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Polybius · The Histories §5.94.1-5.94.9

Lycus's Defeat of the Eleans and Achaean Successes

Passage 458 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

While Aratus attends the Achaean assembly, the Elean commander Euripidas launches an incursion, but Lycus routs them, capturing prominent figures and booty. Around the same time, the Achaean admiral wins naval victories, relieving the financial burdens of both the soldiers and the cities.

§5.94.1μετὰ δὲ τὰς διαλύσεις ταύτας ἀναζεύξας αὐτὸς μὲν ἧκε πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν σύνοδον, τοὺς δὲ μισθοφόρους συνέστησε Λύκῳ τῷ Φαραιεῖ, διὰ τὸ τοῦτον ὑποστράτηγον εἶναι τότε τῆς συντελείας τῆς πατρικῆς.
After these reconciliations, Aratus himself marched off and came to the assembly of the Achaeans, but he entrusted the mercenaries to Lycus of Pharae, because the latter was at that time the sub-commander of his native district.
§5.94.2οἱ δʼ Ἠλεῖοι, δυσαρεστούμενοι τῷ Πυρρίᾳ, πάλιν ἐπεσπάσαντο στρατηγὸν παρὰ τῶν Αἰτωλῶν Εὐριπίδαν.
But the Eleans, being dissatisfied with Pyrrhias, again summoned Euripidas from the Aetolians as their general.
§5.94.3ὃς τηρήσας τὴν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν σύνοδον, καὶ παραλαβὼν ἱππεῖς μὲν ἑξήκοντα, πεζοὺς δὲ δισχιλίους, ἐξώδευσε, καὶ διελθὼν διὰ τῆς Φαραϊκῆς κατέδραμε τὴν χώραν ἕως τῆς Αἰγιάδος.
He, watching for the occasion of the Achaean assembly, and taking sixty cavalry and two thousand infantry, marched out, and passing through the territory of Pharae, ravaged the country as far as Aegias.
§5.94.4περιελασάμενος δὲ λείαν ἱκανὴν ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἀποχώρησιν ὡς ἐπὶ Λεόντιον.
Having driven off a considerable amount of booty, he made his retreat in the direction of Leontium.
§5.94.5οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Λύκον συνέντες τὸ γεγονὸς ἐβοήθουν κατὰ σπουδήν, συνάψαντες δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις καὶ συμμίξαντες ἐξ ἐφόδου κατέβαλον μὲν αὐτῶν εἰς τετρακοσίους, ζωγρίᾳ δʼ ἔλαβον εἰς διακοσίους,
Lycus and his men, having perceived what had happened, went to the rescue in haste, and having overtaken the enemy and closed with them in a sudden attack, they slew about four hundred of them and took about two hundred alive.
§5.94.6ἐν οἷς ἦσαν ἐπιφανεῖς ἄνδρες Φυσσίας, Ἀντάνωρ, Κλέαρχος, Ἀνδρόλοχος, Εὐανορίδας, Ἀριστογείτων, Νικάσιππος, Ἀσπάσιος· τῶν δʼ ὅπλων καὶ τῆς ἀποσκευῆς ἐκυρίευσαν πάσης.
Among these were distinguished men: Physsias, Antanor, Clearchus, Androlochus, Evanoridas, Aristogeiton, Nicasippus, and Aspasius; and they became masters of all their arms and baggage.
§5.94.7κατὰ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς ὁ τῶν Ἀχαιῶν ναύαρχος ἐξοδεύσας εἰς Μολυκρίαν, ἧκεν ἔχων οὐ πολὺ λείποντα τῶν ἑκατὸν σωμάτων.
Around the same time, the admiral of the Achaeans, having made an expedition to Molycria, returned with nearly a hundred captives.
§5.94.8αὖτις δʼ ὑποστρέψας ἔπλευσε πρὸς Χάλκειαν, τῶν δʼ ἐκβοηθησάντων ἐκυρίευσε δύο μακρῶν πλοίων αὐτάνδρων· ἔλαβε δὲ καὶ κέλητα περὶ τὸ Ῥίον Αἰτωλικὸν ὁμοῦ τῷ πληρώματι.
Turning back again, he sailed to Chalceia and captured two warships with their crews, which had put out to meet him; he also took a light vessel near the Aetolian Rhium together with its crew.
§5.94.9συνδραμόντων δὲ τῶν τε κατὰ γῆν καὶ τῶν κατὰ θάλατταν λαφύρων περὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιρούς, καὶ συναχθείσης ἀπὸ τούτων προσόδου καὶ χορηγίας ἱκανῆς, ἐγένετο τοῖς τε στρατιώταις θάρσος ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ὀψωνίων κομιδῆς ταῖς τε πόλεσιν ἐλπὶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ βαρυνθήσεσθαι ταῖς εἰσφοραῖς.
Since the spoils both by land and by sea came together about the same time, and a substantial revenue and resource was gathered from these, the soldiers gained confidence regarding the receipt of their pay, and the cities felt hope that they would not be burdened with war-taxes.

Notes

  1. 5.94.1διὰ τὸ τοῦτον ὑποστράτηγον εἶναι τότε τῆς συντελείας τῆς πατρικῆς — An infinitive construction with "διὰ τὸ + infinitive (εἶναι)". The demonstrative pronoun τοῦτον (referring to Lycus) functions as the accusative subject of the infinitive. τῆς συντελείας τῆς πατρικῆς ("his native/parent district/league division") is a genitive governed by the noun/title ὑποστράτηγον.
  2. 5.94.3ὃς τηρήσας τὴν τῶν Ἀχαιῶν σύνοδον — The relative pronoun ὃς at the beginning of the sentence functions as a connective demonstrative ("And he..."). The participle τηρήσας expresses temporal/situational action ("having watched for" or "waiting for" the timing of the assembly).
  3. 5.94.5κατέβαλον μὲν αὐτῶν εἰς τετρακοσίους — αὐτῶν is a partitive genitive ("of them"). The prepositional phrase εἰς τετρακοσίους ("up to/about four hundred") expresses an approximate number and functions as the virtual object of the verb κατέβαλον.
  4. 5.94.7οὐ πολὺ λείποντα τῶν ἑκατὸν σωμάτων — σωμάτων (plural of σῶμα, "body") is used here in the sense of "captives" or "slaves". λείποντα is a present participle taking τῶν ἑκατὸν ("a hundred") as a genitive of comparison, meaning "falling not much short of a hundred."

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §5.94.1-5.94.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.94.1-5.94.9

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