Polybius, Histories

Translation

Book 10 - Chapter 41

<head lang="la">VII. Res Graeciae</head><w lemma="%2Aoi%28">Οἱ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="%2Aai%29twloi%2F">Αἰτωλοί</w>, <w lemma="prosfa%2Ftws">προσφάτως</w> <w lemma="e%29phrme%2Fnoi">ἐπηρμένοι</w> <w lemma="tai%3Ds">ταῖς</w> <w lemma="e%29lpi%2Fsin">ἐλπίσιν</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rwmai%2Fwn">Ῥωμαίων</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="basile%2Fws">βασιλέως</w> <w lemma="%2A%29atta%2Flou">Ἀττάλου</w> <w lemma="parousi%2Fa%7C">παρουσίᾳ</w>, <w lemma="pa%2Fntas">πάντας</w> <w lemma="e%29ce%2Fplhtton">ἐξέπληττον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pa%3Dsin">πᾶσιν</w> <w lemma="e%29pe%2Fkeinto">ἐπέκειντο</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="gh%3Dn">γῆν</w>, <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29%2Fattalon">Ἄτταλον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Apo%2Fplion">Πόπλιον</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="qa%2Flattan">θάλατταν</w>.

<w lemma="dio%2Fper">διόπερ</w> <w lemma="h%28%3Dkon">ἧκον</w> <w lemma="%2A%29axaioi%5C">Ἀχαιοὶ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="parakalou%3Dntes">παρακαλοῦντες</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Afi%2Flippon">Φίλιππον</w> <w lemma="bohqei%3Dn:">βοηθεῖν·</w> <w lemma="ou%29">οὐ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="%2Aai%29twlou%5Cs">Αἰτωλοὺς</w> <w lemma="h%29gwni%2Fwn">ἠγωνίων</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Amaxani%2Fdan">Μαχανίδαν</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="prokaqh%3Dsqai">προκαθῆσθαι</w> <w lemma="meta%5C">μετὰ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="duna%2Fmews">δυνάμεως</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29argei%2Fwn">Ἀργείων</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Frois">ὅροις</w>.

<w lemma="%2Aboiwtoi%5C">Βοιωτοὶ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="dedio%2Ftes">δεδιότες</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="sto%2Flon">στόλον</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="u%28penanti%2Fwn">ὑπεναντίων</w>, <w lemma="h%28gemo%2Fna">ἡγεμόνα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="boh%2Fqeian">βοήθειαν</w> <w lemma="h%29%2F%7Ctoun">ᾔτουν</w>. <w lemma="filoponw%2Ftata%2F">φιλοπονώτατά</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="mh%5Cn">μὴν</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2Aeu%29%2Fboian">Εὔβοιαν</w> <w lemma="katoikou%3Dntes">κατοικοῦντες</w> <w lemma="h%29ci%2Foun">ἠξίουν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxein">ἔχειν</w> <w lemma="tina%5C">τινὰ</w> <w lemma="pro%2Fnoian">πρόνοιαν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="polemi%2Fwn">πολεμίων</w>. <w lemma="paraplh%2Fsia">παραπλήσια</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="%2A%29akarna%3Dnes">Ἀκαρνᾶνες</w> <w lemma="pareka%2Floun">παρεκάλουν</w>.

<w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="par%27">παρ᾽</w> <w lemma="%2A%29hpeirwtw%3Dn">Ἠπειρωτῶν</w> <w lemma="presbei%2Fa">πρεσβεία</w>. <w lemma="prosh%2Fggelto">προσήγγελτο</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Askerdilai+%2Fdan">Σκερδιλαΐδαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Apleura%3Dton">Πλευρᾶτον</w> <w lemma="e%29ca%2Fgein">ἐξάγειν</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="duna%2Fmeis:">δυνάμεις·</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fti">ἔτι</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="prosorou%3Dntas">προσοροῦντας</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="%2Amakedoni%2Fa%7C">Μακεδονίᾳ</w> <w lemma="%2Aqra%3D%7Ckas">Θρᾷκας</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ma%2Flista">μάλιστα</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="%2Amaidou%2Fs">Μαιδούς</w>, <w lemma="e%29pibola%5Cs">ἐπιβολὰς</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxein">ἔχειν</w> <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="e%29mbalou%3Dntas">ἐμβαλοῦντας</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Amakedoni%2Fan">Μακεδονίαν</w>, <w lemma="e%29a%5Cn">ἐὰν</w> <w lemma="braxu%2F">βραχύ</w> <w lemma="ti">τι</w> <w lemma="mo%2Fnon">μόνον</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="basileu%5Cs">βασιλεὺς</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="oi%29kei%2Fas">οἰκείας</w> <w lemma="a%29pospasqh%3D%7C">ἀποσπασθῇ</w>.

