Humanitext Reader

Polybius · The Histories §15.30.1-15.30.10

Escalation of the Riot and Flight of Agathocles

Passage 841 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

As the anger of the citizens and soldiers reaches its peak and a riot breaks out, Agathocles wakes up drunk and retreats with the young king and his relatives into a subterranean passage.

§15.30.1ἤδη δὲ κεκριμένου τοῦ καινοτομεῖν τοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ἐπιγενομένης καθʼ ἑκάστην οἰκίαν καὶ τῆς ἐκ τῶν γυναικῶν ὀργῆς διπλάσιον ἐξεκαύθη τὸ μῖσος.
And since the decision to revolt had already been made by the men, when the anger of the women from each house was added, the hatred was blazed up twofold.
§15.30.2ἅμα δὲ τῷ μεταλαβεῖν τὸ τῆς νυκτὸς πᾶσα πλήρης ἦν ἡ πόλις θορύβου καὶ φώτων καὶ διαδρομῆς·
As soon as night fell, the whole city was full of noise, lights, and running to and fro.
§15.30.3οἱ μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὸ στάδιον ἡθροίζοντο μετὰ κραυγῆς, οἱ δὲ παρεκάλουν ἀλλήλους, οἱ δὲ κατεδύοντο διαδιδράσκοντες εἰς ἀνυπονοήτους οἰκίας καὶ τόπους·
For some assembled in the stadium with shouting, others encouraged one another, and others fled and hid themselves in unexpected houses and places.
§15.30.4ἤδη δὲ τῶν περὶ τὴν αὐλὴν εὐρυχωριῶν καὶ τοῦ σταδίου καὶ τῆς πλατείας πλήρους ὑπαρχούσης ὄχλου παντοδαποῦ καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸ Διονυσιακὸν θέατρον προστασίας, §15.30.5πυθόμενος τὸ συμβαῖνον Ἀγαθοκλῆς ἐξηγέρθη μεθύων, ἄρτι καταλελυκὼς τὸν πότον, καὶ παραλαβὼν τοὺς συγγενεῖς πάντας πλὴν Φίλωνος ἧκε πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα.
Since the open spaces around the palace, the stadium, the street, and the portico of the Dionysiac theater were already full of a crowd of all kinds, Agathocles, on learning what was happening, was aroused while still drunk, having just finished his drinking-bout, and taking all his relatives except Philon, came to the king.
§15.30.6καὶ βραχέα πρὸς τοῦτον οἰκτισάμενος καὶ λαβόμενος αὐτοῦ τῆς χειρός, ἀνέβαινεν εἰς τὴν σύριγγα τὴν μεταξὺ τοῦ Μαιάνδρου καὶ τῆς παλαίστρας κειμένην καὶ φέρουσαν ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ θεάτρου πάροδον.
And having briefly made his lamentation to him and taken him by the hand, he went up into the underground passage which lay between the Maeander and the palaestra, leading to the entrance of the theater.
§15.30.7μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, δύο θύρας ἀσφαλισάμενος τὰς πρώτας, εἰς τὴν τρίτην ἀνεχώρησε μετὰ δυεῖν ἢ τριῶν σωματοφυλάκων καὶ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῆς αὑτοῦ συγγενείας.
After this, having secured the first two doors, he retreated to the third with two or three bodyguards, the king, and his own relatives.
§15.30.8συνέβαινε δὲ τὰς θύρας εἶναι δικτυωτὰς διαφανεῖς, ἀποκλειομένας δὲ διττοῖς μοχλοῖς.
Now these doors happened to be of open lattice-work, through which one could see, and were secured by double bolts.
§15.30.9κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον ἡθροισμένου τοῦ πλήθους ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς πόλεως, ὥστε μὴ μόνον τοὺς ἐπιπέδους τόπους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ βάθρα καὶ τὰ τέγη καταγέμειν ἀνθρώπων, ἐγίνετο βοὴ καὶ κραυγὴ σύμμικτος, ὡς ἂν γυναικῶν ὁμοῦ καὶ παίδων ἀνδράσιν ἀναμεμιγμένων·
At this time, when the multitude was assembled from the whole city, so that not only the ground-level spaces but also the benches and the roofs were packed with people, there arose a mingled shout and clamor, as would be the case when women and children were mixed together with men.
§15.30.10οὐ γὰρ ἐλάττω ποιεῖ τὰ παιδάρια τῶν ἀνδρῶν περὶ τὰς τοιαύτας ταραχὰς ἔν τε τῇ Καρχηδονίων πόλει καὶ κατὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρειαν.
For children make no less noise than men in such disturbances, both in the city of the Carthaginians and in Alexandria.

Notes

  1. 15.30.1κεκριμένου τοῦ καινοτομεῖν — A genitive absolute construction where the nominalized infinitive τοῦ καινοτομεῖν serves as the subject. τοῖς ἀνδράσιν is a dative of agent or interest.
  2. 15.30.4πλήρους ὑπαρχούσης — Although four noun phrases (τῶν εὐρυχωριῶν, τοῦ σταδίου, τῆς πλατείας, τῆς προστασίας) are coordinate subjects of the genitive absolute, the participle agrees in gender, number, and case only with the nearest singular feminine noun τῆς προστασίας (syllepsis).
  3. 15.30.9ὡς ἂν γυναικῶν ὁμοῦ καὶ παίδων ἀνδράσιν ἀναμεμιγμένων — The particle ὡς ἂν followed by a genitive absolute (or participle) lively describes a hypothetical or actual situation as the cause. Here it indicates that the clamor was such as would arise from women and children being mixed with men.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §15.30.1-15.30.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:15.30.1-15.30.10

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