Humanitext Reader

Polybius · The Histories §7.17.1-7.17.9

Lagoras Scales the Wall and the Diversion Begins

Passage 556 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Lagoras and his men scale the cliffs at dawn, prompting King Antiochus to attack the Persian Gate on the opposite side to distract the enemy, forcing Achaeus and Aribazus to scramble their defenses.

§7.17.1ἑτοίμων δὲ πάντων αὐτοῖς γενομένων, ἅμα τῷ κρυφθῆναι τὴν σελήνην λάθρᾳ πρὸς τοὺς κρημνοὺς οἱ περὶ τὸν Λαγόραν ἀφικόμενοι μετὰ τῶν κλιμάκων ὑπέστειλαν ἑαυτοὺς ὑπό τινα προπεπτωκυῖαν ὀφρύν.
When all had been made ready for them, as soon as the moon was hidden, those around Lagoras arrived secretly at the cliffs with the ladders and concealed themselves under a protruding ledge.
ἐπιγενομένης δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας, §7.17.2καὶ τῶν μὲν φυλάκων ἀπολυομένων ἀπὸ τοῦ τόπου τούτου, τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως κατὰ τὸν ἐθισμὸν τοὺς μὲν εἰς τὰς ἐφεδρείας ἐκπέμποντος, τοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς εἰς τὸν ἱππόδρομον ἐξαγαγόντος καὶ παρατάττοντος, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀνύποπτον ἦν πᾶσι τὸ γενόμενον.
And when day broke, and while the guards were being relieved from this post, and the king, according to custom, was sending some to the reserves and leading out the majority to the hippodrome and drawing them up, at first what was happening was unsuspected by all.
§7.17.3προστεθεισῶν δὲ δυεῖν κλιμάκων, καὶ διʼ ἧς μὲν Διονυσίου, διʼ ἧς δὲ Λαγόρα πρῶτον πορευομένων, ἐγίνετο ταραχὴ καὶ κίνημα περὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον.
But when two ladders were placed against the wall, and with Dionysius going first up one and Lagoras up the other, there arose a stir and movement around the camp.
§7.17.4συνέβαινε γὰρ τοῖς μὲν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀχαιὸν ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας ἀδήλους εἶναι τοὺς προσβαίνοντας διὰ τῆς προπεπτωκυίας ἐπὶ τὸν κρημνὸν ὀφρύος· τοῖς δʼ ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου σύνοπτος ἦν ἡ τόλμα τῶν ἀναβαινόντων καὶ παραβαλλομένων.
For it happened that those in the city and those around Achaeus in the citadel could not see those who were ascending because of the protruding ledge over the cliff; but to those in the camp, the bold attempt of those climbing and risking their lives was clearly visible.
§7.17.5διόπερ οἱ μὲν ἐκπεπληγμένοι τὸ παράδοξον, οἱ δὲ προορώμενοι καὶ δεδιότες τὸ συμβησόμενον, ἀχανεῖς ἅμα δὲ περιχαρεῖς ὄντες, ἕστασαν.
Therefore, some being astounded by the unexpected event, and others anticipating and fearing what would happen, stood speechless yet at the same time overjoyed.
ὅθεν ὁ βασιλεύς, §7.17.6θεωρῶν τὸ περὶ τὴν ὅλην παρεμβολὴν κίνημα, καὶ βουλόμενος ἀποσπᾶν ἀπὸ τοῦ προκειμένου τούς τε παρʼ αὑτοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, προῆγε τὴν δύναμιν καὶ προσέβαλε πρὸς τὰς ἐπὶ θάτερα πύλας κειμένας, Περσίδας δὲ προσαγορευομένας.
Wherefore the king, seeing the movement throughout the whole camp, and wishing to distract the attention of his own men and those in the city from what was before them, led forward his force and made an assault on the gates situated on the other side, which were called the Persian gates.
Ἀχαιὸς δέ, §7.17.7συνθεωρῶν ἐκ τῆς ἄκρας τὸ περὶ τοὺς ὑπεναντίους κίνημα παρηλλαγμένον τῆς συνηθείας, ἐπὶ πολὺ διηπορεῖτο δυσχρηστούμενος καὶ συννοῆσαι τὸ γινόμενον οὐδαμῶς δυνάμενος.
And Achaeus, observing from the citadel that the movement among the enemy was different from their usual custom, was for a long time utterly perplexed, being at a loss and in no way able to understand what was happening.
§7.17.8πλὴν ὅμως ἐξαπέστειλε τοὺς ἀπαντήσοντας εἰς τὴν πύλην· ὧν διὰ στενῆς καὶ κρημνώδους ποιουμένων τὴν κατάβασιν βραδεῖαν συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι τὴν ἐπικουρίαν.
Nevertheless, he sent out men to meet them at the gate; but since they made their descent through a narrow and precipitous path, it happened that the reinforcement was slow.
§7.17.9ὁ δʼ ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως τεταγμένος Ἀρίβαζος ἀκάκως ὥρμησε πρὸς τὰς πύλας, αἷς ἑώρα προσβάλλοντα τὸν Ἀντίοχον, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀνεβίβαζε, τοὺς δὲ διὰ τῆς πύλης ἀφιεὶς εἴργειν τοὺς συνεγγίζοντας καὶ συμπλέκεσθαι παρεκελεύετο τοῖς πολεμίοις.
Meanwhile Aribazus, who had been appointed to command the city, rushed unsuspectingly to the gates where he saw Antiochus attacking, and while he made some scale the wall, he sent others out through the gate and ordered them to keep off those who approached and to engage with the enemy.

Notes

  1. §7.17.3καὶ διʼ ἧς μὲν Διονυσίου, διʼ ἧς δὲ Λαγόρα πρῶτον πορευομένων — The relative pronoun `ἧς` refers back to the preceding `κλιμάκων` (ladders), forming a parallel structure: 'through one ladder... through the other...'. This clause is a genitive absolute construction, where the genitives `Διονυσίου` and `Λαγόρα` serve as the subject of the participle `πορευομένων` (genitive plural).
  2. §7.17.4συνέβαινε γὰρ τοῖς μὲν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ... ἀδήλους εἶναι τοὺς προσβαίνοντας — The impersonal verb `συνέβαινε` (it happened) is followed by an accusative and infinitive construction (`ἀδήλους εἶναι τοὺς προσβαίνοντας`). The accusative participle `τοὺς προσβαίνοντας` is the subject of the infinitive `εἶναι`, and the adjective `ἀδήλους` is the predicate adjective agreeing with it. The dative phrase `τοῖς μὲν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως...` functions as a dative of judge/observer (dativus iudicantis) modifying the entire infinitive clause.
  3. §7.17.8ὧν διὰ στενῆς καὶ κρημνώδους ποιουμένων τὴν κατάβασιν — The relative pronoun `ὧν` (referring to the men dispatched in the preceding clause) functions as the subject of the genitive absolute construction `ὧν ... ποιουμένων` (as they were making...). This is a typical Greek usage where the relative pronoun acts both as a connective and a demonstrative to introduce a new clause.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §7.17.1-7.17.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.17.1-7.17.9

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.