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Polybius · The Histories §4.66.1-4.66.11

Philip's Return and Contemporary Affairs in the Mediterranean

Passage 343 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Upon receiving urgent news of a Dardanian invasion, King Philip hastily returns to Macedonia, prompting the enemy to retreat. Additionally, Roman and Carthaginian affairs, such as Hannibal's capture of Saguntum, are synchronized at the close of the war's first year.

§4.66.1ἔτι δὲ περὶ ταῦτα γινομένου τοῦ βασιλέως, παρῆν ἐκ Μακεδονίας ἄγγελος διασαφῶν ὅτι συμβαίνει τοὺς Δαρδανεῖς, ὑπονενοηκότας τὴν εἰς Πελοπόννησον αὐτοῦ στρατείαν, ἁθροίζειν δυνάμεις καὶ παρασκευὴν ποιεῖσθαι μεγάλην, κεκρικότας ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τὴν Μακεδονίαν.
While the king was still occupied with these matters, a messenger arrived from Macedonia, reporting that the Dardanians, having suspected his expedition into the Peloponnese, were gathering forces and making great preparations, having decided to invade Macedonia.
§4.66.2ἀκούσας δὲ ταῦτα καὶ νομίσας ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι βοηθεῖν κατὰ τάχος τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ, τοὺς μὲν παρὰ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν πρέσβεις ἀπέστειλε, δοὺς ἀπόκρισιν ὅτι τοῖς προσηγγελμένοις ἐπαρκέσας οὐδὲν προυργιαίτερον ποιήσεται μετὰ ταῦτα τοῦ βοηθεῖν σφίσι κατὰ δύναμιν,
On hearing this, and thinking it necessary to bring help to Macedonia with speed, he dismissed the envoys from the Achaeans, giving them the answer that, after having dealt with the reported situation, he would consider nothing more urgent thereafter than to help them according to his power.
§4.66.3αὐτὸς δʼ ἀναζεύξας μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ᾗπερ καὶ τὴν παρουσίαν ἐπεποίητο.
He himself, breaking up his camp in haste, made his return journey by the very same route by which he had come.
§4.66.4μέλλοντος δʼ αὐτοῦ διαβαίνειν τὸν Ἀμβρακικὸν κόλπον ἐξ Ἀκαρνανίας εἰς Ἤπειρον, παρῆν ἐφʼ ἑνὸς λέμβου Δημήτριος ὁ Φάριος, ἐκπεπτωκὼς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἐκ τῆς Ἰλλυρίδος· ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐν τοῖς πρὸ τούτων ἡμῖν δεδήλωται.
As he was about to cross the Ambracian Gulf from Acarnania to Epirus, Demetrius of Pharos arrived in a single light vessel, having been expelled from Illyria by the Romans; concerning which events we have spoken in the preceding part.
§4.66.5τοῦτον μὲν οὖν Φίλιππος ἀποδεξάμενος φιλανθρώπως ἐκέλευσε πλεῖν ὡς ἐπὶ Κόρινθον κἀκεῖθεν ἥκειν διὰ Θετταλίας εἰς Μακεδονίαν· αὐτὸς δὲ διαβὰς εἰς τὴν Ἤπειρον προῆγε κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς εἰς τὸ πρόσθεν.
Philip, having received him kindly, ordered him to sail toward Corinth and from there to come through Thessaly to Macedonia; he himself, crossing into Epirus, continued to advance steadily forward.
§4.66.6παραγενομένου δʼ αὐτοῦ τῆς Μακεδονίας εἰς Πέλλαν, ἀκούσαντες οἱ Δαρδάνιοι παρὰ Θρᾳκῶν τινων αὐτομόλων τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Φιλίππου, καταπλαγέντες παραχρῆμα διέλυσαν τὴν στρατείαν, καίπερ ἤδη σύνεγγυς ὄντες τῆς Μακεδονίας.
When he arrived at Pella in Macedonia, the Dardanians, hearing of Philip's arrival from some Thracian deserters, were struck with terror and immediately disbanded their army, although they were already near Macedonia.
§4.66.7Φίλιππος δὲ πυθόμενος τὴν τῶν Δαρδανέων μετάνοιαν, τοὺς μὲν Μακεδόνας διαφῆκε πάντας ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς ὀπώρας συγκομιδήν, αὐτὸς δὲ πορευθεὶς εἰς Θετταλίαν τὸ λοιπὸν μέρος τοῦ θέρους ἐν Λαρίσῃ διῆγε.
Philip, learning of the change of mind of the Dardanians, dismissed all the Macedonians to gather in their harvest, while he himself went to Thessaly and spent the remainder of the summer in Larissa.
§4.66.8κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον Αἰμίλιος ἐκ τῆς Ἰλλυρίδος εἰσῆγε λαμπρῶς εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην τὸν θρίαμβον, Ἀννίβας δὲ Ζάκανθαν ᾑρηκὼς κατὰ κράτος διέλυσε τὰς δυνάμεις εἰς παραχειμασίαν· §4.66.9Ῥωμαῖοι δέ, προσπεσούσης αὐτοῖς τῆς Ζακανθαίων ἁλώσεως, πρεσβευτὰς ἔπεμπον ἐξαιτήσοντας Ἀννίβαν παρὰ Καρχηδονίων, ἅμα δὲ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον παρεσκευάζοντο, καταστήσαντες ὑπάτους Πόπλιον Κορνήλιον καὶ Τεβέριον Σεμπρώνιον.
At this same time, Aemilius was celebrating a brilliant triumph in Rome after his return from Illyria, and Hannibal, having taken Zacantha by force, had dismissed his forces into winter quarters; and the Romans, when the news of the capture of Zacantha reached them, sent envoys to demand the surrender of Hannibal from the Carthaginians, and at the same time prepared for war, having appointed Publius Cornelius and Tiberius Sempronius as consuls.
§4.66.10ὑπὲρ ὧν ἡμεῖς τὰ μὲν κατὰ μέρος ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ βύβλῳ δεδηλώκαμεν· νῦν δʼ ἀναμνήσεως χάριν αὐτὰ προηνεγκάμεθα κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπαγγελίαν, ἵνα γινώσκηται τὰ κατάλληλα τῶν πραγμάτων.
Concerning these matters, we have indeed declared them in detail in the preceding book; but now, for the sake of recollection, we have brought them forward in accordance with our original promise, so that the chronological connection of events may be understood.
§4.66.11καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἔτος ἔληγε τῆς ὑποκειμένης
And the first year was ending of the subject-matter

