Polybius, Histories
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Book 16 - Chapter 39

1
<head lang="la">VII. Res Asiae</head><w lemma="%2Amarturei%3D">Μαρτυρεῖ</w> <w lemma="tou%2Ftois">τούτοις</w> <w lemma="h%28mw%3Dn">ἡμῶν</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgois">λόγοις</w> <w lemma="%2Apolu%2Fbios">Πολύβιος</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="%2Amegalopoli%2Fths:">Μεγαλοπολίτης·</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="e%28ckaideka%2Fth%7C">ἑξκαιδεκάτῃ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="i%28storiw%3Dn">ἱστοριῶν</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%3D">αὐτοῦ</w> <w lemma="fhsin">φησιν</w> <w lemma="ou%28%2Ftws:">οὕτως·</w> "<w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Aptolemai%2Fou">Πτολεμαίου</w> <w lemma="strathgo%5Cs">στρατηγὸς</w> <w lemma="%2Asko%2Fpas">Σκόπας</w> <w lemma="o%28rmh%2Fsas">ὁρμήσας</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="a%29%2Fnw">ἄνω</w> <w lemma="to%2Fpous">τόπους</w> <w lemma="katestre%2Fyato">κατεστρέψατο</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="xeimw%3Dni">χειμῶνι</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="%2A%29ioudai%2Fwn">Ἰουδαίων</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fqnos">ἔθνος</w>." —
2
<w lemma=""></w> <w lemma="%2Ath%3Ds">Τῆς</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="poliorki%2Fas">πολιορκίας</w> <w lemma="r%28embw%2Fdous">ῥεμβώδους</w> <w lemma="genome%2Fnhs">γενομένης</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="%2Asko%2Fpas">Σκόπας</w> <w lemma="h%29do%2Fcei">ἠδόξει</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="diebe%2Fblhto">διεβέβλητο</w> <w lemma="neanikw%3Ds">νεανικῶς</w>. — <w lemma="%2Ale%2Fgei">Λέγει</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="au%29th%3D%7C">αὐτῇ</w> <w lemma="bi%2Fblw%7C">βίβλῳ</w> <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> "
3
<w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Asko%2Fpa">Σκόπα</w> <w lemma="nikhqe%2Fntos">νικηθέντος</w> <w lemma="u%28p%27">ὑπ᾽</w> <w lemma="%2A%29antio%2Fxou">Ἀντιόχου</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="%2Abatane%2Fan">Βατανέαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Asama%2Freian">Σαμάρειαν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2A%29%2Fabila">Ἄβιλα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Aga%2Fdara">Γάδαρα</w> <w lemma="pare%2Flaben">παρέλαβεν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29anti%2Foxos:">Ἀντίοχος·</w>
4
<w lemma="met%27">μετ᾽</w> <w lemma="o%29li%2Fgon">ὀλίγον</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="prosexw%2Frhsan">προσεχώρησαν</w> <w lemma="au%29tw%3D%7C">αὐτῷ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29ioudai%2Fwn">Ἰουδαίων</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="i%28ero%5Cn">ἱερὸν</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="prosagoreuo%2Fmenon">προσαγορευόμενον</w> <w lemma="%2A%28ieroso%2Fluma">Ἱεροσόλυμα</w> <w lemma="katoikou%3Dntes">κατοικοῦντες</w>.
5
<w lemma="u%28pe%5Cr">ὑπὲρ</w> <w lemma="ou%28%3D">οὗ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="plei%2Fw">πλείω</w> <w lemma="le%2Fgein">λέγειν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxontes">ἔχοντες</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="ma%2Flista">μάλιστα</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="genome%2Fnhs">γενομένης</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="i%28ero%5Cn">ἱερὸν</w> <w lemma="e%29pifanei%2Fas">ἐπιφανείας</w>, <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="e%28%2Fteron">ἕτερον</w> <w lemma="kairo%5Cn">καιρὸν</w> <w lemma="u%28perqhso%2Fmeqa">ὑπερθησόμεθα</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="dih%2Fghsin">διήγησιν</w>."
<head>VII. Affairs of Asia</head>Polybius of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Megalopolis&groupId=745&placeId=1360">Megalopolis</a> testifies to this. For he says in the 16th Book of his Histories, "Scopas, Ptolemy\'s general, set out into the upper country and destroyed the Jewish nation in this winter."
"The siege having been negligently conducted, Scopas fell into disrepute and was violently assailed."
He says in the same book, "When Scopas was conquered by Antiochus, that king occupied <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Samaria&groupId=941&placeId=81">Samaria</a>, <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Abila&groupId=267&placeId=522">Abila</a>, and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Gadara&groupId=593&placeId=380">Gadara</a>,
and after a short time those Jews who inhabited the holy place called <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Jerusalem&groupId=51&placeId=242">Jerusalem</a>, surrendered to him.
Of this place and the splendour of the temple I have more to tell, but defer my narrative for the present."

