Polybius · The Histories §33.19.1

Excessive Drinking Habits of King Demetrius of Syria

Passage 1241 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The description of Demetrius, who escaped from hostage-ship in Rome to become king of Syria, as a heavy drinker who was drunk for most of the day.

§33.19.1καὶ Δημήτριον δέ φησι, τὸν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμη ὁμηρείαν διαφυγόντα, ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ τριακοστῇ βασιλεύσαντα Σύρων πολυπότην ὄντα τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς ἡμέρας μεθύσκεσθαι.

And he says in the thirty-third book that Demetrius, who had escaped from his hostage-ship in Rome and became king of the Syrians, was a heavy drinker and remained drunk for the greater part of the day.

Notes

§33.19.1ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ τριακοστῇ — Ellipsis of the feminine noun βίβλῳ (book). It means 'in the thirty-third book' of Diodorus' Library of History. Although positioned right before βασιλεύσαντα (having ruled), it does not refer to the length of Demetrius' reign or his sequence as king, but is a bibliographical insert by the epitomator identifying the location of the source text.
§33.19.1ὁμηρείαν — An abstract noun meaning 'hostage-ship' or 'the state of being a hostage.' Here used in the context of escaping from his condition or status as a hostage.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §33.19.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:33.19.1

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