Notes

  1. §4.66.1ἔτι δὲ περὶ ταῦτα γινομένου τοῦ βασιλέως — Genitive absolute construction. The phrase περὶ ταῦτα γίγνεσθαι means 'to be occupied with these matters.' Here, with τοῦ βασιλέως acting as the logical subject, it functions temporally to set the background of the main clause ('while the king was still occupied with these matters').
  2. §4.66.2οὐδὲν προυργιαίτερον ποιήσεται μετὰ ταῦτα τοῦ βοηθεῖν σφίσι — The comparative adjective προυργιαίτερον ('more urgent/important') is followed by the genitive infinitive of comparison τοῦ βοηθεῖν ('than helping'). It expresses a strong commitment: 'he will consider nothing more urgent than helping them.'
  3. §4.66.4ἐκπεπτωκὼς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων — The intransitive verb ἐκπίπτω ('to fall out,' here meaning 'to be expelled') is used here in a passive sense, accompanied by the agent prepositional phrase ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ('by the Romans'). This is a common Greek idiom where an active intransitive verb functions as a passive.
  4. §4.66.9πρεσβευτὰς ἔπεμπον ἐξαιτήσοντας — The future participle ἐξαιτήσοντας ('to demand') is used after the verb of motion ἔπεμπον ('sent') to express purpose. This is a classical construction indicating the intention or goal of the main clause's subject ('the Romans').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §4.66.1-4.66.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.66.1-4.66.11

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