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Polybius · The Histories §3.10.1-3.10.7

The Loss of Sardinia and the Iberian Campaign as Causes

Passage 169 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The author discusses how Rome's declaration of war and Carthage's evacuation of Sardinia constituted the second and greatest cause of the war, followed by Hamilcar's Iberian campaign as the third cause.

§3.10.1καὶ περὶ ταύτας διέτριβε τὰς πράξεις.
And he was occupied with these affairs.
Ῥωμαίων δὲ μετὰ τὸ καταλύσασθαι Καρχηδονίους τὴν προειρημένην ταραχὴν ἀπαγγειλάντων αὐτοῖς πόλεμον, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εἰς πᾶν συγκατέβαινον, ὑπολαμβάνοντες αὑτοὺς νικήσειν τοῖς δικαίοις, καθάπερ ἐν ταῖς πρὸ ταύτης βύβλοις περὶ τούτων δεδηλώκαμεν, §3.10.2ὧν χωρὶς οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἦν συμπεριενεχθῆναι δεόντως οὔτε τοῖς νῦν λεγομένοις οὔτε τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα ῥηθησομένοις ὑφʼ ἡμῶν.
But when the Romans declared war on them after the Carthaginians had suppressed the aforementioned disturbance, at first they were ready to submit to everything, supposing that they would win by means of justice, just as we have made clear concerning these things in the books preceding this one, without which it was not possible to follow properly either what is now being said or what will hereafter be spoken by us.
§3.10.3πλὴν οὐκ ἐντρεπομένων τῶν Ῥωμαίων, εἴξαντες τῇ περιστάσει καὶ βαρυνόμενοι μέν, οὐκ ἔχοντες δὲ ποιεῖν οὐδὲν ἐξεχώρησαν Σαρδόνος, συνεχώρησαν δʼ εἰσοίσειν ἄλλα χίλια καὶ διακόσια τάλαντα πρὸς τοῖς πρότερον ἐφʼ ᾧ μὴ τὸν πόλεμον ἐκείνοις ἀναδέξασθαι τοῖς καιροῖς.
However, as the Romans did not pay attention, yielding to the circumstance and, though aggrieved, having nothing else they could do, they evacuated Sardinia, and agreed to pay an additional twelve hundred talents besides the former sum, on condition of not undertaking the war at that juncture.
§3.10.4διὸ καὶ δευτέραν, μεγίστην δὲ ταύτην θετέον αἰτίαν τοῦ μετὰ ταῦτα συστάντος πολέμου.
For this reason, this must be set down as the second, and indeed the greatest, cause of the war which was afterwards established.
§3.10.5Ἀμίλκας γὰρ προσλαβὼν τοῖς ἰδίοις θυμοῖς τὴν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὀργὴν τῶν πολιτῶν, ὡς θᾶττον τοὺς ἀποστάντας τῶν μισθοφόρων καταπολεμήσας ἐβεβαίωσε τῇ πατρίδι τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, εὐθέως ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ὁρμὴν ἐπὶ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν πράγματα, σπουδάζων ταύτῃ χρήσασθαι παρασκευῇ πρὸς τὸν κατὰ Ῥωμαίων πόλεμον.
For Hamilcar, having added to his own anger the wrath of the citizens at these events, as soon as he, having subdued the revolted mercenaries, secured safety for his country, immediately directed his impetus towards the affairs in Iberia, eager to use this preparation for the war against the Romans.
ἣν δὴ καὶ τρίτην αἰτίαν νομιστέον, §3.10.6λέγω δὲ τὴν εὔροιαν τῶν κατʼ Ἰβηρίαν πραγμάτων Καρχηδονίοις.
Which indeed must be considered as the third cause, I mean, the successful progress of Carthaginian affairs in Iberia.
ταύταις γὰρ ταῖς χερσὶ πιστεύσαντες εὐθαρσῶς ἐνέβησαν εἰς τὸν προειρημένον πόλεμον.
For trusting in these resources, they courageously entered into the aforementioned war.
§3.10.7ὅτι δʼ Ἀμίλκας πλεῖστα μὲν συνεβάλετο πρὸς τὴν σύστασιν τοῦ δευτέρου πολέμου, καίπερ τετελευτηκὼς ἔτεσι δέκα πρότερον τῆς καταρχῆς αὐτοῦ, πολλὰ μὲν ἂν εὕροι τις εἰς τοῦτο· σχεδὸν δὲ πρὸς
And that Hamilcar contributed the most to the outbreak of the second war, although he had died ten years before its commencement, one might find many proofs of this; and indeed almost...

Notes

  1. 3.10.1μετὰ τὸ καταλύσασθαι Καρχηδονίους τὴν προειρημένην ταραχὴν — A construction of the preposition μετά with the articular infinitive τὸ καταλύσασθαι. The accusative Καρχηδονίους serves as the subject of the infinitive, and τὴν προειρημένην ταραχὴν as its object, meaning 'after the Carthaginians had suppressed the aforementioned disturbance'.
  2. 3.10.2ὧν χωρὶς — The relative pronoun ὧν (neuter plural genitive) refers back to the general historical facts (τούτων) explained in the previous books. The passive infinitive συμπεριενεχθῆναι means 'to follow along with' or 'to grasp properly' the narrative or events.
  3. 3.10.3ἐφʼ ᾧ μὴ τὸν πόλεμον ἐκείνοις ἀναδέξασθαι τοῖς καιροῖς — The prepositional phrase ἐφ' ᾧ followed by an infinitive expresses a condition ('on condition that', 'with the proviso that') and takes the negative μή. Here it means 'on condition of not undertaking (and thus avoiding) the war at that juncture'.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §3.10.1-3.10.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.10.1-3.10.7

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