<w lemma="prokatela%2Fmbanon">προκατελάμβανον</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Aqermopu%2Flas">Θερμοπύλας</w> <w lemma="stena%5C">στενὰ</w> <w lemma="ta%2Ffrois">τάφροις</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="xa%2Fraki">χάρακι</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="fulakai%3Ds">φυλακαῖς</w> <w lemma="barei%2Fais">βαρείαις</w> <w lemma="%2Aai%29twloi%2F">Αἰτωλοί</w>, <w lemma="pepeisme%2Fnoi">πεπεισμένοι</w> <w lemma="sugklei%2Fein">συγκλείειν</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Afi%2Flippon">Φίλιππον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="kaqo%2Flou">καθόλου</w> <w lemma="kwlu%2Fein">κωλύειν</w> <w lemma="parabohqei%3Dn">παραβοηθεῖν</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="e%29nto%5Cs">ἐντὸς</w> <w lemma="%2Apulw%3Dn">Πυλῶν</w> <w lemma="summa%2Fxois">συμμάχοις</w>.

<w lemma="dokei%3D">δοκεῖ</w> <w lemma="de%2F">δέ</w> <w lemma="moi">μοι</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="toiau%2Ftas">τοιαύτας</w> <w lemma="perista%2Fseis">περιστάσεις</w> <w lemma="eu%29lo%2Fgws">εὐλόγως</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fn">ἄν</w> <w lemma="tis">τις</w> <w lemma="e%29pishmh%2Fnasqai">ἐπισημήνασθαι</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="sunefista%2Fnein">συνεφιστάνειν</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="a%29naginw%2Fskontas">ἀναγινώσκοντας</w>, <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="ai%28%3Ds">αἷς</w> <w lemma="pei%3Dra">πεῖρα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ba%2Fsanos">βάσανος</w> <w lemma="a%29lhqinh%5C">ἀληθινὴ</w> <w lemma="gi%2Fnetai">γίνεται</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="ta%2Fs">τάς</w> <w lemma="te">τε</w> <w lemma="yuxika%5Cs">ψυχικὰς</w> <w lemma="o%28rma%5Cs">ὁρμὰς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="swmatika%5Cs">σωματικὰς</w> <w lemma="duna%2Fmeis">δυνάμεις</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="h%28gemo%2Fnwn">ἡγεμόνων</w>.

<w lemma="kaqa%2Fper">καθάπερ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tai%3Ds">ταῖς</w> <w lemma="kunhgesi%2Fais">κυνηγεσίαις</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="zw%3D%7Ca">ζῷα</w> <w lemma="to%2Fte">τότε</w> <w lemma="dia%2Fdhla">διάδηλα</w> <w lemma="gi%2Fnetai">γίνεται</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="a%29lkh%5Cn">ἀλκὴν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="du%2Fnamin">δύναμιν</w>, <w lemma="o%28%2Ftan">ὅταν</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="deino%5Cn">δεινὸν</w> <w lemma="au%29ta%5C">αὐτὰ</w> <w lemma="peristh%3D%7C">περιστῇ</w> <w lemma="pantaxo%2Fqen">πανταχόθεν</w>, <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="tro%2Fpon">τρόπον</w> <w lemma="sumbai%2Fnei">συμβαίνει</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="h%28goume%2Fnwn">ἡγουμένων</w>. <w lemma="o%28%5C">ὃ</w> <w lemma="dh%5C">δὴ</w> <w lemma="to%2Fte">τότε</w> <w lemma="ma%2Flista">μάλιστα</w> <w lemma="sunidei%3Dn">συνιδεῖν</w> <w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w> <w lemma="gino%2Fmenon">γινόμενον</w> <w lemma="u%28po%5C">ὑπὸ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Afili%2Fppou:">Φιλίππου·</w>

