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Polybius · The Histories §8.14.1-8.14.11

Philip's Capture of Acrolissus and Lissus

Passage 573 of 1311 · Greek

Summary

Philip successfully decoyed the defenders of Acrolissus into the plain, defeated them with his hidden troops, and captured both Acrolissus and Lissus, leading to the submission of most of the surrounding Illyrians.

§8.14.1τινὰ τελέως εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπένειμαν φυλακήν.
they had assigned to it a completely inadequate guard.
διόπερ ἅμα τῷ συνεγγίζειν τοὺς Μακεδόνας εὐθέως ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξεχέοντο, θαρροῦντες ἐπί τε τῷ πλήθει καὶ ταῖς τῶν τόπων ὀχυρότησι.
For this reason, as soon as the Macedonians approached, they immediately poured out of the city, full of confidence in their numbers and the strength of the positions.
§8.14.2τοὺς μὲν οὖν πελταστὰς ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐν τοῖς ἐπιπέδοις ἐπέστησε, τοῖς δὲ κούφοις παρήγγειλε προβαίνειν πρὸς τοὺς λόφους καὶ συμπλέκεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους ἐρρωμένως.
The king, therefore, stationed the peltasts on the level ground, and ordered the light-armed troops to advance towards the hills and engage the enemy vigorously.
ποιούντων δὲ τὸ παραγγελθέν, §8.14.3ἐπὶ ποσὸν μὲν ὁ κίνδυνος πάρισος ἦν μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ταῖς δυσχωρίαις εἴξαντες οἱ παρὰ τοῦ Φιλίππου καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν πολεμίων ἐτράπησαν.
On their doing as they were ordered, for a certain time the struggle was well-balanced; but after this, yielding both to the difficulties of the ground and to the numbers of the enemy, Philip's men were turned to flight.
§8.14.4καταφυγόντων δὲ τούτων εἰς τοὺς πελταστὰς οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καταφρονήσαντες προῄεσαν καὶ συγκαταβάντες ἐν τοῖς ἐπιπέδοις προσεμάχοντο τοῖς πελτασταῖς·
When these had fled for refuge to the peltasts, those from the city, despising the enemy, advanced further, and descending to the level ground, engaged the peltasts.
§8.14.5οἱ δὲ τὸν Ἀκρόλισσον φυλάττοντες, θεωροῦντες τὸν Φίλιππον ἐκ διαδοχῆς ταῖς σπείραις ἐπὶ πόδα ποιούμενον τὴν ἀναχώρησιν, καὶ δόξαντες τοῖς ὅλοις αὐτὸν εἴκειν, ἔλαθον ἐκκληθέντες διὰ τὸ πιστεύειν τῇ φύσει τοῦ τόπου, §8.14.6κἄπειτα κατʼ ὀλίγους ἐκλιπόντες τὸν Ἀκρόλισσον κατέρρεον ταῖς ἀνοδίαις εἰς τοὺς ὁμαλοὺς καὶ πεδινοὺς τόπους, ὡς ἤδη τινὸς ὠφελείας καὶ τροπῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐσομένης.
Meanwhile, those who were guarding Acrolissus, seeing Philip making his retreat step by step with his cohorts in succession, and thinking that he was yielding altogether, were lured out without realizing it, owing to their trust in the natural strength of the place, and then, leaving Acrolissus in small groups, they streamed down by pathless ways into the flat and level places, as if some advantage and rout of the enemy were already at hand.
§8.14.7κατὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον οἱ τὰς ἐνέδρας ἐκ τῆς μεσογαίας διειληφότες ἀφανῶς ἐξαναστάντες ἐνεργὸν ἐποιήσαντο τὴν ἔφοδον· ἅμα δὲ τούτοις ἐκ μεταβολῆς οἱ πελτασταὶ συνεπέθεντο τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις.
At this critical moment, those who had occupied the ambush in the inland region arose from their hiding places unseen and made a vigorous assault; and at the same time, the peltasts faced about and attacked the enemy.
§8.14.8οὗ συμβάντος διαταραχθέντες οἱ μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Λίσσου σποράδην ποιούμενοι τὴν ἀναχώρησιν διεσῴζοντο πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, οἱ δὲ τὸν Ἀκρόλισσον ἐκλιπόντες ἀπετμήθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐκ τῆς ἐνέδρας ἐξαναστάντων.
Upon this happening, the enemy was thrown into confusion; those from Lissus made their retreat in scattered groups and escaped safely into the city, but those who had left Acrolissus were cut off by those who had risen from the ambush.
§8.14.9διὸ καὶ συνέβη τὸ μὲν ἀνέλπιστον, τὸν Ἀκρόλισσον παραχρῆμα ληφθῆναι χωρὶς κινδύνων, τὸν δὲ Λίσσον τῇ κατὰ πόδας ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ μεγάλων ἀγώνων, ποιησαμένων τῶν Μακεδόνων ἐνεργοὺς καὶ καταπληκτικὰς προσβολάς.
Consequently, the unexpected happened: Acrolissus was immediately taken without any danger, and Lissus on the following day after a great struggle, the Macedonians having made vigorous and terrifying assaults.
Φίλιππος μὲν οὖν, §8.14.10παραδόξως ἐγκρατὴς γενόμενος τῶν προειρημένων τόπων, ἅπαντας τοὺς πέριξ ὑποχειρίους ἐποιήσατο διὰ ταύτης τῆς πράξεως, ὥστε τοὺς πλείστους τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν ἐθελοντὴν ἐπιτρέπειν αὐτῷ τὰς πόλεις· §8.14.11οὐδεμία γὰρ ὀχυρότης ἔτι πρὸς τὴν Φιλίππου βίαν οὐδʼ ἀσφάλεια τοῖς ἀντιταττομένοις προυφαίνετο, κεκρατημένων μετὰ βίας τῶν προειρημένων ὀχυρωμάτων. [ξοδ. υρβ. φολ. 107 εχξ. αντ. π. 199. ]
Philip, therefore, having contrary to expectation made himself master of the aforementioned places, brought all the surrounding people under his sway by this exploit, so that most of the Illyrians voluntarily surrendered their cities to him; for no strength of position nor security any longer appeared to those who opposed him, now that the aforementioned strongholds had been taken by force.

