Plataea, Pleistoanax was born as a son, and to him Pausanias, and to him Cleombrotus, who died at Leuctra fighting against Epaminondas and the Thebans; and the sons of Cleombrotus were Agesipolis and Cleomenes, and when Agesipolis died childless, Cleomenes held the kingdom.

Notes

  1. 1.13.1ἀμαχεὶ Ῥωμαίους ἠπίστατο ἀφήσοντας — An indirect discourse construction where the accusative future participle ἀφήσοντας (from ἀφίημι) is used instead of an infinitive as the complement of the verb ἠπίστατο (imperfect of ἐπίσταμαι, 'to know'). The subject of the participle is the accusative Ῥωμαίους, meaning 'he knew that the Romans would not let [them] go'.
  2. 1.13.3παρʼ ὀλίγον ὅμως ἥκοντι — The idiom παρʼ ὀλίγον ἥκειν means 'to come within a little of' or 'to be on the verge of'. The dative present participle ἥκοντι agrees with the dative proper noun Πύρρῳ, expressing a concessive or circumstantial relation: 'for Pyrrhus, though he had come within a little of subduing the Macedonians'.
  3. 1.13.4ἑτοιμοτέρῳ καὶ ἄλλως ὄντι ἑλέσθαι τὰ ἐν χερσίν — The dative participle phrase ἑτοιμοτέρῳ ... ὄντι agrees with Πύρρῳ in the preceding sentence. The phrase καὶ ἄλλως is an idiomatic adverbial expression meaning 'in any case' or 'by nature'. The infinitive ἑλέσθαι (aorist middle of αἱρέομαι) limits the adjective ἑτοιμοτέρῳ ('readier'), describing Pyrrhus' character of being more eager to seize what was immediately at hand (τὰ ἐν χερσίν).

Cite this passage

Pausanias, Description of Greece §1.13.1-1.13.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.13.1-1.13.4

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