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Polybius · The Histories §29.3.1-29.3.9

Alliance of Perseus and Genthius against Rome

Passage 1118 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Perseus, king of Macedon, upon hearing that Genthius, king of Illyria, was willing to join the war against Rome in exchange for money, dispatched Pantauchus to seal the alliance and persuade Genthius to send joint embassies to Rhodes.

§29.3.1ὅτι παραγενομένων πρὸ τοῦ χειμῶνος τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἱππίαν, οὓς ἀπεστάλκει πρεσβευτὰς ὁ Περσεὺς πρὸς Γένθιον ὑπὲρ τῆς συμμαχίας, §29.3.2καὶ διασαφούντων ὅτι πρόθυμος ὁ βασιλεύς ἐστιν ἀναδέχεσθαι τὸν πρὸς Ῥωμαίους πόλεμον, ἐὰν αὐτῷ δοθῇ τριακόσια τάλαντα καὶ πίστεις αἱ προσήκουσαι περὶ τῶν ὅλων, §29.3.3πυθόμενος ταῦτα καὶ κρίνων ἀναγκαίαν εἶναι τὴν Γενθίου κοινοπραγίαν προεχειρίσατο Πάνταυχον, ἕνα τῶν πρώτων φίλων, §29.3.4καὶ τοῦτον ἐξαπέστειλε, δοὺς ἐντολὰς πρῶτον μὲν ὁμολογήσαντα περὶ τῶν χρημάτων ὅρκους καὶ δοῦναι καὶ λαβεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς συμμαχίας, εἶτα τοὺς ὁμήρους ἐξ αὐτῆς κἀκεῖνον πέμπειν, οὓς ἂν δοκῇ Πανταύχῳ, καὶ παρʼ αὐτοῦ λαμβάνειν οὓς ἂν ἀποφήνῃ Γένθιος διὰ τῶν ἐγγράπτων, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις διατάξασθαι περὶ τῆς κομιδῆς τῶν τριακοσίων ταλάντων.
That before winter, Hippias and his associates, whom Perseus had sent as ambassadors to Genthius to negotiate an alliance, arrived, and made it clear that the king was ready to undertake the war against the Romans, provided that he were given three hundred talents and the proper guarantees concerning the whole matter; when Perseus heard this and decided that joint action with Genthius was necessary, he chose Pantauchus, one of his chief Friends, and dispatched him, giving him instructions first to agree upon the money and to exchange oaths for the alliance, and then to send immediately those hostages whom Pantauchus approved, and to receive from him those whom Genthius should designate in writing, and furthermore to arrange for the transport of the three hundred talents.
§29.3.5ὁ δὲ Πάνταυχος ἐξ αὐτῆς ποιησάμενος τὴν ὁρμὴν καὶ παραγενόμενος εἰς Μετέωνα τῆς Λαβεάτιδος κἀνταῦθα συμμίξας τῷ Γενθίῳ ταχέως παρεστήσατο τὸν νεανίσκον πρὸς τὸ κοινωνεῖν τῷ Περσεῖ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐλπίδων.
Pantauchus, starting immediately and arriving at Meteon in Labeatis, met Genthius there and quickly induced the young man to share the same hopes with Perseus.
§29.3.6τμηθέντων δὲ τῶν ὁρκίων ὑπὲρ τῆς συμμαχίας καὶ καταγραφέντων, εὐθέως ὁ Γένθιος ἅμα τοὺς ὁμήρους ἔπεμπε τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ Πανταύχου καταγραφέντας καὶ σὺν τούτοις Ὀλυμπίωνα παραληψόμενον τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τοὺς ὁμήρους παρὰ τοῦ Περσέως, ἑτέρους δὲ τοὺς περὶ τῶν χρημάτων ἕξοντας τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν.
When the treaty for the alliance was sworn and committed to writing, Genthius at once sent the hostages who had been registered by Pantauchus, and with them Olympion to receive the oaths and the hostages from Perseus, and others to take charge of the money.
§29.3.7σὺν δὲ τοῖς προειρημένοις ἔπεισεν ὁ Πάνταυχος τὸν Γένθιον καὶ πρεσβευτὰς συνεξαποστέλλειν, οἵτινες ἅμα τοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Περσέως πεμπομένοις εἰς τὴν Ῥόδον πρεσβεύσουσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς συμμαχίας.
In addition to the aforementioned, Pantauchus persuaded Genthius to send ambassadors along with those sent by Perseus to Rhodes to negotiate for the common alliance.
§29.3.8τούτου γὰρ γενομένου, καὶ συνεμβάντων τῶν Ῥοδίων εἰς τὸν πόλεμον, τελέως εὐκαταγωνίστους ἐσομένους ἀπέφαινε τοὺς Ῥωμαίους.
For he pointed out that if this were done, and the Rhodians joined in the war, the Romans would be completely easy to defeat.
§29.3.9ὁ δὲ πεισθεὶς τοῖς παρακαλουμένοις καὶ προχειρισάμενος Παρμενίωνα καὶ Μόρκον ἐξαπέστειλε, δοὺς ἐντολάς, ὅταν λάβωσιν τοὺς ὅρκους παρὰ τοῦ Περσέως καὶ τοὺς ὁμήρους, καὶ περὶ τῶν χρημάτων γένηται σύμφωνον, πρεσβεύειν εἰς τὴν Ῥόδον.
And he, persuaded by these exhortations, chose and dispatched Parmenion and Morcus, giving them instructions that, when they had received the oaths and the hostages from Perseus and the agreement regarding the money had been made, they should go as ambassadors to Rhodes.

Notes

  1. §29.3.1ὅτι — The conjunction ὅτι at the very beginning of the text is a typical introductory particle found in Byzantine excerpts (Excerpta) and does not directly connect to a main verb.
  2. §29.3.4ὁμολογήσαντα ... πέμπειν ... λαμβάνειν ... διατάξασθαι — A series of infinitive phrases explaining the content of the instructions following the dative/accusative construction with δοὺς ἐντολὰς ('giving instructions'). The accusative participle ὁμολογήσαντα agrees with the implied subject (Pantauchus) of the infinitives.
  3. §29.3.5πρὸς τὸ κοινωνεῖν — The combination of the preposition πρὸς and the articular infinitive (neuter singular accusative) expressing purpose or direction ('towards sharing...').
  4. §29.3.8τούτου γὰρ γενομένου, καὶ συνεμβάντων τῶν Ῥοδίων ... εὐκαταγωνίστους ἐσομένους ἀπέφαινε τοὺς Ῥωμαίους — The first part consists of genitive absolute constructions (τούτου γενομένου and συνεμβάντων τῶν Ῥοδίων) indicating condition/premise. The second part is an accusative-with-infinitive construction (τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εὐκαταγωνίστους ἐσομένους) acting as the complement of the verb ἀπέφαινε ('he pointed out/declared').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §29.3.1-29.3.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:29.3.1-29.3.9

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