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Polybius · The Histories §21.30.1-21.30.16

Terms of the Peace Agreement with the Aetolians

Passage 990 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

A provisional peace agreement was reached between Marcus and the Aetolians, detailing terms such as indemnity payments, restoration of prisoners, and territorial limits. After the Aetolians accepted these terms at home, they dispatched envoys to Rome for formal ratification.

§21.30.1ροῦντες τὴν πρὸς τοὺς συμμάχους πίστιν.
...preserving their loyalty toward their allies.
ὁ δὲ Μάρκος συγκατέθετο τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς ἐπὶ τούτῳ ποιήσασθαι τὰς διαλύσεις, §21.30.2ὥστε διακόσια μὲν Εὐβοϊκὰ τάλαντα παραχρῆμα λαβεῖν, τριακόσια δʼ ἐν ἔτεσιν ἕξ, πεντήκοντα καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος· §21.30.3ἀποκατασταθῆναι δὲ καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους καὶ τοὺς αὐτομόλους Ῥωμαίοις ἅπαντας τοὺς παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὄντας ἐν ἓξ μησὶ χωρὶς λύτρων· §21.30.4πόλιν δὲ μηδεμίαν ἔχειν ἐν τῇ συμπολιτείᾳ μηδὲ μετὰ ταῦτα προσλαβέσθαι τούτων, ὅσαι μετὰ τὴν Λευκίου Κορνηλίου διάβασιν ἑάλωσαν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἢ φιλίαν ἐποιήσαντο πρὸς Ῥωμαίους· §21.30.5Κεφαλληνίους δὲ πάντας ἐκσπόνδους εἶναι τούτων τῶν συνθηκῶν.
And Marcus agreed with the Aetolians to make peace on this condition: namely, that they should receive two hundred Euboic talents immediately, and three hundred more in six years, fifty talents in each year; and that all the Roman prisoners and deserters who were in their hands should be restored within six months without ransom; and that they should keep no city in their league, nor thereafter add to it any of those which, after the crossing of Lucius Cornelius, had been captured by the Romans or had made friendship with the Romans; and that all the Cephallenians should be excluded from this treaty.
§21.30.6ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ὑπετυπώθη τότε κεφαλαιωδῶς περὶ τῶν διαλύσεων· ἔδει δὲ τούτοις πρῶτον μὲν εὐδοκῆσαι τοὺς Αἰτωλούς, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα γίνεσθαι τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους.
These points, then, were drafted in outline concerning the peace; but it was necessary first for the Aetolians to agree to these, and after that for the reference to be made to the Romans.
§21.30.7οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ Ῥόδιοι παρέμενον αὐτοῦ, καραδοκοῦντες τὴν τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀπόφασιν· οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Δαμοτέλην ἐπανελθόντες διεσάφουν τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς περὶ τῶν συγκεχωρημένων.
The Athenians and Rhodians, therefore, remained there, waiting for the decision of the Aetolians; while Damoteles and his companions returned and explained to the Aetolians the terms that had been agreed upon.
§21.30.8τοῖς μὲν οὖν ὅλοις εὐδόκουν· καὶ γὰρ ἦν αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα παρὰ τὴν προσδοκίαν· περὶ δὲ τῶν πόλεων τῶν πρότερον συμπολιτευομένων αὐτοῖς διαπορήσαντες ἐπὶ ποσὸν τέλος συγκατέθεντο τοῖς προτεινομένοις.
On the whole, then, they were pleased; for indeed everything was beyond their expectation; but having hesitated for a while about the cities which had formerly been members of their league, they finally agreed to the proposals.
§21.30.9ὁ δὲ Μάρκος παραλαβὼν τὴν Ἀμβρακίαν τοὺς μὲν Αἰτωλοὺς ἀφῆκεν ὑποσπόνδους, τὰ δʼ ἀγάλματα καὶ τοὺς ἀνδριάντας καὶ τὰς γραφὰς ἀπήγαγεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ὄντα καὶ πλείω διὰ τὸ γεγονέναι βασίλειον Πύρρου τὴν Ἀμβρακίαν.
