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Polybius · The Histories §29.15.1-29.15.3

Milon's Dispatch and Conflicting Accounts of the Attack

Passage 1130 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Perseus learns of the Roman flanking movement from a deserter and, in confusion, dispatches a force under Milon to secure the mountain passes. The conflicting accounts of Polybius and Nasica regarding the Roman attack on this force are noted.

§29.15.1τῷ δὲ Περσεῖ τὸν Αἰμίλιον ἀτρεμοῦντα κατὰ χώραν ὁρῶντι καὶ μὴ λογιζομένῳ τὸ γινόμενον, ἀποδρὰς ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ Κρὴς αὐτόμολος ἧκε μηνύων τὴν περίοδον τῶν Ῥωμαίων.
To Perseus, who saw Aemilius remaining quiet in his position and did not suspect what was happening, a Cretan deserter who had escaped from the road came to announce the flanking movement of the Romans.
§29.15.2ὁ δὲ συνταραχθεὶς τὸ μὲν στρατόπεδον οὐκ ἐκίνησε, μυρίους δὲ μισθοφόρους ξένους καὶ δισχιλίους Μακεδόνας Μίλωνι παραδοὺς ἐξαπέστειλε, παρακελευσάμενος ταχῦναι καὶ καταλαβεῖν τὰς ὑπερβολάς.
But he, being thrown into confusion, did not move his main camp, but having delivered ten thousand foreign mercenaries and two thousand Macedonians to Milon, dispatched them, ordering them to make haste and occupy the mountain passes.
§29.15.3τούτοις ὁ μὲν Πολύβιος φησιν ἔτι κοιμωμένοις ἐπιπεσεῖν τοὺς Ῥωμαίους, ὁ δὲ Νασικᾶς ὀξὺν ἀγῶνα περὶ τοῖς ἄκροις γενέσθαι καὶ κίνδυνον. —
Against these, Polybius says that the Romans fell while they were still asleep, but Nasica says that a sharp struggle and danger took place around the heights. —

Notes

  1. §29.15.1τῷ δὲ Περσεῖ — Dative of interest or direction, modifying the verb ἧκε (came) or the participle μηνύων (announcing) at the end of the sentence. It indicates that the deserter came to Perseus while Perseus 'was seeing' (ὁρῶντι) and 'was not suspecting' (μὴ λογιζομένῳ).
  2. §29.15.3τούτοις — Dative plural of the demonstrative pronoun, referring to the force of Macedonians and mercenaries under Milon mentioned in the preceding clause. It functions as the dative object of the subsequent infinitive ἐπιπεσεῖν (to fall upon, from ἐπιπίπτω).

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §29.15.1-29.15.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:29.15.1-29.15.3

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