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Polybius · The Histories §5.13.1-5.13.10

Philip's Retreat from Thermus and Ambush of the Aetolians

Passage 377 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Philip begins his retreat from Thermus with plunder, repels the pursuing Aetolians with a well-placed ambush, and marches toward Stratos, destroying and plundering several towns along the way.

§5.13.1ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος — ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων παρεξέβην — ὅσα δυνατὸν ἦν ἄγειν καὶ φέρειν ἀναλαβὼν ἐκ τοῦ Θέρμου προῆγε, ποιούμενος τὴν αὐτὴν ἐπάνοδον ᾗ καὶ παρεγένετο, προβαλόμενος μὲν τὴν λείαν εἰς τοὔμπροσθεν καὶ τὰ βαρέα τῶν ὅπλων, ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς οὐραγίας ἀπολιπὼν τοὺς Ἀκαρνᾶνας καὶ τοὺς μισθοφόρους, §5.13.2σπεύδων ὡς τάχιστα διανύσαι τὰς δυσχωρίας διὰ τὸ προσδοκᾶν τοὺς Αἰτωλοὺς ἐξάψεσθαι τῆς οὐραγίας, πιστεύοντας ταῖς ὀχυρότησι τῶν τόπων.
And Philip—for I have digressed from these matters—set out from Thermus with as much plunder as it was possible to carry and drive, advancing along the same route of return by which he had arrived, sending the booty and the heavy arms on ahead, while leaving the Acarnanians and the mercenaries in the rear-guard, hastening to traverse the difficult passes as quickly as possible because he expected that the Aetolians, relying on the strength of the positions, would attack the rear-guard.
§5.13.3ὃ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι παρὰ πόδας.
And this indeed happened immediately.
οἱ γὰρ Αἰτωλοὶ προσβεβοηθηκότες καὶ συνηθροισμένοι σχεδὸν εἰς τρισχιλίους, ἕως μὲν ὁ Φίλιππος ἦν ἐπὶ τῶν μετεώρων, οὐκ ἤγγιζον, ἀλλʼ ἔμενον ἔν τισι τόποις ἀδήλοις, Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Τριχωνέως προεστῶτος αὐτῶν· ἅμα δὲ τῷ κινῆσαι τὴν οὐραγίαν ἐπέβαλον εὐθέως εἰς τὸν Θέρμον καὶ προσέκειντο τοῖς ἐσχάτοις.
For the Aetolians, having come to the rescue and numbering in all about three thousand, did not come near as long as Philip was on the high ground, but remained in certain hidden places under the leadership of Alexander of Trichonium; but as soon as the rear-guard began to move, they immediately burst into Thermus and pressed hard upon the hindmost.
§5.13.4γινομένης δὲ ταραχῆς περὶ τὴν οὐραγίαν, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐκθύμως οἱ παρὰ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἐπέκειντο καὶ προσέφερον τὰς χεῖρας, πιστεύοντες τοῖς τόποις.
As confusion arose around the rear-guard, the Aetolians pressed on even more eagerly and engaged them hand to hand, relying on the terrain.
§5.13.5ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος, προειδὼς τὸ μέλλον, ὑπό τινα λόφον ὑπεστάλκει τοὺς Ἰλλυριοὺς ἐν τῇ καταβάσει καὶ τῶν πελταστῶν τοὺς ἐπιτηδειοτάτους.
But Philip, having foreseen what would happen, had posted the Illyrians and the most suitable of the peltasts in ambush under a certain hill on the descent.
§5.13.6ὧν διαναστάντων ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπικειμένους καὶ προπεπτωκότας τῶν ὑπεναντίων, τοὺς μὲν λοιποὺς τῶν Αἰτωλῶν ἀνοδίᾳ καὶ προτροπάδην συνέβη φυγεῖν, ἑκατὸν δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα πεσεῖν, ἁλῶναι δʼ οὐ πολὺ τούτων ἐλάττους.
When these rose up against the attackers who had rushed forward ahead of the enemy, the rest of the Aetolians fled headlong through the pathless hills, and it turned out that one hundred and thirty fell, while those captured were not much fewer than these.
§5.13.7γενομένου δὲ τοῦ προτερήματος τούτου, ταχέως οἱ περὶ τὴν οὐραγίαν, ἐμπρήσαντες τὸ Πάμφιον καὶ μετʼ ἀσφαλείας διελθόντες τὰ στενά, συνέμιξαν τοῖς Μακεδόσιν· §5.13.8ὁ γὰρ Φίλιππος ἐστρατοπεδευκὼς περὶ τὴν Μέταπαν ἐνταυθοῖ προσανεδέχετο τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς οὐραγίας.
Once this advantage had been gained, those around the rear-guard quickly set fire to Pamphium and, having passed through the narrow defiles in safety, joined up with the Macedonians; for Philip, having encamped around Metapa, was waiting there to receive those from the rear-guard.
εἰς δὲ τὴν ὑστεραίαν κατασκάψας τὴν Μέταπαν προῆγε, καὶ παρενέβαλε περὶ τὴν καλουμένην πόλιν Ἄκρας.
On the following day, after razing Metapa to the ground, he advanced and encamped around the city called Acrae.
§5.13.9τῇ δʼ ἑξῆς ἅμα προάγων ἐπόρθει τὴν χώραν, καὶ καταστρατοπεδεύσας περὶ Κωνώπην ἐπέμεινε τὴν ἐχομένην ἡμέραν.
On the next day, advancing and at the same time plundering the country, he encamped around Conope and remained there for the following day.
§5.13.10τῇ δʼ ἐπιούσῃ πάλιν ἀναζεύξας ἐποιεῖτο τὴν πορείαν παρὰ τὸν Ἀχελῷον ἕως ἐπὶ τὸν Στράτον.
And on the next day, breaking camp again, he made his march along the Achelous as far as Stratos.
διαβὰς δὲ τὸν ποταμὸν ἐπέστησε τὴν δύναμιν ἐκτὸς βέλους,
After crossing the river, he halted his army outside the range of missiles,

Notes

  1. 5.13.1ἄγειν καὶ φέρειν — A traditional double expression in Classical Greek meaning 'to plunder'. Here, ἄγειν refers to driving away livestock, while φέρειν refers to carrying off portable goods, both functioning as infinitives after ὅσα δυνατὸν ἦν.
  2. 5.13.1 — The feminine dative singular of the relative pronoun ὅς, functioning as a dative of route/way with the noun ὁδῷ omitted, meaning 'by which route' or 'by which way'.
  3. 5.13.3ἅμα δὲ τῷ κινῆσαι τὴν οὐραγίαν — A construction of the preposition ἅμα with the articular dative infinitive (τῷ κινῆσαι), expressing temporal coincidence ('as soon as' or 'at the moment of'). The accusative τὴν οὐραγίαν is the object of the infinitive.
  4. 5.13.6ὧν διαναστάντων — A genitive absolute construction with the relative pronoun ὧν acting as the subject, referring back to the previously mentioned Ἰλλυριοὺς... καὶ τῶν πελταστῶν.
  5. 5.13.6συνέβη φυγεῖν — A construction using the impersonal verb συνέβη with the infinitive φυγεῖν, expressing that an event happened or resulted in a certain way ('it happened that they fled').

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §5.13.1-5.13.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.13.1-5.13.10

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