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Polybius · The Histories §25.6.1-25.6.6

Dardanian Appeals and the Roman Commission of Inquiry

Passage 1070 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

While the senate postponed its answer to the Rhodian ambassadors, it decided to send commissioners to investigate the situation upon receiving reports from the Dardanians and Thessalians about the threat of the Bastarnae and Perseus.

§25.6.1ὅτι ἡ σύγκλητος, παραγενομένων τῶν ἐκ τῆς Ῥόδου πρεσβευτῶν, διακούσασα τῶν λόγων ὑπερέθετο τὴν ἀπόκρισιν.
When the ambassadors from Rhodes arrived, the senate, after hearing their statements, postponed their reply.
§25.6.2ἡκόντων δὲ τῶν Δαρδανίων καὶ περὶ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν Βασταρνῶν καὶ περὶ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις τόλμης ἐξηγουμένων, §25.6.3καὶ διασαφούντων περὶ τῆς Περσέως κοινοπραγίας καὶ τῶν Γαλατῶν καὶ φασκόντων τοῦτον ἀγωνιᾶν μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς Βαστάρνας καὶ διὰ ταῦτα δεομένων σφίσι βοηθεῖν,
Meanwhile, the Dardanians arrived and explained the multitude of the Bastarnae, the stature of the men, and their boldness in times of danger, and made clear the joint-plotting of Perseus and the Galatians, claiming that he was in even greater anxiety than the Bastarnae, and for these reasons begged them to send help.
§25.6.4παρόντων δὲ καὶ Θετταλῶν καὶ συνεπιμαρτυρούντων τοῖς Δαρδανίοις καὶ παρακαλούντων καὶ τούτων ἐπὶ τὴν βοήθειαν, §25.6.5ἔδοξε τῇ συγκλήτῳ πέμψαι τινὰς τοὺς αὐτόπτας ἐσομένους τῶν προσαγγελλομένων.
Since the Thessalians were also present, corroborating the testimony of the Dardanians and likewise calling for aid, it seemed good to the senate to send commissioners who would be eyewitnesses of the reported matters.
§25.6.6καὶ παραυτίκα καταστήσαντες Αὖλον Ποστόμιον ἐξαπέστειλαν καὶ σὺν τούτῳ τινὰς τῶν νέων.
And they immediately appointed Aulus Postumius and sent him out, along with some of the younger men.

Notes

  1. §25.6.2ἡκόντων δὲ τῶν Δαρδανίων — From §25.6.2 to §25.6.4, a long series of genitive absolute constructions with multiple participles (ἡκόντων, ἐξηγουμένων, etc.) is sustained, all serving to set the background or cause for the main verb ἔδοξε in §25.6.5.
  2. §25.6.3τοῦτον ἀγωνιᾶν — τοῦτον is the subject of the infinitive clause, referring back to Perseus. The infinitive ἀγωνιᾶν (from ἀγωνιάω) means 'to be in great anxiety' or 'to be agitated', indicating here that Perseus was acting with even greater urgency or anxiety than the Bastarnae.
  3. §25.6.5τῶν προσαγγελλομένων — A substantivized neuter plural participle meaning 'the things reported'. It functions as an objective genitive dependent on the noun αὐτόπτας ('eyewitnesses').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §25.6.1-25.6.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:25.6.1-25.6.6

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