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Polybius · The Histories §5.89.1-5.89.9

Specific Aid Granted by Ptolemy and Other Kings to Rhodes

Passage 453 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

A detailed list of the immense aid—including vast sums of money, grain, shipbuilding timber, and skilled builders—promised by various kings, such as Ptolemy, Antigonus, and Seleucus, and their queens, for the restoration of Rhodes.

§5.89.1Συρακοσίων.
Syracusans.
ἐπηγγείλατο δὲ καὶ Πτολεμαῖος αὐτοῖς ἀργυρίου τάλαντα τριακόσια καὶ σίτου μυριάδας ἀρταβῶν ἑκατόν, ξύλα δὲ ναυπηγήσιμα δέκα πεντήρων καὶ δέκα τριήρων, πευκίνων τετραγώνων πήχεις ἐμμέτρους τετρακισμυρίους, §5.89.2καὶ χαλκοῦ νομίσματος τάλαντα χίλια, στυππίου τρισχίλιʼ, ὀθονίων ἱστοὺς τρισχιλίους, §5.89.3εἰς τὴν τοῦ κολοσσοῦ κατασκευὴν τάλαντα τρισχίλιʼ, οἰκοδόμους ἑκατόν, ὑπουργοὺς τριακοσίους καὶ πεντήκοντα, καὶ τούτοις καθʼ ἕκαστον ἔτος εἰς ὀψώνιον τάλαντα δεκατέτταρα, §5.89.4πρὸς δὲ τούτοις εἰς τοὺς ἀγῶνας καὶ τὰς θυσίας ἀρτάβας σίτου μυρίας δισχιλίας, καὶ μὴν εἰς σιτομετρίαν δέκα τριήρων ἀρτάβας δισμυρίας.
And Ptolemy also promised them three hundred talents of silver and one million artabae of grain, and shipbuilding timber for ten quinqueremes and ten triremes, and forty thousand measured cubits of squared pine timber, and one thousand talents of bronze coin, three thousand talents of tow, three thousand webs of linen, and three thousand talents for the restoration of the Colossus, one hundred master-builders, three hundred and fifty workmen, and fourteen talents annually for their pay, and in addition to these, twelve thousand artabae of grain for their games and sacrifices, and furthermore, twenty thousand artabae for the provisioning of ten triremes.
§5.89.5καὶ τούτων ἔδωκε τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα παραχρῆμα, τοῦ δʼ ἀργυρίου παντὸς τὸ τρίτον μέρος.
And of these he gave the greater part immediately, and of the silver, one-third of the whole amount.
§5.89.6παραπλησίως Ἀντίγονος ξύλʼ ἀφʼ ἑκκαιδεκαπήχους ἕως ὀκταπήχους εἰς σφηκίσκων λόγον μύρια, στρωτῆρας ἑπταπήχεις πεντακισχιλίους, σιδήρου τάλαντα τρισχίλια, πίττης τάλαντα χίλιʼ, ἄλλης ὠμῆς μετρητὰς χιλίους, ἀργυρίου πρὸς τούτοις ἑκατὸν ἐπηγγείλατο τάλαντα,
In like manner, Antigonus promised ten thousand pieces of timber from sixteen to eight cubits in length to serve as rafters, five thousand joists of seven cubits, three thousand talents of iron, one thousand talents of pitch, and one thousand metretae of raw pitch, and in addition to these, one hundred talents of silver.
§5.89.7Χρυσηὶς δʼ ἡ γυνὴ δέκα μὲν σίτου μυριάδας, τρισχίλια δὲ μολίβδου τάλαντα.
And his wife Chryseis promised one hundred thousand artabae of grain, and three thousand talents of lead.
§5.89.8Σέλευκος δʼ ὁ πατὴρ Ἀντιόχου χωρὶς μὲν ἀτέλειαν τοῖς εἰς τὴν αὑτοῦ βασιλείαν πλοϊζομένοις, χωρὶς δὲ πεντήρεις μὲν δέκα κατηρτισμένας, σίτου δʼ εἴκοσι μυριάδας, §5.89.9καὶ μὴν ξύλων καὶ ῥητίνης καὶ τριχὸς μυριάδας πηχῶν καὶ ταλάντων χιλιάδας.
And Seleucus, the father of Antiochus, besides granting exemption from duties to those sailing to his kingdom, also promised separately ten fully-equipped quinqueremes, and two hundred thousand artabae of grain, and furthermore, timber, resin, and hair, amounting to tens of thousands of cubits and thousands of talents.

Notes

  1. 5.89.1Συρακοσίων — This genitive noun at the very beginning of the chapter modifies the noun phrase at the end of the previous chapter (5.88.8) meaning 'by the People of...' (ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου τοῦ). Though separated by the chapter division, they grammatically form a single phrase 'by the People of the Syracusans'.
  2. 5.89.6εἰς σφηκίσκων λόγον — The preposition εἰς combined with λόγον forms an idiomatic adverbial expression meaning 'for the purpose of' or 'in the capacity of'. Here, it indicates that the various timbers were provided 'for the purpose of rafters'.
  3. 5.89.8χωρὶς μὲν... χωρὶς δὲ... — While χωρίς is usually a preposition governing the genitive meaning 'without' or 'apart from', here it functions adverbially in a correlative structure meaning 'on the one hand separately... and on the other hand separately...', individually listing different forms of aid (exemption from duties and the provision of ships and grain).
  4. 5.89.9μυριάδας πηχῶν καὶ ταλάντων χιλιάδας — Multiple materials (timber, resin, hair) and multiple units/numbers (tens of thousands, thousands, cubits, talents) are arranged here. The cubits (πηχῶν, a measure of length) qualify the tens of thousands (μυριάδας) of timber (ξύλων), while the talents (ταλάντων, a measure of weight) qualify the thousands (χιλιάδας) of resin (ῥητίνης) and hair (τριχὸς), requiring a chiasmic or semantic correlation.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §5.89.1-5.89.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.89.1-5.89.9

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