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Polybius · The Histories §22.15.1-22.15.6

Appius's Mediation among the Cretan Cities

Passage 1024 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

In Crete, Roman envoys led by Appius intervene in the territorial disputes between Gortyn and Cnossus, dictating terms for the return of territory, the recovery of hostages, and participation in the common tribunal.

§22.15.1ὅτι κατὰ τὴν Κρήτην, κοσμοῦντος ἐν Γορτύνῃ Κύδα τοῦ Ἀντάλκους, κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἐλαττούμενοι Γορτύνιοι τοὺς Κνωσίους, ἀποτεμόμενοι τῆς χώρας αὐτῶν τὸ μὲν καλούμενον Λυκάστιον προσένειμαν Ῥαυκίοις, τὸ δὲ Διατόνιον Λυττίοις.
In Crete, when Cydas the son of Antalces was cosmos in Gortyn, the Gortynians, worsting the Cnossians in every way, cut off a portion of their territory and assigned the place called Lycastium to the Rhaucians, and Diatonium to the Lyttians.
§22.15.2κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον παραγενομένων πρεσβευτῶν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης εἰς τὴν Κρήτην τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἄππιον χάριν τοῦ διαλῦσαι τὰς ἐνεστώσας αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαφοράς, καὶ ποιησαμένων λόγους ὑπὲρ τούτων ἐν τῇ Κνωσίων καὶ Γορτυνίων, πεισθέντες οἱ Κρηταιεῖς ἐπέτρεψαν τὰ καθʼ αὑτοὺς τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἄππιον.
At this time, when the Roman envoys under Appius arrived in Crete to settle the disputes that had arisen among them, and made speeches about these matters in Cnossus and Gortyn, the Cretans, being persuaded, submitted their affairs to Appius and his colleagues.
§22.15.3οἱ δὲ [πεισθέντες] Κνωσίοις μὲν ἀποκατέστησαν τὴν χώραν, Κυδωνιάταις δὲ προσέταξαν τοὺς μὲν ὁμήρους ἀπολαβεῖν, οὓς ἐγκατέλειπον δόντες τοῖς περὶ Χαρμίωνα πρότερον, τὴν δὲ Φαλάσαρναν ἀφεῖναι μηδὲν ἐξ αὐτῆς νοσφισαμένους.
They restored their territory to the Cnossians, and ordered the Cydoniatans to recover the hostages whom they had previously left in the hands of Charmion and his associates, and to evacuate Phalasarna without plundering anything from it.
§22.15.4περὶ δὲ τῶν κατὰ κοινοδίκιον συνεχώρησαν αὐτοῖς βουλομένοις μὲν [αὐτοῖς] ἐξεῖναι μετέχειν, §22.15.5μὴ βουλομένοις δὲ καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐξεῖναι, §22.15.6πάσης ἀπεχομένοις τῆς ἄλλης Κρήτης αὐτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς ἐκ Φαλασάρνης φυγάσιν.
Regarding the matters of the common tribunal (Koinodikion), they granted that if they wished, they might participate in it, and if they did not wish, they were free not to do so, on the condition that both they themselves and the exiles from Phalasarna should keep away from all the rest of Crete.
ἀπέκτειναν τοὺς περὶ Μενοίτιον, ἐπιφανεστάτους ὄντας τῶν πολιτῶν.
However, they put to death Menoetius and his associates, who were the most prominent of the citizens.

Notes

  1. 22.15.1κοσμοῦντος ἐν Γορτύνῃ Κύδα τοῦ Ἀντάλκους — A genitive absolute construction where the present participle 'κοσμοῦντος' indicates the holding of the office of 'cosmos' (the chief magistrate in Cretan cities), with 'Κύδα τοῦ Ἀντάλκους' (Cydas, son of Antalces) acting as the subject.
  2. 22.15.1ἐλαττούμενοι τοὺς Κνωσίους — The verb 'ἐλαττόω' normally means 'to lessen' or 'to make inferior', but here it is used transitively in the middle voice with the meaning 'to worst' or 'to get the better of', taking 'τοὺς Κνωσίους' (the Cnussians) as its direct object.
  3. 22.15.6πάσης ἀπεχομένοις τῆς ἄλλης Κρήτης αὐτοῖς τε καὶ τοῖς ἐκ Φαλασάρνης φυγάσιν — The dative plural participle 'ἀπεχομένοις' (keeping away from) agrees with 'αὐτοῖς' (the Cydonians) and 'φυγάσιν' (exiles), matching the datives in §22.15.4. It expresses the condition under which the Roman envoys granted the concession concerning the common tribunal.
  4. 22.15.6ἀπέκτειναν — A third-person plural aorist verb whose subject is omitted but can be understood from the context as the Cydonians (or a faction among them) acting in defiance of the Roman terms.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §22.15.1-22.15.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:22.15.1-22.15.6

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