Marcus, having taken over Ambracia, let the Aetolians go under treaty, and carried away from the city the statues, bronze images, and paintings, which were indeed very numerous because Ambracia had been the royal residence of Pyrrhus.
§21.30.10ἐδόθη δʼ αὐτῷ καὶ στέφανος ἀπὸ ταλάντων ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα.
And a crown of one hundred and fifty talents was also given to him.
§21.30.11ταῦτα δὲ διοικησάμενος ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν εἰς τὴν μεσόγειον τῆς Αἰτωλίας, θαυμάζων ἐπὶ τῷ μηδὲν αὐτῷ παρὰ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀπαντᾶσθαι.
Having settled these matters, he made his march into the interior of Aetolia, wondering that nothing had been met by him on the part of the Aetolians.
§21.30.12παραγενόμενος δὲ πρὸς Ἄργος τὸ καλούμενον Ἀμφιλοχικὸν κατεστρατοπέδευσεν, ὅπερ ἀπέχει τῆς Ἀμβρακίας ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα σταδίους.
Arriving at the so-called Amphilochian Argos, he encamped, which is one hundred and eighty stades distant from Ambracia.
§21.30.13ἐκεῖ δὲ συμμιξάντων αὐτῷ τῶν περὶ τὸν Δαμοτέλην καὶ διασαφούντων ὅτι δέδοκται τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς βεβαιοῦν τὰς διʼ ἑαυτῶν γεγενημένας ὁμολογίας, διεχωρίσθησαν, Αἰτωλοὶ μὲν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν, Μάρκος δʼ εἰς τὴν Ἀμβρακίαν.
There, when Damoteles and his companions met him and made it clear that the Aetolians had decided to confirm the agreements made through them, they parted, the Aetolians to their own land, and Marcus to Ambracia.
§21.30.14κἀκεῖσε παραγενόμενος οὗτος μὲν ἐγίνετο περὶ τὸ περαιοῦν τὴν δύναμιν εἰς τὴν Κεφαλληνίαν, §21.30.15οἱ δʼ Αἰτωλοὶ προχειρισάμενοι Φαινέαν καὶ Νίκανδρον πρεσβευτὰς ἐξέπεμψαν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης· §21.30.16ἁπλῶς γὰρ οὐδὲν ἦν κύριον τῶν προειρημένων, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ δόξαι τῷ τῶν Ῥωμαίων.
And having arrived there, the latter occupied himself with transporting his force to Cephallenia, while the Aetolians, having appointed Phaeneas and Nicander as envoys, sent them to Rome concerning the peace; for absolutely nothing of the aforesaid terms had final authority, unless it should also please the Roman people.

Notes

  1. §21.30.1[τη]ροῦντες — Present participle nominative plural masculine, continuing from the letters "τη" at the very end of the previous chunk. It describes the Ambraciots preserving their loyalty toward their allies.
  2. §21.30.1ἐπὶ τούτῳ — Meaning "on this condition," introducing the specific terms of the treaty which follow in the ὥστε clauses (§21.30.2–5).
  3. §21.30.4τὴν Λευκίου Κορνηλίου διάβασιν — Refers to the crossing of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus with his army into Asia in 190 BC. This historical event serves as the chronological reference point for territorial and alliance claims.
  4. §21.30.5ἐκσπόνδους — Meaning "excluded from the treaty" or "outside the protection of the treaty." It indicates that the Cephallenians were intentionally excluded from this peace agreement, leaving them subject to separate Roman military actions.
  5. §21.30.16εἰ μὴ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ δόξαι — A construction where εἰ μή is followed by the infinitive δόξαι (or an optative variant δόξειε). It explains the Roman constitutional principle that preliminary treaties made by a general could not have definitive force without the ratification of the Roman assembly.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §21.30.1-21.30.16. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:21.30.1-21.30.16

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