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Polybius · The Histories §4.67.1-4.67.9

Destruction of Dodona and Philip's March to Corinth

Passage 344 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Dorimachus, elected general of the Aetolians, invades Epirus and plunders the temple of Dodona. Meanwhile, King Philip leads a rapid force in secret to Corinth during the winter to prepare for the next military operations.

§4.67.1ὀλυμπιάδος.
of the Olympiad.
παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Αἰτωλοῖς ἤδη τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων καθηκόντων στρατηγὸς ᾑρέθη Δωρίμαχος·
Now among the Aetolians, the time for the election of magistrates having already arrived, Dorimachus was chosen general.
ὃς παραυτίκα τὴν ἀρχὴν παραλαβὼν καὶ τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς ἁθροίσας μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων, ἐνέβαλεν εἰς τοὺς ἄνω τόπους τῆς Ἠπείρου καὶ τὴν χώραν ἐδῄου, θυμικώτερον χρώμενος τῇ καταφθορᾷ· §4.67.2τὸ γὰρ πλεῖον οὐ τῆς σφετέρας ὠφελείας, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν Ἠπειρωτῶν βλάβης χάριν ἕκαστα συνετέλει.
Having immediately assumed office and assembled the Aetolians in arms, he invaded the upper parts of Epirus and devastated the country, carrying out the destruction with great passion; for he performed each of these actions, for the most part, not for their own benefit, but for the sake of injuring the Epirotes.
§4.67.3παραγενόμενος δὲ πρὸς τὸ περὶ Δωδώνην ἱερὸν τάς τε στοὰς ἐνέπρησε καὶ πολλὰ τῶν ἀναθημάτων διέφθειρε, κατέσκαψε δὲ καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν οἰκίαν, §4.67.4ὥστε μήτʼ εἰρήνης ὅρον μήτε πολέμου πρὸς Αἰτωλοὺς ὑπάρχειν, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς περιστάσεσι παρὰ τὰ κοινὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔθη καὶ νόμιμα χρῆσθαι ταῖς ἐπιβολαῖς.
Arriving at the temple of Dodona, he set fire to the porticoes, destroyed many of the votive offerings, and also razed the sacred house to the ground, with the result that for the Aetolians there was limit neither of peace nor of war, but in both circumstances they carried out their designs contrary to the common customs and laws of mankind.
§4.67.5οὗτος μὲν οὖν ταῦτα καὶ τοιαῦτα διαπραξάμενος ἐπανῆγεν αὖθις εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν.
He, then, having performed these and similar deeds, returned once more to his own country.
§4.67.6τοῦ δὲ χειμῶνος ἔτι προβαίνοντος, καὶ πάντων ἀπηλπικότων τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Φιλίππου διὰ τὸν καιρόν, ἀναλαβὼν ὁ βασιλεὺς χαλκάσπιδας μὲν τρισχιλίους, πελταστὰς δὲ δισχιλίους καὶ Κρῆτας τριακοσίους, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἱππεῖς τοὺς περὶ τὴν αὐλὴν εἰς τετρακοσίους, προῆγεν ἀπὸ Λαρίσης· §4.67.7καὶ διαβιβάσας τούτους ἐκ Θετταλίας εἰς Εὔβοιαν κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Κῦνον ἧκε διὰ τῆς Βοιωτίας καὶ Μεγαρίδος εἰς Κόρινθον περὶ τροπὰς χειμερινάς, ἐνεργὸν καὶ λαθραίαν πεποιημένος τὴν παρουσίαν οὕτως ὥστε μηδένα Πελοποννησίων ὑπονοῆσαι τὸ γεγονός.
While the winter was still advancing, and when everyone had despaired of Philip's arrival because of the season, the king, taking with him three thousand bronze-shielded soldiers, two thousand peltasts, and three hundred Cretans, and besides these about four hundred of the court cavalry, advanced from Larissa; and having transported them from Thessaly to Euboea, and from there to Cynus, he came through Boeotia and Megaris to Corinth about the winter solstice, having made his arrival so swift and secret that not one of the Peloponnesians suspected what had happened.
§4.67.8κλείσας δὲ τὰς πύλας τοῦ Κορίνθου καὶ διαλαβὼν τὰς ὁδοὺς φυλακαῖς, τῇ κατὰ πόδας Ἄρατον μὲν τὸν πρεσβύτερον ὡς αὑτὸν ἐκ τοῦ Σικυῶνος μετεπέμπετο, γράμματά τε πρὸς τὸν στρατηγὸν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν καὶ πρὸς τὰς πόλεις ἐξαπέστελλεν, — ἐν οἷς διεσάφει πότε καὶ ποῦ δεήσει συναντᾶν πάντας ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις.
Having closed the gates of Corinth and posted guards on the roads, on the following day he summoned the elder Aratus to him from Sicyon, and sent letters to the general of the Achaeans and to the cities, in which he specified when and where they all must meet in arms.
§4.67.9ταῦτα δʼ οἰκονομήσας ἀνέζευξε, καὶ προελθὼν κατεστρατο
Having arranged these matters, he broke camp, and advancing, he pitched his ca...

Notes

  1. §4.67.1τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων καθηκόντων — Genitive absolute construction, expressing time or cause ("since the time for the election had already arrived").
  2. §4.67.4ὥστε ... ὑπάρχειν ... χρῆσθαι — Result clause introduced by ὥστε with the infinitives ὑπάρχειν and χρῆσθαι. The subject of χρῆσθαι is understood from the context to be the Aetolians.
  3. §4.67.7ἐνεργὸν καὶ λαθραίαν πεποιημένος τὴν παρουσίαν οὕτως ὥστε — The perfect middle-passive participle πεποιημένος is used in an active (or causative) sense, taking τὴν παρουσίαν ("his arrival") as its direct object, with ἐνεργὸν καὶ λαθραίαν as its predicate accusative complement.
  4. §4.67.8τῇ κατὰ πόδας — An idiomatic expression meaning "on the following day", with the feminine dative noun ἡμέρᾳ ("day") omitted after the article τῇ.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §4.67.1-4.67.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.67.1-4.67.9

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