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Polybius · The Histories §28.2.1-28.2.8

The Rhodian Embassy to Rome and the Grain Request

Passage 1094 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Ambassadors from Rhodes arrive in Rome to renew friendships, request grain import licenses, and counter slander stemming from internal factional struggles. The senate ignores the strife, grants the grain request, and responds consistently to all Greek envoys.

§28.2.1ὅτι κατὰ τοὺς καιροὺς τούτους ἦλθον καὶ παρὰ Ῥοδίων πρέσβεις, ἤδη τῆς θερείας ληγούσης, Ἁγησίλοχος καὶ Νικαγόρας καὶ Νίκανδρος, §28.2.2τήν τε φιλίαν ἀνανεωσόμενοι καὶ σίτου θέλοντες ἐξαγωγὴν λαβεῖν, ἅμα δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν διαβολῶν ἀπολογησόμενοι τῶν λεγομένων κατὰ τῆς πόλεως.
That at this time, when the summer was already drawing to a close, there came also from Rhodes ambassadors, Hagesilochus, Nicagoras, and Nicandrus, both to renew the friendly relations and wishing to obtain permission for the export of corn, and at the same time to clear themselves of the accusations made against their city.
§28.2.3ἐκφανέστατα γὰρ ἐδόκουν στασιάζειν [ἐν τῇ Ῥόδῳ] οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν Ἀγαθάγητον καὶ Φιλόφρονα καὶ Ῥοδοφῶντα καὶ Θεαίδητον, ἀπερειδόμενοι πάσας τὰς ἐλπίδας ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Δείνωνα καὶ Πολυάρατον ἐπὶ Περσέα καὶ Μακεδόνας.
For it was very evident that they were in a state of faction [in Rhodes], those around Agathagetus, Philophron, Rhodophon, and Theaidetus placing all their hopes on the Romans, and those around Deinon and Polyaratus on Perseus and the Macedonians.
§28.2.4ἐξ ὧν πλεονάκις ἐν τοῖς ἐκείνων πράγμασιν ἀντιρρήσεως γινομένης, καὶ διελκομένων τῶν διαβουλίων, ἐλάμβανον ἀφορμὰς οἱ βουλόμενοι λογοποιεῖν κατὰ τῆς πόλεως.
In consequence of which, as disputes frequently arose in their public affairs and their deliberations were dragged out, those who wished to make reports against the city found opportunities.
§28.2.5οὐ μὴν ἥ γε σύγκλητος τότε προσεποιήθη τούτων οὐδέν, καίπερ σαφῶς εἰδυῖα τὰ γενόμενα παρʼ αὐτοῖς· σίτου δʼ ἔδωκε δέκα μυριάδας μεδίμνων ἐξάγειν ἐκ Σικελίας.
Yet the senate did not at that time pretend to notice any of these things, although they knew clearly what was going on among them; and they allowed them to export one hundred thousand medimni of corn from Sicily.
§28.2.6ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡ σύγκλητος ἐχρημάτισεν ἰδίᾳ τοῖς Ῥοδίων πρεσβευταῖς, §28.2.7ἀκολούθως δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἀπήντησε τοῖς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἑλλάδος παραγεγονόσι, τηροῦσιν τὴν αὐτὴν ὑπόθεσιν.
These matters, then, the senate transacted privately with the ambassadors of the Rhodians, and in like manner they answered all the others who had come from Greece, who maintained the same attitude.
§28.2.8καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And such was the state of affairs in Italy.

Notes

  1. 28.2.1ὅτι — The introductory ὅτι at the beginning of the section functions as a conventional particle introducing a summary or historical report, typical of the excerpt style.
  2. 28.2.4ἐξ ὧν ... ἀντιρρήσεως γινομένης — The prepositional phrase ἐξ ὧν with the neuter relative pronoun leads into the subsequent genitive absolute construction, resulting in a slightly irregular syntactic structure.
  3. 28.2.5προσεποιήθη τούτων οὐδέν — The verb προσεποιήθη ('pretended'), combined with the negative οὐδέν, functions idiomatically as 'did not pretend to notice any of these things' (i.e., the senate chose to ignore the internal conflicts).
  4. 28.2.7τηροῦσιν — A dative plural present participle agreeing with the preceding τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν... παραγεγονόσι. It indicates that the other envoys arriving from Greece 'maintained the same attitude' toward Rome, rather than referring to the senate.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §28.2.1-28.2.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:28.2.1-28.2.8

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