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Polybius · The Histories §23.18.1-23.18.5

Sparta's Admission to the League and Embassies to Rome

Passage 1049 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The Achaeans decide to admit Sparta into the league after hearing both arguments and send an embassy to Rome. Sparta and the exiles also dispatch their respective envoys to state their cases before the Roman Senate.

§23.18.1ἐκβεβληκόσιν.
...who had expelled them.
τοιαῦτα μὲν ἦν τὰ ῥηθέντα παρʼ ἑκατέρων.
Such was the language used on both sides.
οἱ δʼ Ἀχαιοὶ διακούσαντες ἀμφοτέρων ἔκριναν προσλαβέσθαι τὴν πόλιν, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα στήλης προγραφείσης συνεπολιτεύετο μετὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἡ Σπάρτη, §23.18.2προσδεξαμένων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει τούτους τῶν ἀρχαίων φυγάδων, ὅσοι μηδὲν ἐδόκουν ἄγνωμον πεποιηκέναι κατὰ τοῦ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ἔθνους.
The Achaeans, after hearing both parties, decided to admit the city; and after this, a pillar of treaty having been set up, Sparta joined the Achaean League, on the condition that those in the city should receive back those of the ancient exiles who did not appear to have committed any hostile act against the Achaean nation.
§23.18.3οἱ δʼ Ἀχαιοὶ ταῦτα κυρώσαντες πρεσβευτὰς ἀπέστειλαν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην τοὺς περὶ Βίππον τὸν Ἀργεῖον, διασαφήσοντας τῇ συγκλήτῳ περὶ πάντων.
The Achaeans, having ratified these terms, sent Bippus of Argos and his colleagues as envoys to Rome, to explain everything to the Senate.
§23.18.4ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τοὺς περὶ Χαίρωνα κατέστησαν.
In like manner the Lacedaemonians also appointed Chaeron and his colleagues.
§23.18.5ἐξαπέστειλαν δʼ οἱ φυγάδες τοὺς περὶ Κλῆτιν καὶ Διακτόριον τοὺς συγκαταστησομένους ἐν τῇ συγκλήτῳ πρὸς τοὺς παρὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν πρεσβευτάς.
And the exiles dispatched Cletis and Diactorius and their colleagues to plead their cause in the Senate against the envoys from the Achaeans.

Notes

  1. 23.18.1ἐκβεβληκόσιν — Perfect active participle dative plural, which completes the phrase "τοῖς ἀσεβῶς καὶ παρανόμως αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος" (to those who have impiously and unlawfully expelled them from their fatherland) at the very end of the previous chunk.
  2. 23.18.2προσδεξαμένων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει — A genitive absolute construction with "those in the city" as the logical subject, expressing the condition under which Sparta's incorporation into the Achaean League was carried out (namely, the readmission of those ancient exiles who had not committed hostile acts).
  3. 23.18.3τοὺς περὶ Βίππον τὸν Ἀργεῖον — An idiomatic expression meaning "Bippus of Argos and his associates" or "the embassy led by Bippus". The same construction is used in 18.4 ("τοὺς περὶ Χαίρωνα") and 18.5 ("τοὺς περὶ Κλῆτιν καὶ Διακτόριον").
  4. 23.18.3διασαφήσοντας — A future participle in the accusative modifying "the envoys", expressing purpose ("in order to explain everything to the Senate"). The same usage of the future participle to express purpose is found in 18.5 ("συγκαταστησομένους").

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §23.18.1-23.18.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:23.18.1-23.18.5

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