<w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="presbei%2Fas">πρεσβείας</w> <w lemma="a%29pe%2Fluse">ἀπέλυσε</w> <w lemma="pa%2Fsas">πάσας</w>, <w lemma="e%28ka%2Fstois">ἑκάστοις</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="dunata%5C">δυνατὰ</w> <w lemma="poih%2Fsein">ποιήσειν</w> <w lemma="e%29paggeila%2Fmenos">ἐπαγγειλάμενος</w>, <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="pole%2Fmw%7C">πολέμῳ</w> <w lemma="pantaxo%2Fqen">πανταχόθεν</w> <w lemma="e%29pei%3Dxe">ἐπεῖχε</w>, <w lemma="karadokw%3Dn">καραδοκῶν</w> <w lemma="ph%3D%7C">πῇ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="ti%2Fna">τίνα</w> <w lemma="prw%3Dton">πρῶτον</w> <w lemma="deh%2Fsei">δεήσει</w>

<head>VII. Affairs of Greece</head><head>Action of Philip</head>The Aetolians, whose hopes had recently risen high owing to the arrival of the Romans and King Attalus, were terrorizing and threatening everyone by land while the Romans and Attalus were doing the same by sea.

The Achaeans therefore came to Philip to beg for his help, for they were not only in dread of the Aetolians but of Machanidas, as he was hovering with his army on the Argive frontier.

The Boeotians, who were afraid of the enemy\'s fleet, begged for a commander and for succour, but the inhabitants of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Euboea&groupId=584&placeId=1091">Euboea</a> were the most energetic of all in their instances to Philip to take precautions against the enemy. The Acarnanians made the same request, and there was also an ambassador from Epirus.

Information had been received that Scerdilaïdas and Pleuratus were setting their forces in motion, and also that the Thracians on the Macedonian frontier, and especially the Maedi, intended to invade <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a> if the king were drawn away however so little from his native country.

The Aetolians also had occupied the pass of Thermopylae, fortifying it with a palisade and trench and strongly garrisoning it, feeling sure that they thus shut out Philip and prevented him from coming to help his allies beyond the pass.

It seems to me that it is only reasonable to bring into relief and prominently before the eyes of my readers those occasions on which the mental and physical capacities of commanders are really tried and put to the test.

For just as in the chase the courage and power of wild beasts is then fully revealed, when they are exposed to danger on all sides, so is it with commanders, as was manifest then from Philip's action.

He dismissed all the embassies after promising each to do what was in his power and devoted his whole attention to the war, waiting to see in what direction and against whom in the first place he should act.

Walbank Commentary

Overview

10.40.0 - 10.47.0

Philip V gives aid to his allies: fire-signalling In autumn 209 Philip had returned to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a> to repel Illyrian and Dardanian attacks (Livy, xxvii. 32. 9–33. 3). Attalus, having crossed over to Greece (Livy, xxvii. 30. 11), had wintered on Aegina with P. Sulpicius (Livy, xxvii. 33. 4–5; Walbank, Philip, 92). From Livy, xxviii. 5. 1–4, based on the passage of P. immediately preceding the present fragment, it appears that in spring 208 Sulpicius and Attalus sailed over to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Lemnos&groupId=676&placeId=1237">Lemnos</a> with a joint fleet of twenty-five Roman and thirty-five Pergamene quinqueremes, and Philip came by sea to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Demetrias&groupId=536&placeId=1006">Demetrias</a> and fixed a day for the Macedonian army to assemble at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Larissa&groupId=669&placeId=1224">Larissa</a>. Embassies from the various allies thronged to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Demetrias&groupId=536&placeId=1006">Demetrias</a>. See also Iustin. xxix. 4. 7–10.

Specifics

10.41.1 - 10.41.1

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">πᾶσιν ἐπέκειντο κατὰ γῆν</w>:</emph> cf. Livy, xxviii. 5. 4, 'finitimosque depopulabantur'. See Feyel, 171 n. 2, against exaggeration by Flacelire (301) of the extent of the Aetolian attack.

