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Polybius · The Histories §28.12.1-28.12.9

Achaean Resolution to Aid Rome and Diplomatic Missions

Passage 1104 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

In response to Perseus' plan to enter Thessaly, the Achaeans resolved to support the Romans with their entire force and sent Polybius and other envoys to the consul. They also dispatched embassies to Attalus regarding Eumenes' honors, and to Ptolemy on the occasion of his coming of age.

§28.12.1ὅτι τοῦ Περσέως βουλομένου ἥξειν μετὰ δυνάμεως εἰς τὴν Θετταλίαν καὶ λήψεσθαι τὰ ὅλα κρίσιν ἐκ τῶν κατὰ λόγον, ἔδοξε τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἄρχωνα διʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπολογεῖσθαι πάλιν πρὸς τὰς ὑπονοίας καὶ διαβολάς.
When Perseus wished to arrive with a force in Thessaly and, in accordance with expectation, bring the whole matter to a decision, Archon and his party resolved to defend themselves once more against suspicions and calumnies through their actions themselves.
§28.12.2εἰσήνεγκαν οὖν εἰς τοὺς Ἀχαιοὺς δόγμα διότι δεῖ πανδημεὶ ποιησαμένους τὴν ἔξοδον εἰς Θετταλίαν κοινωνῆσαι τῶν πραγμάτων ὁλοσχερῶς τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις.
Therefore, they introduced a decree to the Achaeans that they must make an expedition in full force into Thessaly and share the enterprise entirely with the Romans.
§28.12.3καὶ τούτου κυρωθέντος ἔδοξε τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς τὸν Ἄρχωνα γίνεσθαι περὶ τὴν συναγωγὴν τοῦ στρατεύματος καὶ περὶ τὰς εἰς τὴν ἔξοδον παρασκευάς, πρὸς δὲ τὸν ὕπατον πρεσβευτὰς πέμπειν εἰς Θετταλίαν τοὺς τὰ δεδογμένα τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς διασαφήσοντας καὶ πευσομένους πότε καὶ ποῦ δεῖ συμμιγνύειν αὐτῷ τὸ στρατόπεδον.
And when this was ratified, the Achaeans resolved that Archon should occupy himself with the gathering of the army and the preparations for the expedition, and that they should send envoys to the consul in Thessaly to make clear to him the decisions of the Achaeans and to inquire when and where the army should join him.
§28.12.4καὶ κατέστησαν πρεσβευτὰς παραχρῆμα Πολύβιον καὶ ἄλλους καὶ ἐνετείλαντο τῷ Πολυβίῳ φιλοτίμως, ἐὰν ὁ στρατηγὸς εὐδοκῇ τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ στρατοπέδου, τοὺς μὲν συμπρεσβευτὰς ἐξ αὐτῆς πέμπειν διασαφήσοντας, ἵνα μὴ καθυστερῶσι τῶν καιρῶν, §28.12.5αὐτὸν δὲ φροντίζειν ἵνα τὸ στράτευμα πᾶν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἀγορὰς ἔχῃ, διʼ ὧν ἂν πορεύηται, καὶ μηδὲν ἐλλείπῃ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τοὺς στρατιώτας.
And they immediately appointed Polybius and others as envoys, and earnestly instructed Polybius that, if the general should welcome the presence of the army, he should send his fellow envoys from that very place to announce it, so that they might not miss the opportunity, and that he himself should see to it that the entire army should have markets in the cities through which it might march, and that the soldiers should lack none of the necessary provisions.
§28.12.6ταύτας μὲν οὖν ἔχοντες οἱ προειρημένοι τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐξώρμησαν· §28.12.7κατέστησαν δὲ καὶ πρεσβευτὰς πρὸς Ἄτταλον τοὺς περὶ Τηλόκριτον, ἀποκομίζοντας τὸ δόγμα τὸ περὶ τῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως τῶν Εὐμένους τιμῶν.
Having, then, these instructions, the aforementioned envoys set out; and they also appointed Telocritus and his party as envoys to Attalus, conveying the decree concerning the restoration of the honors of Eumenes.
§28.12.8καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν καὶ περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Πτολεμαίου προσπεσόντος τοῖς Ἀχαιοῖς διότι γέγονεν αὐτῷ τὰ νομιζόμενα γίνεσθαι τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν, ὅταν εἰς ἡλικίαν ἔλθωσιν, §28.12.9ἀνακλητήρια, νομίσαντες σφίσι καθήκειν ἐπισημήνασθαι τὸ γεγονός, ἐψηφίσαντο πέμπειν πρεσβευτὰς ἀνανεωσομένους τὰ προϋπάρχοντα τῷ ἔθνει φιλάνθρωπα πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν, καὶ παραυτίκα κατέστησαν Ἀλκίθον καὶ Πασιάδαν.
And at the same time, news having reached the Achaeans concerning King Ptolemy that there had taken place for him the ceremonies customary for kings when they come of age, namely the Anacleteria, and thinking it was proper for them to celebrate the event, they voted to send envoys to renew the existing friendly relations of the nation toward the kingdom, and immediately appointed Alcithus and Pasiadas.

Notes

  1. 28.12.1ὅτι — The conjunction ὅτι at the beginning of the sentence is characteristic of excerpts (Excerpta), serving to introduce a cited historical statement ("that...").
  2. 28.12.1τὰ ὅλα κρίσιν — The phrase presents κρίσιν as the direct object of the future infinitive λήψεσθαι, while τὰ ὅλα functions either as a secondary object or as an adverbial accusative ("in respect to the whole state of affairs"), meaning "to bring the whole situation to a decision."
  3. 28.12.3γίνεσθαι περὶ — The infinitive γίνεσθαι used with the preposition περί and the accusative is an idiomatic expression meaning "to be occupied with" or "to devote oneself to" a task. It is governed here by the impersonal verb ἔδοξε.
  4. 28.12.4ἐξ αὐτῆς — The prepositional phrase ἐξ αὐτῆς, with a feminine genitive pronoun modifying an implied noun (such as ὥρας), is used adverbially to mean "immediately" or "from that very moment."
  5. 28.12.5μηδὲν ἐλλείπῃ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων τοὺς στρατιώτας — The verb ἐλλείπω here functions as an impersonal verb ("to be lacking"). It governs a genitive of the thing that is lacking (τῶν ἐπιτηδείων) and an accusative of the person who suffers the lack (τοὺς στρατιώτας), meaning "so that none of the provisions should be lacking to the soldiers."
  6. 28.12.8προσπεσόντος — This genitive absolute employs the verb προσπίπτω in the sense of "to fall upon" or "to reach one's ears" (of news). The specific content of the news is introduced by the subsequent conjunction διότι (equivalent to ὅτι).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §28.12.1-28.12.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:28.12.1-28.12.9

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