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Polybius · The Histories §21.32.1-21.32.15

Terms of the Peace Treaty with the Aetolians

Passage 992 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Following the approval of the Senate and the Roman people, the specific terms of the peace treaty with the Aetolians are detailed, including provisions on sovereignty, return of prisoners, indemnity payments, and hostages.

§21.32.1δόξαντος δὲ τῷ συνεδρίῳ, καὶ τοῦ δήμου συνεπιψηφίσαντος, ἐκυρώθη τὰ κατὰ τὰς διαλύσεις.
The Senate having so resolved, and the people also having voted in support, the terms of the peace were ratified.
τὰ δὲ κατὰ μέρος ἦν τῶν συνθηκῶν ταῦτα.
The detailed provisions of the treaty were as follows.
§21.32.2"ὁ δῆμος ὁ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν δυναστείαν τοῦ δήμου τῶν Ῥωμαίων §21.32.3.
"The people of the Aetolians [shall maintain] the sovereignty and majesty of the people of the Romans.
πολεμίους μὴ διιέτω διὰ τῆς χώρας καὶ τῶν πόλεων ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους ἢ τοὺς συμμάχους καὶ φίλους αὐτῶν, μηδὲ χορηγείτω μηδὲν δημοσίᾳ βουλῇ.
They shall not allow any enemies to pass through their territory and cities against the Romans or their allies and friends, nor shall they supply them with anything by public decision.
§21.32.4καὶ ἐὰν πολεμῶσιν πρός τινας Ῥωμαῖοι, πολεμείτω πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ δῆμος ὁ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν.
And if the Romans make war upon any people, the people of the Aetolians shall also make war upon them.
§21.32.5τοὺς δὲ αὐτομόλους, τοὺς δραπέτας, τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους πάντας τοὺς Ῥωμαίων καὶ τῶν συμμάχων ἀποδότωσαν Αἰτωλοί, §21.32.6χωρὶς τῶν ὅσοι κατὰ πόλεμον ἁλόντες εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπῆλθον καὶ πάλιν ἑάλωσαν, καὶ χωρὶς τῶν ὅσοι πολέμιοι Ῥωμαίων ἐγένοντο, καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν Αἰτωλοὶ μετὰ Ῥωμαίων συνεπολέμουν, ἐν ἡμέραις ἑκατὸν ἀφʼ ἧς ἂν τὰ ὅρκια τελεσθῇ, τῷ ἄρχοντι τῷ ἐν Κερκύρᾳ·
The Aetolians shall restore all deserters, runaway slaves, and prisoners belonging to the Romans and their allies, except those who, having been captured in war, returned to their own country and were captured again, and except those who became enemies of the Romans during the time when the Aetolians were fighting in alliance with the Romans; this shall be done within one hundred days from the ratification of the treaty, to the magistrate in Corcyra.
§21.32.7ἐὰν δὲ μὴ εὑρεθῶσίν τινες ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ, ὅταν ἐμφανεῖς γένωνται, τότε ἀποδότωσαν χωρὶς δόλου· καὶ τούτοις μετὰ τὰ ὅρκια μὴ ἔστω ἐπάνοδος εἰς τὴν Αἰτωλίαν.
If any are not found within this time, they shall restore them without guile as soon as they are discovered; and these persons, after the treaty, shall not be allowed to return to Aetolia.
§21.32.8δότωσαν δὲ Αἰτωλοὶ ἀργυρίου μὴ χείρονος Ἀττικοῦ παραχρῆμα μὲν τάλαντα Εὐβοϊκὰ διακόσια τῷ στρατηγῷ τῷ ἐν τῇ Ἑλλάδι, ἀντὶ τρίτου μέρους τοῦ ἀργυρίου χρυσίον, ἐὰν βούλωνται, διδόντες, τῶν δέκα μνῶν ἀργυρίου χρυσίου μνᾶν διδόντες,
The Aetolians shall pay immediately to the general in Greece two hundred Euboean talents in silver of a standard not inferior to Attic; they may, if they wish, pay gold instead of a third part of the silver, giving one mina of gold for ten minae of silver.
§21.32.9ἀφʼ ἧς δʼ ἂν ἡμέρας τὰ ὅρκια τμηθῇ ἐν ἔτεσι τοῖς πρώτοις ἓξ κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον τάλαντα πεντήκοντα· καὶ τὰ χρήματα καθιστάτωσαν ἐν Ῥώμῃ.
From the day the treaty is signed, they shall pay fifty talents annually for the first six years; and they shall deliver the money in Rome.
δότωσαν Αἰτωλοὶ ὁμήρους τῷ στρατηγῷ τετταράκοντα, §21.32.10μὴ νεωτέρους ἐτῶν δώδεκα μηδὲ πρεσβυτέρους τετταράκοντα, εἰς ἔτη ἕξ, οὓς ἂν Ῥωμαῖοι προκρίνωσιν, χωρὶς στρατηγοῦ καὶ ἱππάρχου καὶ δημοσίου γραμματέως καὶ τῶν ὡμηρευκότων ἐν Ῥώμῃ.
The Aetolians shall give forty hostages to the general, not younger than twelve years nor older than forty, for six years, whom the Romans may select, excluding any general, commander of cavalry, public secretary, or those who have already been hostages in Rome.
καὶ τὰ ὅμηρα καθιστάτωσαν εἰς Ῥώμην· §21.32.11ἐὰν δέ τις ἀποθάνῃ τῶν ὁμήρων, ἄλλον ἀντικαθιστάτωσαν.
And they shall deliver the hostages in Rome; and if any of the hostages should die, they shall replace him with another.
§21.32.12περὶ δὲ Κεφαλληνίας μὴ ἔστω ἐν ταῖς συνθήκαις.
The island of Cephallenia shall not be included in the treaty.
§21.32.13ὅσαι χῶραι καὶ πόλεις καὶ ἄνδρες, οἷς οὗτοι ἐχρῶντο, ἐπὶ Λευκίου Κοϊντίου καὶ Γναΐου Δομετίου στρατηγῶν ἢ ὕστερον ἑάλωσαν ἢ εἰς φιλίαν ἦλθον Ῥωμαίοις, τούτων τῶν πόλεων καὶ τῶν ἐν ταύταις μηδένα προσλαβέτωσαν Αἰτωλοί.
Of all the territories, cities, and men which they used to hold, and which were captured by the Romans or entered into friendship with them during the consulships of Lucius Quinctius and Gnaeus Domitius or later, the Aetolians shall not associate themselves with any of these cities or the people in them.
§21.32.14ἡ δὲ πόλις καὶ ἡ χώρα ἡ τῶν Οἰνιαδῶν Ἀκαρνάνων ἔστω. " §21.32.15τμηθέντων δὲ τῶν ὁρκίων ἐπὶ τούτοις συνετετέλεστο τὰ τῆς εἰρήνης.
The city and territory of Oeniadae shall belong to the Acarnanians." The treaty having been sworn to on these terms, the peace was concluded.
καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς καὶ καθόλου τοὺς Ἕλληνας τοιαύτην ἔσχε τὴν ἐπιγραφήν. —
Such was the issue of the affairs concerning the Aetolians and the Greeks in general.

