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Polybius · The Histories §1.6.1-1.6.8

From the Gallic Sack to the Roman Conquest of Italy

Passage 6 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Summarizes the development from the Gallic sack of Rome (387 BC) to the Roman unification of Italy (the Pyrrhic War). It describes the process by which the Romans subdued neighboring tribes, expelled Pyrrhus, and established their hegemony over the Italian peninsula.

§1.6.1ἔτος μὲν οὖν ἐνειστήκει μετὰ μὲν τὴν ἐν Αἰγὸς ποταμοῖς ναυμαχίαν ἐννεακαιδέκατον, πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἐν Λεύκτροις μάχης ἑκκαιδέκατον, §1.6.2ἐν ᾧ Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν τὴν ἐπʼ Ἀνταλκίδου λεγομένην εἰρήνην πρὸς βασιλέα τῶν Περσῶν ἐκύρωσαν καὶ πρεσβύτερος Διονύσιος τῇ περὶ τὸν Ἐλλέπορον ποταμὸν μάχῃ νενικηκὼς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Ἕλληνας ἐπολιόρκει Ῥήγιον, Γαλάται δὲ κατὰ κράτος ἑλόντες αὐτὴν τὴν Ῥώμην κατεῖχον πλὴν τοῦ Καπετωλίου.
Now the nineteenth year after the naval battle at Aegospotami, and the sixteenth year before the battle of Leuctra, had begun, in which year the Lacedaemonians ratified the so-called Peace of Antalcidas with the King of the Persians, and Dionysius the Elder, having defeated the Greeks in Italy in the battle near the Elleporus river, was besieging Rhegium, while the Gauls, having taken Rome itself by storm, held it except for the Capitol.
§1.6.3πρὸς οὓς ποιησάμενοι Ῥωμαῖοι σπονδὰς καὶ διαλύσεις εὐδοκουμένας Γαλάταις καὶ γενόμενοι πάλιν ἀνελπίστως τῆς πατρίδος ἐγκρατεῖς καὶ λαβόντες οἷον ἀρχὴν τῆς συναυξήσεως ἐπολέμουν ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς χρόνοις πρὸς τοὺς ἀστυγείτονας.
Having made a treaty and settlement with them on terms acceptable to the Gauls, and having once more, contrary to expectation, become masters of their native land, and having gained as it were a starting-point for their growth, the Romans in the succeeding period waged war against their neighbors.
§1.6.4γενόμενοι δʼ ἐγκρατεῖς ἁπάντων τῶν Λατίνων διά τε τὴν ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ἐν ταῖς μάχαις ἐπιτυχίαν μετὰ ταῦτʼ ἐπολέμουν Τυρρηνοῖς, ἔπειτα Κελτοῖς, ἑξῆς δὲ Σαυνίταις τοῖς πρός τε τὰς ἀνατολὰς καὶ τὰς ἄρκτους συντερμονοῦσι τῇ τῶν Λατίνων χώρᾳ.
Having become masters of all the Latins because of their valor and their success in battle, they after this waged war against the Tyrrhenians, then against the Celts, and next against the Samnites, who bordered on the territory of the Latins towards both the east and the north.
§1.6.5μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον Ταραντίνων διὰ τὴν εἰς τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς Ῥωμαίων ἀσέλγειαν καὶ τὸν διὰ ταῦτα φόβον ἐπισπασαμένων Πύρρον, τῷ πρότερον ἔτει τῆς τῶν Γαλατῶν ἐφόδου τῶν τε περὶ Δελφοὺς φθαρέντων καὶ περαιωθέντων εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν, §1.6.6Ῥωμαῖοι Τυρρηνοὺς μὲν καὶ Σαυνίτας ὑφʼ αὑτοὺς πεποιημένοι, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Κελτοὺς πολλαῖς μάχαις ἤδη νενικηκότες, τότε πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὰ λοιπὰ μέρη τῆς Ἰταλίας ὥρμησαν, οὐχ ὡς ὑπὲρ ὀθνείων, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ πλεῖον ὡς ὑπὲρ ἰδίων ἤδη καὶ καθηκόντων σφίσι πολεμήσοντες, ἀθληταὶ γεγονότες ἀληθινοὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἔργων ἐκ τῶν πρὸς τοὺς Σαυνίτας καὶ Κελτοὺς ἀγώνων.
And after some time, when the Tarentines had called in Pyrrhus because of their insolence towards the Roman ambassadors and their consequent fear, in the year prior to the invasion of the Gauls—those who were destroyed around Delphi and crossed over into Asia— the Romans, having brought the Tyrrhenians and Samnites under their subjection, and having already defeated the Celts in Italy in many battles, then for the first time set out against the remaining parts of Italy, not as if to fight for foreign lands, but rather for what was already their own and belonged to them, having become true athletes in the works of war from their struggles against the Samnites and Celts.
§1.6.7ὑποστάντες δὲ γενναίως τὸν πόλεμον τοῦτον καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον τάς τε δυνάμεις καὶ Πύρρον ἐκβαλόντες ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας αὖθις ἐπολέμουν καὶ κατεστρέφοντο τοὺς κοινωνήσαντας Πύρρῳ τῶν πραγμάτων.
Having nobly sustained this war and finally expelled the forces and Pyrrhus from Italy, they once more made war upon and subdued those who had shared in the enterprises of Pyrrhus.
§1.6.8γενόμενοι δὲ παραδόξως ἁπάντων ἐγκρατεῖς καὶ ποιησάμενοι τοὺς τὴν Ἰταλίαν οἰκοῦντας ὑφʼ αὑτοὺς πλὴν Κελτῶν μετὰ ταῦτα πολιορκεῖν ἐνεχείρησαν τοὺς τότε κατέχοντας τὸ Ῥήγιον Ῥωμαίους.
And having contrary to expectation become masters of all, and having brought under their subjection those who inhabited Italy except for the Celts, they after this undertook to besiege the Romans who were at that time occupying Rhegium.

