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Polybius · The Histories §15.33.1-15.33.13

Lynch and Slaughter of Agathocles and His Faction

Passage 844 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Agathocles and his associates are brutally lynched and slaughtered by the enraged crowd in the stadium and streets, while Philammon and his family, who were involved in the murder of Queen Arsinoe, are also killed by her former foster-sisters.

§15.33.1τοῦ δὲ ποιεῖν αἷμα καὶ φόνους ἐγένετό τις ἐκ ταὐτομάτου καταρχὴ τοιαύτη.
An origin of shedding blood and committing murders arose spontaneously as follows.
§15.33.2τῶν γὰρ Ἀγαθοκλέους ὑπηρετῶν καὶ κολάκων τις ὄνομα Φίλων ἐξῆλθε κραιπαλῶν εἰς τὸ στάδιον.
For one of the servants and flatterers of Agathocles, named Philon, came out to the stadium suffering from a hangover.
§15.33.3οὗτος θεωρῶν τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν ὄχλων εἶπε πρὸς τοὺς παρεστῶτας ὅτι πάλιν αὐτοῖς, καθάπερ καὶ πρῴην, ἐὰν Ἀγαθοκλῆς ἐξέλθῃ, μεταμελήσει.
This man, seeing the impulse of the crowds, said to those standing by that if Agathocles came out, they would regret it again, just as on the previous occasion.
§15.33.4τῶν δʼ ἀκουσάντων οἱ μὲν ἀπελοιδόρουν αὐτόν, οἱ δὲ προώθουν.
Of those who heard, some abused him, while others pushed him.
ἐπιβαλομένου δʼ ἀμύνεσθαι ταχέως οἱ μὲν τὴν χλαμύδα περιέρρηξαν, οἱ δὲ τὰς λόγχας προσερείσαντες ἐξεκέντησαν.
When he attempted to defend himself, some quickly tore his cloak, while others, presenting their spears, stabbed him to death.
§15.33.5ἅμα δὲ τῷ τοῦτον εἰς τὸ μέσον ἑλκυσθῆναι μεθʼ ὕβρεως ἔτι σπαίροντα, καὶ γεύσασθαι τὰ πλήθη φόνου, πάντες ἐκαραδόκουν τὴν τῶν ἄλλων παρουσίαν.
As soon as he was dragged into the midst with insult while still gasping, and the crowd tasted blood, everyone eagerly awaited the appearance of the others.
§15.33.6μετʼ οὐ πολὺ δὲ παρῆν ἀγόμενος πρῶτος Ἀγαθοκλῆς δέσμιος· ὃν εὐθέως εἰσιόντα προσδραμόντες τινὲς ἄφνω συνεκέντησαν, ἔργον ποιοῦντες οὐκ ἐχθρῶν, ἀλλʼ εὐνοούντων· αἴτιοι γὰρ ἐγένοντο τοῦ μὴ τυχεῖν αὐτὸν τῆς ἁρμοζούσης καταστροφῆς·
Not long after, Agathocles was brought in first, bound; as soon as he entered, some ran up and suddenly stabbed him, doing the work not of enemies but of well-wishers; for they became the cause of his not meeting his fitting end.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ἤχθη Νίκων, §15.33.7εἶτʼ Ἀγαθόκλεια γυμνὴ σὺν ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς, ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις πάντες οἱ συγγενεῖς.
After him, Nikon was led in, then Agathoclea naked with her sisters, and next to them all their relatives.
§15.33.8ἐπὶ δὲ πᾶσιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεσμοφορείου τὴν Οἰνάνθην ἀποσπάσαντες ἧκον εἰς τὸ στάδιον, ἄγοντες γυμνὴν ἐφʼ ἵππου.
Finally, tearing Oenanthe away from the Thesmophoreium, they came to the stadium, leading her naked on a horse.
§15.33.9παραδοθέντων δὲ πάντων ὁμοῦ τοῖς ὄχλοις, οἱ μὲν ἔδακνον, οἱ δʼ ἐκέντουν, οἱ δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἐξέκοπτον· ἀεὶ δὲ τοῦ πεσόντος τὰ μέλη διέσπων, ἕως ὅτου κατελώβησαν πάντας αὐτούς·
When all of them were handed over together to the crowds, some bit them, others stabbed them, and others gouged out their eyes; and they kept tearing apart the limbs of whoever fell, until they had mutilated them all.
§15.33.10δεινὴ γάρ τις ἡ περὶ τοὺς θυμοὺς ὠμότης γίνεται τῶν κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἀνθρώπων.
For the cruelty of the people of Egypt when in a rage is something terrible.
§15.33.11κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον σύντροφοι τῆς Ἀρσινόης γεγενημέναι τινὲς παιδίσκαι, πυθόμεναι παραγεγονέναι τὸν Φιλάμμωνα τριταῖον ἀπὸ Κυρήνης τὸν ἐπιστάντα τῷ φόνῳ τῆς βασιλίσσης, ὥρμησαν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ, §15.33.12καὶ βιασάμεναι τὸν μὲν Φιλάμμωνα τύπτουσαι τοῖς λίθοις καὶ τοῖς ξύλοις ἀπέκτειναν, τὸν δʼ υἱὸν ἀπέπνιξαν, ἀντίπαιδα τὴν ἡλικίαν ὄντα, σὺν δὲ τούτοις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ Φιλάμμωνος γυμνὴν εἰς τὴν πλατεῖαν ἐξέλκουσαι διέφθειραν.
At this time, certain young maids who had been foster-sisters of Arsinoe, having learned that Philammon, who had directed the murder of the queen, had arrived from Cyrene two days before, rushed to his house, and forcing their way in, they killed Philammon by beating him with stones and clubs, strangled his son, who was still a mere boy in age, and along with them, dragging Philammon's wife naked into the street, they put her to death.
§15.33.13καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα καὶ τὴν Ἀγαθόκλειαν καὶ τοὺς τούτων συγγενεῖς τοιοῦτον ἔσχε
And the affairs concerning Agathocles and Agathoclea and their relatives had such an end.

