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Polybius · The Histories §7.2.1-7.2.6

Alliance Negotiations between Hieronymus and Hannibal

Passage 538 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Hieronymus, king of Syracuse, persuaded by Zoippus and his party, sends envoys to Hannibal. Hannibal receives them warmly and sends them back with his own representatives, prompting Hieronymus to readily agree to an alliance with Carthage.

§7.2.1ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τὴν κατὰ Ἱερωνύμου τοῦ βασιλέως Συρακοσίων, ἐκχωρήσαντος τοῦ Θράσωνος, οἱ περὶ τὸν Ζώιππον καὶ Ἀδρανόδωρον πείθουσι τὸν Ἱερώνυμον εὐθέως πρεσβευτὰς πρὸς τὸν Ἀννίβαν πέμψαι.
It is reported that after the conspiracy against Hieronymus, the king of the Syracusans, and upon the withdrawal of Thrason, Zoippus, Adranodorus, and their party persuaded Hieronymus to send envoys immediately to Hannibal.
§7.2.2προχειρισάμενος δὲ Πολύκλειτον τὸν Κυρηναῖον καὶ Φιλόδημον τὸν Ἀργεῖον, τούτους μὲν εἰς Ἰταλίαν ἀπέστειλε, δοὺς ἐντολὰς λαλεῖν ὑπὲρ κοινοπραγίας τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἀπέπεμψεν.
Having selected Polyclitus of Cyrene and Philodemus of Argos, he dispatched them to Italy, giving them instructions to treat with the Carthaginians for a common alliance, and at the same time he sent his brothers to Alexandria.
§7.2.3Ἀννίβας δὲ τοὺς περὶ Πολύκλειτον καὶ Φιλόδημον ἀποδεξάμενος φιλανθρώπως, καὶ πολλὰς ἐλπίδας ὑπογράψας τῷ μειρακίῳ [Ἱερωνύμῳ], σπουδῇ πάλιν ἀπέπεμψε τοὺς πρέσβεις, σὺν δὲ τούτοις Ἀννίβαν τὸν Καρχηδόνιον, ὄντα τότε τριήραρχον, καὶ τοὺς Συρακοσίους Ἱπποκράτην καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν νεώτερον Ἐπικύδην.
Hannibal, having received Polyclitus and his companion kindly, and having held out great hopes to the young man, immediately sent the envoys back, and with them Hannibal the Carthaginian, who was then a trierarch, and the Syracusans Hippocrates and his younger brother Epicydes.
§7.2.4συνέβαινε δὲ τούτους τοὺς ἄνδρας καὶ πλείω χρόνον ἤδη στρατεύεσθαι μετʼ Ἀννίβου, πολιτευομένους παρὰ Καρχηδονίοις διὰ τὸ φεύγειν αὐτῶν τὸν πάππον ἐκ Συρακουσῶν δόξαντα προσενηνοχέναι τὰς χεῖρας ἑνὶ τῶν Ἀγαθοκλέους υἱῶν Ἀγαθάρχῳ.
Now it happened that these men had already served for a considerable time with Hannibal, living as citizens among the Carthaginians because their grandfather had fled from Syracuse, being believed to have laid hands upon Agatharchus, one of the sons of Agathocles.
§7.2.5παραγενομένων δὲ τούτων εἰς τὰς Συρακούσας, καὶ τῶν μὲν περὶ Πολύκλειτον ἀποπρεσβευσάντων, τοῦ δὲ Καρχηδονίου διαλεχθέντος κατὰ τὰς ὑπʼ Ἀννίβου δεδομένας ἐντολάς, εὐθέως ἕτοιμος ἦν κοινωνεῖν Καρχηδονίοις τῶν πραγμάτων· §7.2.6καὶ τόν τε παραγεγονότα πρὸς αὑτὸν Ἀννίβαν ἔφη δεῖν πορεύεσθαι κατὰ τάχος εἰς τὴν Καρχηδόνα, καὶ παρʼ αὑτοῦ συμπέμπειν ἐπηγγείλατο τοὺς διαλεχθησομένους τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις.
When these had arrived in Syracuse, and while Polyclitus and his companions made their report, and the Carthaginian spoke in accordance with the instructions given by Hannibal, Hieronymus was immediately ready to share in the enterprises of the Carthaginians; and he said that the Hannibal who had come to him ought to proceed with all speed to Carthage, and promised to send along with him envoys from his own side to treat with the Carthaginians.

Notes

  1. §7.2.1ὅτι — A particle introducing the narrative, typical of the excerpts (Excerpta) of Polybius. Rather than acting as a causal conjunction, it functions as an introductory marker for the excerpt, equivalent to 'That...'.
  2. §7.2.1οἱ περὶ τὸν Ζώιππον καὶ Ἀδρανόδωρον — The construction 'οἱ περί + accusative' refers to the main individuals and their 'party' or 'associates.' Here it denotes Zoippus, Adranodorus, and their supporters.
  3. §7.2.4δόξαντα — An accusative participle agreeing with `τὸν πάππον` (their grandfather), which is the subject of the infinitive `φεύγειν` governed by the preposition `διά`. It means 'because (their grandfather) was believed to have...'.
  4. §7.2.5παραγενομένων δὲ τούτων — A genitive absolute construction. The subject `τούτων` (these men) refers to the envoys mentioned in the preceding section (Polyclitus' party along with the Carthaginian Hannibal, Hippocrates, and Epicydes). It is further elaborated by the subsequent parallel genitive absolutes `τῶν μὲν... τοῦ δὲ...` specifying their respective actions.

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §7.2.1-7.2.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.2.1-7.2.6

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