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Polybius · The Histories §4.83.1-4.83.5

Philip's Recovery of Teichos and Raiding of Elis

Passage 360 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

King Philip recaptured the fortress of Teichos, which had been occupied by the Eleans, and restored it to the Dymaeans, before plundering the territory of Elis and returning to Dyme.

§4.83.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἀναζεύξας ὁ βασιλεύς, καὶ ποιησάμενος τὴν πορείαν διὰ Πατρῶν καὶ Δύμης, ἧκε πρὸς τὸ φρούριον, ὃ καλεῖται μὲν Τεῖχος, πρόκειται δὲ τῆς Δυμαίων χώρας· κατέσχον δʼ αὐτὸ μικροῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις, καθάπερ ἀνώτερον εἶπον, οἱ περὶ τὸν Εὐριπίδαν.
After this, the king set out, and marching through Patrae and Dyme, arrived at the fortress which is called Teichos, and which lies in front of the territory of Dyme; a short time before, as I said above, Euripidas and his party had seized it.
§4.83.2σπεύδων δὴ τοῦτο κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ἀνακομίσασθαι τοῖς Δυμαίοις, προσεστρατοπέδευσε μετὰ πάσης δυνάμεως.
Anxious by all means to recover this for the Dymaeans, he encamped near it with his whole force.
§4.83.3καταπλαγέντες δʼ οἱ φυλάττοντες τῶν Ἠλείων παρέδοσαν τὸ φρούριον τῷ Φιλίππῳ, χωρίον οὐ μέγα μέν, ἠσφαλισμένον δὲ διαφερόντως· §4.83.4τὴν μὲν γὰρ περίμετρον εἶχεν οὐ πλείω τριῶν ἡμισταδίων, τὸ δʼ ὕψος τοῦ τείχους οὐδαμῇ τριάκοντα πήχεων ἔλαττον.
The Elean garrison, being struck with terror, surrendered the fortress to Philip, which was a place of no great size, but exceptionally well fortified; for it had a circumference of not more than one and a half stades, and the height of the wall was nowhere less than thirty cubits.
§4.83.5παραδοὺς δὲ τοῦτο τοῖς Δυμαίοις ἐπῄει πορθῶν τὴν τῶν Ἠλείων χώραν· φθείρας δὲ ταύτην, καὶ πολλὴν περιβαλόμενος λείαν, ἐπανῆλθε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως εἰς τὴν Δύμην.
Having restored this to the Dymaeans, he advanced, plundering the territory of the Eleans; and after devastating it and securing a great quantity of booty, he returned with his army to Dyme.

Notes

  1. §4.83.1μικροῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις — The dative phrase μικροῖς ... χρόνοις functions as a dative of measure of difference, modifying the adverb ἔμπροσθεν (before) to mean 'a short time before.'
  2. §4.83.2ἀνακομίσασθαι τοῖς Δυμαίοις — τοῖς Δυμαίοις is a dative of advantage (dativus commodi) used with the middle infinitive ἀνακομίσασθαι (to recover for oneself) to mean 'to recover for the Dymaeans.'
  3. §4.83.4τὴν μὲν γὰρ περίμετρον εἶχεν ... τὸ δʼ ὕψος τοῦ τείχους ... — The subject of εἶχεν is the fortress (τὸ φρούριον) from the preceding sentence, and περίμετρον is its direct object. In the second clause, a copula like ἦν is omitted. πήχεων is a genitive of comparison dependent on the comparative ἔλαττον.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §4.83.1-4.83.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.83.1-4.83.5

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