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Polybius · The Histories §23.8.1-23.8.7

Philip's Thracian Evacuation and Barbarian Expedition

Passage 1039 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Upon the arrival of Quintus Marcius's embassy, Philip complies with Roman demands by fully evacuating Greek cities in Thrace, but does so with resentment, conducting a military expedition against neighboring barbarian tribes to gain time for war preparations.

§23.8.1ὅτι τῶν περὶ τὸν Κόιντον τὸν Μάρκιον πρεσβευσάντων εἰς Μακεδονίαν, ἀπέβη μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων ὁλοσχερῶς ὁ Φίλιππος καὶ τὰς φρουρὰς ἐξήγαγεν, ἀπέβη δὲ βαρυνόμενος καὶ στένων.
When Quintus Marcius and his fellow-ambassadors arrived on an embassy in Macedonia, Philip withdrew entirely from the Greek cities on the coast of Thrace and evacuated his garrisons, yet he did so with a heavy heart and groaning with resentment.
§23.8.2διωρθώσατο δὲ καὶ τἄλλα πάντα, περὶ ὧν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι προσεπέταττον, βουλόμενος ἐκείνοις μὲν μηδεμίαν ἔμφασιν ποιεῖν ἀλλοτριότητος, λαμβάνειν δʼ ἀναστροφὴν πρὸς τὰς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον παρασκευάς.
He also complied with all the other matters about which the Romans gave further orders, wishing to give them no indication of hostility, but to gain time for his preparations for war.
§23.8.3τηρῶν δὲ τὴν προκειμένην ὑπόθεσιν, ἐξῆγε στρατιὰν ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους.
Maintaining his underlying purpose, he led an army against the barbarians.
§23.8.4διελθὼν δὲ διὰ μέσης τῆς Θρᾴκης ἐνέβαλεν εἰς Ὀδρύσας καὶ Βέσσους καὶ Δενθηλήτους.
Passing through the heart of Thrace, he invaded the territories of the Odrysae, Bessi, and Dentheletae.
§23.8.5παραγενόμενος δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν προσαγορευομένην Φιλίππου πόλιν, φυγόντων τῶν ἐνοικούντων εἰς τὰς ἀκρωρείας, ἐξ ἐφόδου κατέσχε τὴν πόλιν.
Arriving at the city called Philippopolis, since the inhabitants had fled to the mountain heights, he took the city by storm at the first assault.
§23.8.6μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πᾶν τὸ πεδίον ἐπιδραμὼν καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐκπορθήσας, παρʼ ὧν δὲ πίστεις λαβών, ἐπανῆλθε, φρουρὰν καταλιπὼν ἐν τῇ Φιλίππου πόλει.
After this, having overrun the whole plain, and having plundered some, while receiving pledges of submission from others, he returned, leaving a garrison in Philippopolis.
§23.8.7ταύτην δὲ συνέβη μετά τινα χρόνον ἐκπεσεῖν ὑπὸ τῶν Ὀδρυσῶν, ἀθετησάντων τὰς πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα πίστεις.
But it happened that some time later this garrison was expelled by the Odrysae, who broke their pledges of submission to the king.

Notes

  1. §23.8.1τῶν περὶ τὸν Κόιντον τὸν Μάρκιον πρεσβευσάντων — The phrase οἱ περί τινα is an idiomatic expression meaning 'someone and his associates', here referring to the Roman embassy led by Quintus Marcius. The entire phrase, together with the participle πρεσβευσάντων, forms a genitive absolute functions as a temporal clause.
  2. §23.8.1ἀπέβη μὲν ... ἀπέβη δὲ — The same verb ἀπέβη (aorist of ἀποβαίνω) is repeated. The first occurrence means physically 'withdrawing' from a place (ἀπὸ τῶν... πόλεων), while the second, accompanied by the participles βαρυνόμενος καὶ στένων, describes the psychological or situational manner in which he departed.
  3. §23.8.2λαμβάνειν δʼ ἀναστροφὴν — The infinitive λαμβάνειν depends on the participle βουλόμενος ('wishing') in the preceding clause. Here, ἀναστροφή is used in a sense frequently found in Polybius, meaning 'respite', 'delay', or 'breathing space'.
  4. §23.8.7ταύτην δὲ συνέβη μετά τινα χρόνον ἐκπεσεῖν — An accusative and infinitive construction (ταύτην... ἐκπεσεῖν) serves as the subject of the impersonal verb συνέβη ('it happened'). The accusative pronoun ταύτην refers back to φρουράν ('garrison') or πόλιν ('city') and acts as the subject of ἐκπεσεῖν (aorist infinitive of ἐκπίπτω, 'to be expelled' or 'driven out').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §23.8.1-23.8.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:23.8.1-23.8.7

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