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Polybius · The Histories §2.12.1-2.12.8

Peace with Teuta and Roman Envoys in Greece

Passage 100 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

A peace treaty is concluded between Rome and Teuta, after which Roman envoys report the terms to various Greek states, securing peace for Greece and gaining the Romans admission to the Isthmian Games for the first time.

§2.12.1Γνάιος μὲν οὖν Φόλουιος εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἀπέπλευσε, τὸ πλεῖον ἔχων μέρος τῆς τε ναυτικῆς καὶ πεζικῆς στρατιᾶς.
Now Gnaeus Fulvius sailed back to Rome with the greater part of the naval and land forces.
§2.12.2ὁ δὲ Ποστόμιος ὑπολειπόμενος τετταράκοντα σκάφη καὶ στρατόπεδον ἐκ τῶν περικειμένων πόλεων ἁθροίσας παρεχείμαζε, συνεφεδρεύων τῷ τε τῶν Ἀρδιαίων ἔθνει καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τοῖς δεδωκόσιν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὴν πίστιν.
But Postumius, being left behind with forty ships and having collected a force from the neighboring cities, wintered there, keeping watch over the Ardiaean nation and the others who had surrendered themselves to their protection.
§2.12.3ὑπὸ δὲ τὴν ἐαρινὴν ὥραν ἡ Τεύτα διαπρεσβευσαμένη πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ποιεῖται συνθήκας, ἐν αἷς εὐδόκησε φόρους τε τοὺς διαταχθέντας οἴσειν πάσης τʼ ἀναχωρήσειν τῆς Ἰλλυρίδος πλὴν ὀλίγων τόπων, καὶ τὸ συνέχον, ὃ μάλιστα πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας διέτεινε, μὴ πλεύσειν πλέον ἢ δυσὶ λέμβοις ἔξω τοῦ Λίσσου, καὶ τούτοις ἀνόπλοις.
Towards the spring, Teuta, having sent an embassy to the Romans, made a treaty, in which she agreed to pay the tribute imposed on her and to evacuate all Illyria except for a few places, and, what was most important, which chiefly concerned the Greeks, not to sail beyond Lissus with more than two light boats, and those unarmed.
§2.12.4ὧν συντελεσθέντων ὁ Ποστόμιος μετὰ ταῦτα πρεσβευτὰς ἐξαπέστειλε πρός τε τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνος· οἳ καὶ παραγενόμενοι πρῶτον μὲν ἀπελογίσαντο τὰς αἰτίας τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς διαβάσεως, ἑξῆς δὲ τούτοις τὰ πεπραγμένα διεξῆλθον καὶ τὰς συνθήκας παρανέγνωσαν, ἃς ἐπεποίηντο πρὸς τοὺς Ἰλλυριούς.
When these terms were concluded, Postumius after this sent legates both to the Aetolians and to the Achaean league; who, on their arrival, first explained the causes of the war and of their crossing over, and next detailed what had been achieved and read out the treaty which they had made with the Illyrians.
§2.12.5τυχόντες δὲ παρʼ ἑκατέρου τῶν ἐθνῶν τῆς καθηκούσης φιλανθρωπίας αὖθις ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Κέρκυραν, ἱκανοῦ τινος ἀπολελυκότες φόβου τοὺς Ἕλληνας διὰ τὰς προειρημένας συνθήκας.
And having met with a proper welcome from both of the nations, they sailed back to Corcyra, having delivered the Greeks from no small fear by means of the aforementioned treaty.
§2.12.6οὐ γὰρ τισὶν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσι τότε κοινοὺς ἐχθροὺς εἶναι συνέβαινε τοὺς Ἰλλυριούς.
For the Illyrians were not the enemies of some only, but the common enemies of all at that time.
§2.12.7ἡ μὲν οὖν πρώτη διάβασις Ῥωμαίων μετὰ δυνάμεως εἰς τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα καὶ ταῦτα τὰ μέρη τῆς Εὐρώπης, ἔτι δʼ ἐπιπλοκὴ μετὰ πρεσβείας εἰς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τόπους τοιάδε καὶ διὰ ταύτας ἐγένετο τὰς αἰτίας.
Such, then, and for these reasons, was the first crossing of the Romans with an army into Illyria and these parts of Europe, and also their first diplomatic contact with the regions of Greece.
§2.12.8ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης τῆς καταρχῆς Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν εὐθέως ἄλλους πρεσβευτὰς ἐξαπέστειλαν πρὸς Κορινθίους καὶ πρὸς Ἀθηναίους, ὅτε δὴ καὶ Κορίνθιοι πρῶτον ἀπεδέξαντο μετέχειν Ῥωμαίους τοῦ τῶν Ἰσθμίων ἀγῶνος.
From this beginning, the Romans immediately sent other legates to the Corinthians and to the Athenians, at which time indeed the Corinthians first admitted the Romans to take part in the Isthmian games.

Notes

  1. §2.12.2ὑπολειπόμενος τετταράκοντα σκάφη — The present participle `ὑπολειπόμενος` is used here in a middle-passive sense, taking the accusative `τετταράκοντα σκάφη` ("forty ships") as its direct object, meaning "leaving forty ships behind for himself" or "being left behind with forty ships."
  2. §2.12.3τὸ συνέχον — An accusative phrase serving as an appositive to the following infinitive clauses, meaning "the main point" or "what was most important," which is further modified by the relative clause `ὃ μάλιστα πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας διέτεινε` ("which chiefly concerned the Greeks").
  3. §2.12.8ὅτε δὴ καὶ — The temporal conjunction `ὅτε` combined with the emphasizing particle `δή` and `καί` ("also") highlights a highly significant historical milestone ("at which very time indeed also"), marking the moment when the Romans were first integrated into the Panhellenic community.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §2.12.1-2.12.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.12.1-2.12.8

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