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Polybius · The Histories §2.66.1-2.66.11

Decision for Battle and Antigonus's Dispositions

Passage 154 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Antigonus, finding no weakness in Cleomenes' defense, decides along with his opponent to settle the issue by regular battle. He deploys his forces along the hills of Euas and Olympus and the plain, setting up prearranged signals for coordinated assaults.

§2.66.1προχείρως ἀπέγνω, στρατοπεδεύσας δʼ ἐν βραχεῖ διαστήματι καὶ λαβὼν πρόβλημα τὸν Γοργύλον καλούμενον ποταμόν, τινὰς μὲν ἡμέρας ἐπιμένων συνεθεώρει τάς τε τῶν τόπων ἰδιότητας καὶ τὰς τῶν δυνάμεων διαφοράς,
Antigonus abandoned the idea of a rash attempt, and having encamped at a short distance with the river called Gorgylys as a defense, he remained there for several days, observing the peculiarities of the positions and the differences of the forces.
§2.66.2ἅμα δὲ καὶ προδεικνύων τινὰς ἐπιβολὰς πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐξεκαλεῖτο τὰς τῶν ὑπεναντίων ἐπινοίας.
At the same time, by making a show of certain movements as if for future attacks, he endeavored to draw out the intentions of the enemy.
§2.66.3οὐ δυνάμενος δὲ λαβεῖν οὐδὲν ἀργὸν οὐδʼ ἔξοπλον διὰ τὸ πρὸς πᾶν ἑτοίμως ἀντικινεῖσθαι τὸν Κλεομένη, §2.66.4τῆς μὲν τοιαύτης ἐπινοίας ἀπέστη, τέλος δʼ ἐξ ὁμολόγου διὰ μάχης ἀμφότεροι προέθεντο κρίνειν τὰς πράξεις· πάνυ γὰρ εὐφυεῖς καὶ παραπλησίους ἡγεμόνας ἡ τύχη συνέβαλε τούτους τοὺς ἄνδρας.
But being unable to find them off their guard or in any way unprotected, because Cleomenes was ready to meet every movement, he gave up this plan, and at last both, by mutual consent, decided to determine the issue by a battle; for fortune had brought together two generals of great natural ability and closely matched.
§2.66.5πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς κατὰ τὸν Εὔαν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀντέταξε τῶν τε Μακεδόνων τοὺς χαλκάσπιδας καὶ τοὺς Ἰλλυριούς, κατὰ σπείρας ἐναλλὰξ τεταγμένους, Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν Ἀκμήτου καὶ Δημήτριον τὸν Φάριον ἐπιστήσας.
Therefore, against those on Euas, the king opposed the bronze-shielded Macedonians and the Illyrians, drawn up alternately by cohorts, placing Alexander the son of Acmetus and Demetrius of Pharos in command over them.
§2.66.6ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις τοὺς Ἀκαρνᾶνας καὶ Ἠπειρώτας ἐπέβαλε· τούτων δὲ κατόπιν ἦσαν δισχίλιοι τῶν Ἀχαιῶν, ἐφεδρείας λαμβάνοντες τάξιν.
Behind these he stationed the Acarnanians and Epirotes, and in their rear were two thousand of the Achaeans, serving as a reserve force.
§2.66.7τοὺς δʼ ἱππεῖς περὶ τὸν Οἰνοῦντα ποταμὸν ἀντέθηκε τῷ τῶν πολεμίων ἱππικῷ, συστήσας αὐτοῖς Ἀλέξανδρον ἡγεμόνα καὶ συμπαραθεὶς πεζοὺς τῶν Ἀχαϊκῶν χιλίους καὶ Μεγαλοπολίτας τοὺς ἴσους.
He opposed his cavalry near the river Oenus to that of the enemy, appointing Alexander as their leader, and stationed by their side one thousand of the Achaean infantry and an equal number of Megalopolitans.
§2.66.8αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς μισθοφόρους ἔχων καὶ τοὺς Μακεδόνας κατὰ τὸν Ὄλυμπον πρὸς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Κλεομένη διέγνω ποιεῖσθαι τὴν μάχην.
He himself, with the mercenaries and the Macedonians, determined to fight on Olympus against the forces under Cleomenes.
§2.66.9προτάξας οὖν τοὺς μισθοφόρους ἐπέστησε διφαλαγγίαν ἐπάλληλον τῶν Μακεδόνων· ἐποίει δὲ τοῦτο διὰ τὴν στενότητα τῶν τόπων.
Having, therefore, placed the mercenaries in front, he drew up behind them the Macedonians in a double phalanx, one behind the other; and he did this on account of the narrowness of the pass.
§2.66.10σύνθημα δʼ ἦν τοῖς μὲν Ἰλλυριοῖς τότε ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς πρὸς τὸν λόφον προσβολῆς, ὅταν ἴδωσιν ἀρθεῖσαν ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὸν Ὄλυμπον τόπων σινδόνα — προσηρτημένοι γὰρ ἦσαν οὗτοι νυκτὸς ἐν τῷ Γοργύλῳ ποταμῷ πρὸς αὐτῇ τῇ τοῦ λόφου ῥίζῃ — §2.66.11τοῖς δὲ Μεγαλοπολίταις καὶ τοῖς ἱππεῦσι παραπλησίως, ἐπειδὰν φοινικὶς ἐξαρθῇ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως.
The signal for the Illyrians to begin the assault upon the hill was to be when they saw a linen cloth raised from the positions on Olympus—for these had posted themselves during the night in the river Gorgylys, close to the very foot of the hill— and for the Megalopolitans and the cavalry likewise, when a scarlet flag should be raised by the king.

Notes

  1. §2.66.1ἀπέγνω — Takes the infinitive phrase from the end of the previous chapter (§2.65.13), τὸ μὲν ἐξ ἐφόδου καταπειράζειν καὶ συμπλέκεσθαι (to make an immediate attempt and join battle), as its grammatical object, meaning 'abandoned the idea of'.
  2. §2.66.3διὰ τὸ πρὸς πᾶν ἑτοίμως ἀντικινεῖσθαι τὸν Κλεομένη — An articular infinitive construction introduced by the preposition διά. The subject of the infinitive ἀντικινεῖσθαι is the accusative τὸν Κλεομένη.
  3. §2.66.5κατὰ σπείρας ἐναλλὰξ τεταγμένους — The noun σπεῖρα is the Greek military equivalent of the Latin cohors (cohort). The adverb ἐναλλάξ (alternately) indicates that the cohorts of the bronze-shielded Macedonians and the Illyrians were interchanged in line.
  4. §2.66.9διφαλαγγίαν ἐπάλληλον — Meaning 'a double phalanx placed one behind another'. Due to the narrowness of the pass, the phalanx could not be drawn up in a broad line but was deployed in depth, overlapping each other.
  5. §2.66.10προσηρτημένοι γὰρ ἦσαν — A periphrastic pluperfect construction consisting of the perfect passive participle of προσαρτάω and ἦσαν, describing how they had 'posted themselves close to' or 'clung to' the foot of the hill during the night.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §2.66.1-2.66.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.66.1-2.66.11

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