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Polybius · The Histories §5.54.1-5.54.13

Molo's Defeat, Suicide, and the Aftermath

Passage 418 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

The rebel army is defeated as Molo's left wing defects to the king, leading Molo and his conspirators to commit suicide. The king settles the aftermath, curbing Hermeias's harsh reprisals to restore order.

§5.54.1δεξιὸν αὐτὸς εἶχε.
[the right] he held himself.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ποιησαμένων τῶν δυνάμεων τὴν ἐπαγωγήν, τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν κέρας τοῦ Μόλωνος διετήρησε τὴν πίστιν καὶ συνέβαλε τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ζεῦξιν ἐρρωμένως, τὸ δʼ εὐώνυμον ἅμα τῷ συνιὸν εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ μετεβάλετο πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους·
After this, when the forces made their charge, the right wing of Molo maintained its allegiance and engaged vigorously with the troops under Zeuxis, but the left wing, as it advanced, the moment it came into the presence of the king, went over to the enemy.
§5.54.2οὗ γενομένου συνέβη τοὺς μὲν περὶ τὸν Μόλωνα διατραπῆναι, τοὺς δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιρρωσθῆναι διπλασίως.
When this occurred, those with Molo were disheartened, while the king's men were doubly encouraged.
§5.54.3ὁ δὲ Μόλων συννοήσας τὸ γεγονὸς καὶ πανταχόθεν ἤδη κυκλούμενος, λαβὼν πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν τὰς ἐσομένας περὶ αὑτὸν αἰκίας, ἐὰν ὑποχείριος γένηται καὶ ζωγρίᾳ ληφθῇ, προσήνεγκε τὰς χεῖρας ἑαυτῷ.
Molo, realizing what had happened and being already surrounded on all sides, keeping before his eyes the outrages that would be inflicted upon him if he fell into the enemy's hands and were taken alive, laid hands upon himself.
§5.54.4παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ πάντες οἱ κοινωνήσαντες τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, φυγόντες εἰς τοὺς οἰκείους ἕκαστοι τόπους, τὴν αὐτὴν ἐποιήσαντο τοῦ βίου καταστροφήν.
In like manner, all those who had shared in the enterprise fled to their respective places and brought their lives to the same end.
§5.54.5ὁ δὲ Νεόλαος, ἀποφυγὼν ἐκ τῆς μάχης καὶ παραγενόμενος εἰς τὴν Περσίδα πρὸς Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν τοῦ Μόλωνος ἀδελφόν, τὴν μὲν μητέρα καὶ τὰ τοῦ Μόλωνος τέκνα κατέσφαξε, μετὰ δὲ τὸν τούτων θάνατον ἐπικατέσφαξεν αὑτόν, πείσας τὸ παραπλήσιον ποιῆσαι καὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον.
Neolaus, having escaped from the battle and arrived in Persis at the house of Alexander, the brother of Molo, slaughtered his mother and Molo's children, and after their death killed himself also, having persuaded Alexander to do the same.
§5.54.6ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς διαρπάσας τὴν παρεμβολὴν τῶν πολεμίων, τὸ μὲν σῶμα τοῦ Μόλωνος ἀνασταυρῶσαι προσέταξε κατὰ τὸν ἐπιφανέστατον τόπον τῆς Μηδίας.
The king, after plundering the enemy's camp, ordered the body of Molo to be impaled in the most conspicuous place in Media.
§5.54.7ὃ καὶ παραχρῆμα συνετέλεσαν οἱ πρὸς τούτοις τεταγμένοι· διακομίσαντες γὰρ εἰς τὴν Καλλωνῖτιν πρὸς αὐταῖς ἀνεσταύρωσαν ταῖς εἰς τὸν Ζάγρον ἀναβολαῖς·
Those appointed for this task carried it out immediately; for they transported the body to Callonitis and impaled it at the very pass leading into the Zagros mountains.
§5.54.8μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐπιτιμήσας διὰ πλειόνων καὶ δοὺς δεξιὰν συνέστησε τοὺς ἀποκομιοῦντας αὐτοὺς εἰς Μηδίαν καὶ καταστησομένους τὰ κατὰ τὴν χώραν.
After this, having addressed the troops at length and given them his right hand, he appointed commanders to lead them back to Media and settle the affairs of the country.
§5.54.9αὐτὸς δὲ καταβὰς εἰς Σελεύκειαν καθίστατο τὰ κατὰ τὰς πέριξ σατραπείας, ἡμέρως χρώμενος πᾶσι καὶ νουνεχῶς.
He himself went down to Seleucia and settled the affairs of the surrounding satrapies, treating everyone with mildness and wisdom.
§5.54.10Ἑρμείας δὲ τηρῶν τὴν αὑτοῦ προαίρεσιν ἐπέφερε μὲν αἰτίας τοῖς ἐν τῇ Σελευκείᾳ καὶ χιλίοις ἐζημίου ταλάντοις τὴν πόλιν, ἐφυγάδευε δὲ τοὺς καλουμένους Ἀδειγάνας, ἀκρωτηριάζων δὲ καὶ φονεύων καὶ στρεβλῶν πολλοὺς διέφθειρε τῶν Σελευκέων.
But Hermeias, keeping to his own policy, brought accusations against those in Seleucia and fined the city a thousand talents, banished those called Adeiganes, and destroyed many of the Seleucians by mutilating, killing, and torturing them.
§5.54.11ἃ μόλις βασιλεύς, τὰ μὲν πείθων τὸν Ἑρμείαν, ἃ δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν αὑτοῦ γνώμην χειρίζων, τέλος ἐπράϋνε καὶ κατέστησε τὴν πόλιν, ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα τάλαντα μόνον ἐπιτίμιον αὐτοὺς πραξάμενος τῆς ἀγνοίας.
The king, partly by persuading Hermeias and partly by managing matters according to his own judgment, with difficulty pacified the situation and settled the city, exacting from them only a hundred and fifty talents as a penalty for their error.
§5.54.12ταῦτα δὲ διοικήσας Διογένην μὲν στρατηγὸν ἀπέλιπε Μηδίας, Ἀπολλόδωρον δὲ τῆς Σουσιανῆς· Τύχωνα δὲ τὸν ἀρχιγραμματέα τῆς δυνάμεως στρατηγὸν ἐπὶ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἐρυθρὰν θάλατταν τόπους ἐξαπέστειλε.
Having arranged these matters, he left Diogenes as general of Media, and Apollodorus of Susiana; and Tychon, the chief secretary of the army, he sent out as general to the districts along the Erythraean Sea.
§5.54.13τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν Μόλωνος ἀπόστασιν καὶ τὸ διὰ ταῦτα γενόμενον κίνημα περὶ τὰς ἄνω σατραπείας τοιαύτης ἔτυχε διορθώσεως καὶ καταστάσεως.
Thus, the rebellion of Molo and the movement generated thereby in the upper satrapies met with such correction and settlement.