10.41.2 - 10.41.2

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τὸν Μαχανίδαν</w>:</emph> cf. Livy, xxviii. 5. 5. Machanidas probably gained power as ward of Lycurgus' infant son Pelops (cf. Diod. xxvii. 1; Livy, xxxiv. 32. 1; Wolters, Ath. Mitt. 1897, 144 f.) after Lycurgus' death, which was some time before winter 211/10 (above, ix. 28–39 n. ad fin.). His usurpation of the throne, though perhaps no different in essence from Antigonus Doson's assumption of the Macedonian kingship, caused him to be dubbed 'tyrant' (cf. xi. 13. 3, etc.; Plut. Philop. 10. 1; Paus. viii. 50. 2). For a dedication by him to Eleusia found in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sparta&groupId=660&placeId=1208">Sparta</a> cf. Syll. 551. See Ehrenberg, RE, 'Machanidas', cols. 142–3.

10.41.3 - 10.41.3

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἠξίουν</w></emph> 〈 <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἔχειν</w></emph> 〉 <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τινὰ πρόνοιαν τῶν πολεμίων</w>:</emph> so Bothius, Polybiana, 65; Hultsch, with Schweighaeuser, accepts Reiske's <w lang="el-GR">ποιεῖσθαι</w> after <w lang="el-GR">πολεμίων</w>. The sense is the same: 'they urged him to take precautions against the enemy'. <milestone unit="page" n="255">[255]</milestone>

10.41.4 - 10.41.4

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">καὶ παρ᾽ Ἠπειρωτῶν</w>:</emph> implying that the Epirotes feared attack, not that an attack had necessarily been made already. For the theory that Epirus was covered by an agreement making her a de facto neutral in this war see ix. 38. 5 n.; any such agreement was perhaps negotiated after this date. <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Σκερδιλαΐδαν καὶ Πλευρᾶτον</w>:</emph> Pleuratus is <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Scerdilaidas&groupId=953&placeId=1692">Scerdilaidas</a>' son (Livy, xxxi. 28. 1) and first appears beside his father in the Roman–Aetolian treaty of 211 (Livy, xxvi. 24. 9, cf. xxvii. 30. 13; above, ix. 28–39 n.). <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Scerdilaidas&groupId=953&placeId=1692">Scerdilaidas</a> probably made him joint ruler after Pinnes' death; but App. Ill. 8 is chronologically so confused on the date of Demetrius' death that it cannot be used as evidence that Pinnes survived him (so Lenschau, RE, 'Pleuratos (2)', cols. 237–8). The dates of both Pinnes' death and Pleuratus' elevation thus remain uncertain; but the latter was probably not long before 211. <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τοὺς . . . Θρᾷκας, καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς Μαιδούς</w>:</emph> cf. Livy, xxviii. 5. 7. According to Strabo (vii. 331, fg. 36), the Maedi inhabited the Strymon valley; but they probably stretched westward to include the Bregalnitza too (cf. Lenk, RE, 'Thrake', col. 434; 'Maidoi', col. 541). Immediately after the Roman–Aetolian treaty Philip had attacked them (Livy, xxvi. 25. 6 ff.) and taken their main town Iamphorynna (cf. ix. 45. 3 n.).

10.41.5 - 10.41.5

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">προκατελάμβανον . . . τὰ περὶ? Θερμοπύλας στενὰ . . . Αἰτωλοί</w>:</emph> cf. Livy, xxviii. 5. 8. On this fortification see Bquignon, 47–48. Philip soon afterwards expelled the Aetolians and drove them into <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Heraclea&groupId=624&placeId=1147">Heraclea</a> (Livy, xxviii. 7. 3).

10.41.6 - 10.41.6

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">κατὰ τάς</w></emph> 〈 <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τε ψυχικὰς ὁρμὰς καὶ τὰς</w></emph> 〉 <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">σωματικὰς δυνάμεις</w>:</emph> for this supplement which goes back essentially to Reiske and Casaubon cf. vi. 52. 10, viii. 10. 9.

10.41.7 - 10.41.7

<emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἐν ταῖς κυνηγεσίαις</w>:</emph> P. frequently mentions this sport, which interested him (cf. xxxi. 14. 3, 29. 8); see von Scala, 24–25.

Addenda & corrigenda

10.41.4 - 10.41.4

<emph rend="bold">41. 4. <w lang="el-GR">τοὺς . . . Θρᾷκας κτλ</w>.:</emph> in 1. 5 of the note, for 'the Romans' read 'Philip'.

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