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Polybius · The Histories §20.8.1-20.8.6

Antiochus III's Marriage at Chalcis and Flight

Passage 955 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

This section describes how Antiochus the Great fell in love and married a young woman in Chalcis, indulging in pleasure despite being at war, which eventually led to his defeat, flight to Ephesus, and the destruction of almost his entire army.

§20.8.1Ἀντίοχος δὲ ὁ μέγας ἐπικαλούμενος, ὃν Ῥωμαῖοι καθεῖλον, ὡς ἱστορεῖ Πολύβιος ἐν τῇ εἰκοστῇ, παρελθὼν εἰς Χαλκίδα τῆς Εὐβοίας συνετέλει γάμους, πεντήκοντα μὲν ἔτη γεγονὼς καὶ δύο τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἔργων ἀνειληφώς, τήν τε τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθέρωσιν, ὡς αὐτὸς ἐπηγγέλλετο, καὶ τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον.
Antiochus, called the Great, whom the Romans overthrew, as Polybius records in his twentieth book, having come to Chalcis in Euboea, celebrated his marriage, although he was fifty-two years old and had undertaken two of the greatest enterprises: the liberation of the Greeks, as he himself promised, and the war against the Romans.
§20.8.2ἐρασθεὶς οὖν παρθένου Χαλκιδικῆς κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου καιρὸν ἐφιλοτιμήσατο γῆμαι αὐτήν, οἰνοπότης ὢν καὶ μέθαις χαίρων.
Therefore, having fallen in love with a Chalcidian maiden during the very time of the war, he was eager to marry her, being a heavy drinker and delighting in drunkenness.
§20.8.3ἦν δʼ αὕτη Κλεοπτολέμου μὲν θυγάτηρ, ἑνὸς τῶν ἐπιφανῶν, κάλλει δὲ πάσας ὑπερβάλλουσα.
She was the daughter of Cleoptolemus, one of the notable men, and surpassed all women in beauty.
§20.8.4καὶ τοὺς γάμους συντελῶν ἐν τῇ Χαλκίδι αὐτόθι διέτριψε τὸν χειμῶνα, τῶν ἐνεστώτων οὐδʼ ἡντινοῦν ποιούμενος πρόνοιαν, ἔθετο δὲ καὶ τῇ παιδὶ ὄνομα Εὔβοιαν.
And celebrating his marriage, he spent the winter there in Chalcis, making not the slightest provision for the pressing affairs, and he also gave the girl the name Euboea.
§20.8.5ἡττηθεὶς οὖν τῷ πολέμῳ ἔφυγεν εἰς Ἔφεσον μετὰ τῆς νεογάμου.
Having thus been defeated in the war, he fled to Ephesus with his bride.
§20.8.6νεξ πραετερ θυινγεντος, θυι ξιρξα ρεγεμ φυερυντ, εχ τοτο εχερξιτυ θυισθυαμ εφφυγιτ, ετιαμ εχ δεξεμ μιλιβυς μιλιτυμ, θυος πολψβιο αυξτορε τραιεξισσε σεξυμ ρεγεμ ιν γραεξιαμ σξριπσιμυς, εχιγυυς νυμερυς.
Nor did anyone from the whole army escape except about five hundred who were around the king; even of the ten thousand soldiers, whom we wrote on the authority of Polybius that the king had crossed with him into Greece, only a tiny number survived.

Notes

  1. §20.8.1πεντήκοντα μὲν ἔτη γεγονὼς καὶ δύο — Although the numerals πεντήκοντα (fifty) and δύο (two) are separated, they combine to mean "fifty-two years old." The phrase μὲν ἔτη γεγονὼς καὶ is inserted between them.
  2. §20.8.6νεξ πραετερ θυινγεντος — The text of this section is a Latin sentence transliterated into Greek characters. Restored, it reads: "nec praeter quingentos, qui circa regem fuerunt, ex toto exercitu quisquam effugit; etiam ex decem milibus militum, quos Polybio auctore traiecisse secum regem in Graeciam scripsimus, exiguus numerus [superfuit]." The phrase "Polybio auctore" is an ablative absolute meaning "on the authority of Polybius," and "regem" is the subject accusative of the infinitive "traiecisse."

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §20.8.1-20.8.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:20.8.1-20.8.6

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