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Polybius · The Histories §21.33.1-21.33.2

Introduction to the Galatian War and the Envoy to Pergamum

Passage 995 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

This chunk summarizes that while treaty negotiations regarding Asia took place in Rome and war continued in Greece, the campaign against the Galatians in Asia was conducted, and mentions that a certain individual favorably received a young man and dispatched him to Pergamum.

§21.33.1ὅτι καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ τὰ περὶ τὰς συνθήκας τὰς πρὸς Ἀντίοχον καὶ καθόλου περὶ τῆς Ἀσίας αἱ πρεσβεῖαι διεπράττοντο, κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἑλλάδα τὸ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἔθνος ἐπολεμεῖτο, κατὰ τοῦτον συνέβη τὸν περὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν πρὸς τοὺς Γαλάτας πόλεμον ἐπιτελεσθῆναι, περὶ οὗ νῦν ἐνιστάμεθα τὴν διήγησιν. — §21.33.2ὁ δὲ κατευδοκήσας τῷ νεανίσκῳ κατὰ τὴν ἀπάντησιν, τοῦτον ἀπέλυσε παραχρῆμʼ εἰς τὸ Πέργαμον. —
That at the same time when in Rome the embassies were negotiating the matters concerning the treaty with Antiochus and overall concerning Asia, and in Greece the Aetolian nation was being campaigned against, at that very time occurred the completion of the war in Asia against the Galatians, of which we are now about to enter upon the narrative. — And he, having looked with favor upon the young man during the interview, immediately dispatched him to Pergamum. —

Notes

  1. 21.33.1ὅτι — This ὅτι is characteristic of the Byzantine excerpts (epitome) of Polybius, serving to introduce a summarized narrative point, effectively functioning to introduce the excerpt as "That...".
  2. 21.33.1συνέβη ... ἐπιτελεσθῆναι — The impersonal verb συνέβη ("it happened") takes the accusative and infinitive construction τὸν ... πόλεμον ἐπιτελεσθῆναι ("the war ... to be completed") as its subject, meaning "it happened that the war was completed".
  3. 21.33.2κατευδοκήσας ... κατὰ τὴν ἀπάντησιν — The aorist participle κατευδοκήσας ("having looked with favor upon / approved") governs the dative τῷ νεανίσκῳ. The phrase κατὰ τὴν ἀπάντησιν refers to the occasion of the meeting or audience.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §21.33.1-21.33.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:21.33.1-21.33.2

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