Notes

  1. 21.32.2τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὴν δυναστείαν τοῦ δήμου τῶν Ῥωμαίων — The main verb is missing in this sentence (lacuna). Given the treaty context, a third-person singular imperative verb meaning "to preserve" or "to respect" (such as τηρείτω or σωζέτω) must be supplied, which is also supported by the use of the third-person singular imperative διιέτω in the following section (§21.32.3).
  2. 21.32.6καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν Αἰτωλοὶ μετὰ Ῥωμαίων συνεπολέμουν — The relative clause καθʼ ὃν... limits the time period of the preceding phrase ὅσοι πολέμιοι Ῥωμαίων ἐγένοντο (all those who became enemies of the Romans). It specifies that prisoners who became enemies of Rome during the period when the Aetolians were allied with Rome (e.g., during the Second Macedonian War) are excluded from the current obligation of return.
  3. 21.32.8τῶν δέκα μνῶν ἀργυρίου — The genitive τῶν δέκα μνῶν expresses value or exchange proportion (genitive of price/value, implying "in exchange for"), establishing the gold-to-silver exchange ratio of 1:10 ("giving one mina of gold for ten minae of silver") which was standard at the time.
  4. 21.32.13οἷς οὗτοι ἐχρῶντο — The relative pronoun οἷς is the object of the verb ἐχρῶντο (which governs the dative) and refers back to the antecedents χῶραι καὶ πόλεις καὶ ἄνδρες. The pronoun οὗτοι refers to the Aetolians. The initial nominative noun phrase acts as a pendens (prolepsis), which is subsequently picked up by the genitive phrase τούτων τῶν πόλεων in the main clause.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §21.32.1-21.32.15. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:21.32.1-21.32.15

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