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Polybius · The Histories §4.50.1-4.50.10

Prusias Attacks Byzantine Lands and Byzantium's Countermeasures

Passage 327 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Prusias captures Byzantine territories including Hieron and Mysia, while the Rhodians blockade the sea near Sestos. In response, the Byzantines seek aid from Achaeus and attempt to summon Tiboites from Macedonia to challenge Prusias.

§4.50.1διὰ ταῦτα καὶ τοιαύτην ἔλαβε τὴν ἀρχήν.
For these reasons and in this manner did the war take its beginning.
οἱ δὲ Βυζάντιοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐρρωμένως ἐπολέμουν, πεπεισμένοι τὸν μὲν Ἀχαιὸν σφίσι βοηθεῖν, αὐτοὶ δὲ τὸν Τιβοίτην ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας ἐπαγαγόντες ἀντιπεριστήσειν τῷ Προυσίᾳ φόβους καὶ κινδύνους,
The Byzantines at first waged war vigorously, being convinced that Achaeus would help them, and that they themselves, by bringing Tiboites from Macedonia, would present counteracting fears and dangers to Prusias.
§4.50.2ὃς κατὰ τὴν προειρημένην ὁρμὴν πολεμῶν παρείλετο μὲν αὐτῶν τὸ καλούμενον ἐπὶ τοῦ στόματος Ἱερόν, §4.50.3ὃ Βυζάντιοι μικροῖς ἀνώτερον χρόνοις μεγάλων ὠνησάμενοι χρημάτων ἐσφετερίσαντο διὰ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν τοῦ τόπου, βουλόμενοι μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν μηδενὶ καταλιπεῖν μήτε κατὰ τῶν εἰς τὸν Πόντον πλεόντων ἐμπόρων μήτε περὶ τοὺς δούλους καὶ τὰς ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς θαλάττης ἐργασίας, §4.50.4παρείλετο δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῆς Ἀσίας χώραν, ἣν κατεῖχον Βυζάντιοι τῆς Μυσίας πολλοὺς ἤδη χρόνους.
Carrying on the war with the aforementioned impulse, he deprived them of the place called the Hieron, situated at the mouth of the strait, which the Byzantines had acquired a short time before at great expense and made their own because of the convenience of the site, wishing to leave no base of operations to anyone against either the merchants sailing into the Pontus, or regarding the slaves and the industries derived from the sea itself, and he also deprived them of their territory on the Asian side, in Mysia, which the Byzantines had already held for many years.
§4.50.5οἱ δὲ Ῥόδιοι πληρώσαντες ναῦς ἕξ, ἅμα δὲ ταύταις παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων προσλαβόντες τέτταρας, καὶ ναύαρχον προχειρισάμενοι Ξενόφαντον, ἔπλεον ἐφʼ Ἑλλησπόντου δέκα ναυσί.
Meanwhile, the Rhodians, having manned six ships and received four more from their allies, and having appointed Xenophantus as admiral, sailed for the Hellespont with ten ships.
§4.50.6καὶ ταῖς μὲν λοιπαῖς ὁρμοῦντες περὶ Σηστὸν ἐκώλυον τοὺς πλέοντας εἰς τὸν Πόντον, μιᾷ δʼ ἐκπλεύσας ὁ ναύαρχος κατεπείραζε τῶν Βυζαντίων, εἴ πως ἤδη μεταμελοῖντο καταπεπληγμένοι τὸν πόλεμον.
Anchoring with the remaining ships near Sestos, they prevented those who were sailing to the Pontus, while the admiral, putting to sea with one ship, tested the disposition of the Byzantines, to see if they were perhaps already regretful, having been struck with terror by the war.
§4.50.7τῶν δʼ οὐ προσεχόντων ἀπέπλευσε καὶ παραλαβὼν τὰς λοιπὰς ναῦς ἀπῆρε πάσαις εἰς τὴν Ῥόδον.
When they paid no attention, he sailed away, and taking the remaining ships with him, set sail with the whole fleet for Rhodes.
§4.50.8οἱ δὲ Βυζάντιοι πρός τε τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἔπεμπον, ἀξιοῦντες βοηθεῖν, ἐπί τε τὸν Τιβοίτην ἐξαπέστελλον τοὺς ἄξοντας αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας· §4.50.9ἐδόκει γὰρ οὐχ ἧττον ἡ Βιθυνῶν ἀρχὴ Τιβοίτῃ καθήκειν ἢ Προυσίᾳ διὰ τὸ πατρὸς ἀδελφὸν §4.50.10αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν τῷ Προυσίᾳ οἱ δὲ Ῥόδιοι θεωροῦντες τὴν τῶν Βυζαντίων ὑπόστασιν, πραγματικῶς διενοήθησαν πρὸς τὸ καθικέσθαι τῆς προθέ
The Byzantines, on their part, sent to Achaeus, requesting his aid, and dispatched messengers to Tiboites to bring him from Macedonia; for it seemed that the sovereignty of Bithynia belonged no less to Tiboites than to Prusias, because he was his father's brother, to Prusias. The Rhodians, however, observing the resolution of the Byzantines, devised a practical scheme to achieve their purp...

Notes

  1. §4.50.1αὐτοὶ δὲ τὸν Τιβοίτην ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας ἐπαγαγόντες ἀντιπεριστήσειν — The infinitive `ἀντιπεριστήσειν` depends on `πεπεισμένοι`. Since its subject is the same as that of the main verb (`οἱ δὲ Βυζάντιοι`), both the intensive pronoun `αὐτοί` and the participle `ἐπαγαγόντες` are in the nominative case.
  2. §4.50.3βουλόμενοι μηδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν μηδενὶ καταλιπεῖν — The nominative plural participle `βουλόμενοι` agrees with `Βυζάντιοι`, the subject within the relative clause `ὃ Βυζάντιοι ... ἐσφετερίσαντο`, explaining their motive. The double negative (`μηδεμίαν ... μηδενί`) strengthens the negation.
  3. §4.50.6εἴ πως ἤδη μεταμελοῖντο καταπεπληγμένοι τὸν πόλεμον — The optative `μεταμελοῖντο` in the clause introduced by `εἴ πως` is an oblique optative after the historical main verb `κατεπείραζε`. The accusative `τὸν πόλεμον` following the perfect participle `καταπεπληγμένοι` is either an accusative of respect or a direct object of the middle meaning ('terrified of the war').
  4. §4.50.9διὰ τὸ πατρὸς ἀδελφὸν αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν τῷ Προυσίᾳ — The structure of the articular infinitive clause `τὸ ... ὑπάρχειν` introduced by the preposition `διά`. The accusative `αὐτόν` (referring to Tiboites) is the subject accusative of the infinitive, and `πατρὸς ἀδελφόν` (father's brother) is its predicate accusative. The dative `τῷ Προυσίᾳ` depends on `ὑπάρχειν` ('to be/belong to Prusias').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §4.50.1-4.50.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.50.1-4.50.10

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