Notes

  1. 15.33.1τοῦ δὲ ποιεῖν αἷμα καὶ φόνους — The articular infinitive in the genitive case modifies the following noun καταρχὴ (origin/beginning), functioning as a genitive of definition.
  2. 15.33.3μεταμελήσει — The future tense of the impersonal verb μεταμέλει (to regret), with the dative αὐτοῖς functioning as the logical subject ('it will repent them' = 'they will regret'). It forms the apodosis of a future open condition introduced by ἐὰν ... ἐξέλθῃ.
  3. 15.33.6ἔργον ποιοῦντες οὐκ ἐχθρῶν, ἀλλʼ εὐνοούντων — The genitives οὐκ ἐχθρῶν, ἀλλʼ εὐνοούντων function as possessive genitives modifying ἔργον (the object of the participle ποιοῦντες), meaning 'doing the work not of enemies but of well-wishers.' In this context, it describes how their prompt killing of him (paradoxically) spared him from worse torture by the crowd.
  4. 15.33.6τοῦ μὴ τυχεῖν αὐτὸν τῆς ἁρμοζούσης καταστροφῆς — A genitive infinitive phrase depending on the adjective αἴτιοι (responsible for/causes of), containing the negative μὴ. It means 'became the cause of his (αὐτόν, subject accusative of the infinitive) not obtaining (τυχεῖν, which governs the genitive καταστροφῆς) his fitting end.'
  5. 15.33.11τριταῖον — A temporal adjective used adverbially, a common idiom in Classical Greek where an adjective of time modifies a verb or participle. Meaning 'on the third day,' it indicates here that he had arrived 'two days before' (reckoned inclusively).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §15.33.1-15.33.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:15.33.1-15.33.13

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