Notes

  1. 1.6.5τῷ πρότερον ἔτει τῆς τῶν Γαλατῶν ἐφόδου τῶν τε περὶ Δελφοὺς φθαρέντων καὶ περαιωθέντων εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν — A temporal phrase placed after the genitive absolute construction "Ταραντίνων ... ἐπισπασαμένων Πύρρον". "τῷ πρότερον ἔτει" is a dative of time meaning "in the prior year", which is modified by the genitive "τῆς τῶν Γαλατῶν ἐφόδου". The participial phrase "τῶν τε περὶ Δελφοὺς φθαρέντων..." functions attributively to modify "Γαλατῶν". It indicates that Pyrrhus' invasion of Italy (280 BC) occurred in the year prior to the Gallic invasion of Greece and Delphi (279 BC).
  2. 1.6.6οὐχ ὡς ὑπὲρ ὀθνείων, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ πλεῖον ὡς ὑπὲρ ἰδίων ἤδη καὶ καθηκόντων σφίσι πολεμήσοντες — The particle "ὡς" combined with the future participle "πολεμήσοντες" expresses the purpose or intention behind the main verb "ὥρμησαν" ("they set out... with the intention of waging war"). The contrast between the negative "οὐχ ὡς..." and the positive "ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ πλεῖον ὡς..." emphasizes that the Romans did not view Italy as foreign territory ("ὀθνείων"), but set out with a clear consciousness of conquering it as already their own property and something naturally belonging to them ("ἰδίων... καὶ καθηκόντων").
  3. 1.6.8τοὺς τότε κατέχοντας τὸ Ῥήγιον Ῥωμαίους — The expression "the Romans who were at that time occupying Rhegium." Historically, this refers to the Campanian garrison under Decius Jubellius, sent by Rome to protect Rhegium during the Pyrrhic War, who mutinied and illegally seized the city. Because they were Roman citizens or part of the Roman garrison, Polybius refers to them as "Romans".

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §1.6.1-1.6.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.6.1-1.6.8

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