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Polybius · The Histories §5.62.1-5.62.8

Capture of Tyre and Abandonment of the March on Egypt

Passage 426 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Antiochus routs the enemy near Berytus and secures Tyre and Ptolemais with their fleet, but upon hearing of Ptolemy's defensive preparations, he abandons his march on Pelusium and turns to besieging individual cities.

§5.62.1τρεψάμενος ἐπεστρατοπέδευσε τοῖς στενοῖς.
Having routed them, he encamped at the pass.
προσδεξάμενος δὲ καὶ τὴν λοιπὴν δύναμιν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ παρακαλέσας τὰ πρέποντα ταῖς προκειμέναις ἐπιβολαῖς, μετὰ ταῦτα προήγαγε μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως, εὐθαρσὴς καὶ μετέωρος ὢν πρὸς τὰς ὑπογραφομένας ἐλπίδας. §5.62.2ἀπαντησάντων δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν Θεόδοτον καὶ Παναίτωλον αὐτῷ καὶ τῶν ἅμα τούτοις φίλων, ἀποδεξάμενος τούτους φιλανθρώπως παρέλαβε τήν τε Τύρον καὶ Πτολεμαΐδα καὶ τὰς ἐν ταύταις παρασκευάς, ἐν αἷς ἦν καὶ πλοῖα τετταράκοντα· §5.62.3τούτων κατάφρακτα μὲν εἴκοσι διαφέροντα ταῖς κατασκευαῖς, ἐν οἷς οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἦν τετρήρους, τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ τριήρεις καὶ δίκροτα καὶ κέλητες.
Having also awaited the arrival of the rest of his army there, and having encouraged them in terms suitable to the undertakings before them, he then advanced with his entire force, full of courage and highly elated at the prospects painted before him. When Theodotus, Panetolus, and the friends with them came to meet him, he received them kindly and took possession of Tyre and Ptolemais, as well as the military preparations in them, among which were forty ships. Of these, twenty were decked ships, outstanding in their construction, among which none was inferior to a quadrireme; the rest were triremes, dicrota, and light vessels.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν Διογνήτῳ παρέδωκε τῷ ναυάρχῳ· §5.62.4προσπεσόντος δʼ αὐτῷ τὸν μὲν Πτολεμαῖον εἰς Μέμφιν ἐξεληλυθέναι, τὰς δὲ δυνάμεις ἡθροῖσθαι πάσας εἰς Πηλούσιον καὶ τάς τε διώρυχας ἀναστομοῦν καὶ τὰ πότιμα τῶν ὑδάτων ἐμφράττειν, §5.62.5τῆς μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ Πηλούσιον ἐπιβολῆς ἀπέστη, τὰς δὲ πόλεις ἐπιπορευόμενος ἐπειρᾶτο τὰς μὲν βίᾳ, τὰς δὲ πειθοῖ, πρὸς αὑτὸν ἐπάγεσθαι. §5.62.6τῶν δὲ πόλεων αἱ μὲν ἐλαφραὶ καταπεπληγμέναι τὴν ἔφοδον αὐτοῦ προσετίθεντο· αἱ δὲ πιστεύουσαι ταῖς παρασκευαῖς καὶ ταῖς ὀχυρότησι τῶν τόπων ὑπέμενον· ἃς ἠναγκάζετο προσκαθεζόμενος πολιορκεῖν καὶ κατατρίβειν τοὺς χρόνους. §5.62.7οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον τοῦ μὲν ἐκ χειρὸς βοηθεῖν τοῖς σφετέροις πράγμασιν, ὅπερ ἦν καθῆκον, οὕτως παρεσπονδημένοι προφανῶς, οὐδʼ ἐπιβολὴν εἶχον διὰ τὴν ἀδυναμίαν· §5.62.8ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὠλιγώρητο πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὰς πολεμικὰς
These, then, he handed over to Diognetus, his admiral. But when news reached him that Ptolemy had departed for Memphis, that all his forces had assembled at Pelusium, and that they were opening the sluices of the canals and damming up the drinking water, he abandoned his plan of attacking Pelusium, and visiting the cities in order, tried to win them over to his side, some by force and others by persuasion. Of these cities, those that were easily swayed, terrified at his approach, submitted to him; but those which trusted in their fortifications and the strength of their positions held out, which forced him to sit down before them and waste his time in sieges. As for Ptolemy and his advisers, though they had been so blatantly betrayed, they did not even have any plan to bring immediate assistance to their cause, which was their duty, owing to their powerlessness. For to such a degree had everything relating to war been neglected by them.

Notes

  1. 5.62.1τρεψάμενος — The middle aorist participle of τρέπω, here used transitively in the sense of "having routed (the enemy) for oneself," functioning similarly to the active voice.
  2. 5.62.4προσπεσόντος — An impersonal genitive absolute (or neuter singular genitive absolute) whose logical subject is the subsequent accusative and infinitive clauses starting with τὸν μὲν Πτολεμαῖον.
  3. 5.62.7τοῦ μὲν ἐκ χειρὸς βοηθεῖν — An articular genitive infinitive clause, best understood as depending on the noun ἐπιβολὴν (plan, undertaking) in the main clause, meaning "plan to bring immediate assistance."

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §5.62.1-5.62.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.62.1-5.62.8

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