Notes

  1. 8.14.1τινὰ τελέως εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπένειμαν φυλακήν — The adjective μετρίαν at the very end of the previous chapter (§8.13.9) syntactically links with τινὰ ... φυλακήν at the beginning of this chapter, forming the single noun phrase meaning "a completely scanty/moderate guard." Note that the phrase is split by the chapter division.
  2. 8.14.5ἔλαθον ἐκκληθέντες — The verb λανθάνω combined with the passive participle ἐκκληθέντες (from ἐκκαλέω) forms an idiomatic construction meaning "they were lured out without realizing it," indicating that the action was performed unconsciously by the subject.
  3. 8.14.6ὡς ἤδη τινὸς ὠφελείας καὶ τροπῆς τῶν πολεμίων ἐσομένης — The conjunction ὡς introduces the genitive absolute construction (τινὸς ὠφελείας καὶ τροπῆς ... ἐσομένης in the future tense), expressing the subjective reason or expectation of the defenders of Acrolissus ("thinking that some advantage and rout of the enemy was already at hand").
  4. 8.14.9διὸ καὶ συνέβη τὸ μὲν ἀνέλπιστον, τὸν Ἀκρόλισσον παραχρῆμα ληφθῆναι χωρὶς κινδύνων, τὸν δὲ Λίσσον τῇ κατὰ πόδας ἡμέρᾳ μετὰ μεγάλων ἀγώνων — The subject of the impersonal verb συνέβη is τὸ μὲν ἀνέλπιστον (the unexpected), which is explained by the accusative-and-infinitive clause τὸν Ἀκρόλισσον ... ληφθῆναι. In the parallel subsequent clause τὸν δὲ Λίσσον..., the same infinitive ληφθῆναι is omitted and must be supplied from the context to complete the symmetry ("and Lissus [was taken] on the following day after a great struggle").

Cite this passage

Polybius, The Histories §8.14.1-8.14.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.14.1-8.14.11

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