Notes

  1. §5.54.1ἅμα τῷ συνιὸν εἰς ὄψιν ἐλθεῖν τῷ βασιλεῖ — The articular infinitive `τῷ ... ἐλθεῖν` is governed by the preposition `ἅμα`, expressing simultaneous action ("as soon as..."). The present participle `συνιόν` (neuter nominative/accusative), though syntactically difficult, agrees in gender and number with the subject of the clause `τὸ εὐώνυμον` (the left wing), describing the action of advancing or closing in at the same moment.
  2. §5.54.8ταῖς δυνάμεσιν ἐπιτιμήσας διὰ πλειόνων — The verb `ἐπιτιμάω` takes the dative case (`ταῖς δυνάμεσιν`), meaning "to rebuke" or "to admonish." Here, it refers to Molo's defeated and surrendered forces. The prepositional phrase `διὰ πλειόνων` (literally "through more words") functions adverbially to indicate that the king addressed them at length or severely concerning their conduct.
  3. §5.54.11ἃ μόλις βασιλεύς ... τέλος ἐπράϋνε — The relative pronoun `ἃ` (neuter plural accusative) refers back to the entire set of harsh actions committed by Hermeias described in the preceding section (§5.54.10) and functions as the direct object of the main verb `ἐπράϋνε` (pacified, softened). The subject of the sentence is `βασιλεύς`.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §5.54.1-5.54.13. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.54.1-5.54.13

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