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Polybius · The Histories §4.49.1-4.49.5

Prusias's Grievances and Resolve to Attack Byzantium

Passage 326 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

This passage explains the various grievances Prusias held against the Byzantines regarding statues, festivals, and diplomacy, which led him to ally with the Rhodians and resolve to attack Byzantium by land.

§4.49.1ὁ δὲ Προυσίας ἐνεκάλει μὲν πρότερον τοῖς Βυζαντίοις ὅτι ψηφισαμένων τινὰς εἰκόνας αὐτοῦ ταύτας οὐκ ἀνετίθεσαν, ἀλλʼ εἰς ἐπισυρμὸν καὶ λήθην ἄγοιεν,
Prusias, on his part, had previously been harboring grievances against the Byzantines, because, although they had voted to set up certain statues of him, they had not erected them, but let them fall into neglect and oblivion.
§4.49.2δυσηρέστει δʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πᾶσαν προσενέγκασθαι φιλονεικίαν εἰς τὸ διαλῦσαι τὴν Ἀχαιοῦ πρὸς Ἄτταλον ἔχθραν καὶ τὸν πόλεμον, νομίζων κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους ἀλυσιτελῆ τοῖς αὑτοῦ πράγμασιν ὑπάρχειν τὴν ἐκείνων φιλίαν.
He was also displeased with them because they had exerted every effort to put an end to the hostility and war between Achaeus and Attalus, believing as he did that the friendship between those two would be in many ways disadvantageous to his own interests.
§4.49.3ἠρέθιζε δʼ αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ δοκεῖν Βυζαντίους πρὸς μὲν Ἄτταλον εἰς τοὺς τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς ἀγῶνας τοὺς συνθύσοντας ἐξαπεσταλκέναι, πρὸς αὐτὸν δʼ εἰς τὰ Σωτήρια μηδένα πεπομφέναι.
He was further irritated by the fact that the Byzantines appeared to have dispatched envoys to Attalus to join in sacrificing at the games of Athena, whereas they had sent no one to him for the Soteria.
§4.49.4διόπερ ἐκ πάντων τούτων ὑποικουρουμένης παρʼ αὐτῷ τῆς ὀργῆς, ἄσμενος ἐπελάβετο τῆς τῶν Ῥοδίων προφάσεως, καὶ συγκαταθέμενος τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς ἐκείνους μὲν ᾤετο δεῖν κατὰ θάλατταν πολεμεῖν, αὐτὸς δὲ κατὰ γῆν οὐκ ἐλάττω βλάψειν ἔδοξε τοὺς ὑπεναντίους.
For all these reasons, therefore, since his resentment was smoldering within him, he gladly seized upon the pretext offered by the Rhodians; and agreeing with their ambassadors, he thought that they ought to wage war by sea, while he himself resolved to inflict no less damage on the enemy by land.
§4.49.5ὁ μὲν οὖν Ῥοδίων πρὸς Βυζαντίους πόλεμος
Such, then, was the origin of the war of the Rhodians against the Byzantines—

Notes

  1. 4.49.1ψηφισαμένων — A participle in the genitive absolute. From the logical context of the passage, it carries a concessive force ('although they had voted'). The implied subject is the Byzantines (`τοῖς Βυζαντίοις`).
  2. 4.49.1ἄγοιεν — In the causal ὅτι clause, while the first verb `ἀνετίθεσαν` is in the indicative imperfect, the second verb `ἄγοιεν` is in the optative (oblique optative). This shift emphasizes the subjective grievance or accusation from Prusias' own perspective.
  3. 4.49.2ἐπὶ τῷ πᾶσαν προσενέγκασθαι φιλονεικίαν — The preposition `ἐπί` combined with the dative articular infinitive `τῷ προσενέγκασθαι` expresses the cause of displeasure (`δυσηρέστει`). The logical subject of the infinitive is the Byzantines, while the accusative `πᾶσαν φιλονεικίαν` ('all eagerness') is its direct object.
  4. 4.49.4ἔδοξε — The verb `ἔδοξε` is used here in a personal construction with the subject `αὐτός` (Prusias), meaning 'he resolved' or 'he decided'. This personal use should not be confused with the impersonal construction meaning 'it was decided'.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §4.49.1-4.49.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.49.1-4.49.5

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