Walbank Commentary

Specifics
16.39.1 - 16.39.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ὁρμήσας εἰς τος ἄνω τόπους</w>:</emph> this invasion of the hill country of Judaea represents an Egyptian counter-attack after the fall of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Gaza&groupId=599&placeId=390">Gaza</a> (22 a); cf. Ioseph. Ant. Iud. xii. 131, <w lang="el-GR">ὃ</w> (Scopas)<w lang="el-GR">πολλάς τε αὐτῶν πόλεις ἔλαβεν καὶ τὸ ἡμέτερον ἔθνος</w> <emph rend="italics">\?\</emph> <w lang="el-GR">πολεμούμενον γὰρ αὐτῷ προσέθετο</w>; Hieron. in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Dan&groupId=122&placeId=359">Dan</a>. xi. 13–14, 'cepitque Iudaeam (Scopas), et optimates Ptolomaei partium secum abducens in Aegyptum reuersus est'. The date <w lang="el-GR">(ἐν τῷ χειμῶνι)</w> will be winter 201/200: Holleaux, tudes, iii. 325–6; Dumrese, RE, 'Skopas', Suppl.-B. vii., col. 1216. </p>
16.39.2 - 16.39.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τῆς δὲ πολιορκίας κτλ</w>.:</emph> this fragment from Suidas was assigned to P. by Valesius, but its position is uncertain. De Sanctis (iv. 1. 119 n. 10) suggests that it refers to Scopas' siege of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Damascus&groupId=121&placeId=358">Damascus</a>, in the campaign in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Palestine&groupId=207&placeId=455">Palestine</a> which preceded <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Panium&groupId=836&placeId=1512">Panium</a>; but Holleaux (tudes, iii. 325 n. 2) suggests that it may refer to the siege of Lycopolis in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Egypt&groupId=556&placeId=368">Egypt</a> (cf. xxii. 17. 1; OGIS, 90, ll. 21–26). </p>
16.39.3 - 16.39.3
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τοῦ Σκόπα νικηθέντος ὑπ᾽ Ἀντιόχου</w>:</emph> at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Panium&groupId=836&placeId=1512">Panium</a> (cf. 18–19); according to Hieron. in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Dan&groupId=122&placeId=359">Dan</a>. xi. 15–16 Scopas escaped with 10,000 men to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Sidon&groupId=977&placeId=491">Sidon</a> and, after three Egyptian armies failed to relieve him, capitulated. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Βατανέαν</w>:</emph> Batania is the O.T. <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Bashan&groupId=90&placeId=324">Bashan</a> (Deut. iii. 10, 13) and is the Aramaic form of the name. In the wider sense Batania is the equivalent of modern Hauran, the area between Hermon and the Hieromyces (Scher'at el Menire), and stretching from the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Jordan&groupId=1080&placeId=418">Jordan</a> east to Salchad at the foot of the Hauran range; but in Iosephus Batania is usually restricted to the plateau which stretches east and south-east of Dscholan, the southern part of modern en Nura (cf. Benzinger, RE, 'Batanaia', cols. 115–16; Dussaud, Topographie, 323 ff.). Its capital was Adra (Der'a). Antiochus would reach this area advancing south from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Panium&groupId=836&placeId=1512">Panium</a>. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Σαμάρειαν</w>:</emph> <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Samaria&groupId=941&placeId=81">Samaria</a> lay south-west of Batania and west of the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Jordan&groupId=1080&placeId=418">Jordan</a>; its capital was the town of the same name, and it was bounded by <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Galilee&groupId=1072&placeId=1883">Galilee</a> to the north and Judaea to the south; cf. Beer, RE, '<a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Samaria&groupId=941&placeId=81">Samaria</a>', cols. 2104–5. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Ἄβιλα καὶ Γάδαρα</w>:</emph> see v. 71. 2–3 nn. It is likely that Antiochus took <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Abila&groupId=267&placeId=522">Abila</a> and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Gadara&groupId=593&placeId=380">Gadara</a> (in the neighbourhood of the Hieramyces) before crossing the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Jordan&groupId=1080&placeId=418">Jordan</a> to annex <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Samaria&groupId=941&placeId=81">Samaria</a>; P. (if Iosephus has quoted him correctly) has mentioned first the two provinces, then the two towns. </p>
16.39.4 - 16.39.4
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">οἱ περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν . . . Ἱεροσόλυμα κατοικοῦντες</w> :</emph> the expression reflects the status of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Jerusalem&groupId=51&placeId=242">Jerusalem</a> at this time. The Seleucids regarded <milestone unit="page" n="546">[546]</milestone> it as a <w lang="el-GR">κώμη</w> and its inhabitants as native villagers; cf. 2 Macc. xiv. 37, <w lang="el-GR">Ῥαζὶς δέ τις τῶν ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων</w>. For the Jews the temple was the important feature, and that is stressed here; cf. Orac. Sibyll. iii. 213. See Bickerman, Journ. Bib. Lit. 1944, 356; <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Syria&groupId=995&placeId=502">Syria</a>, 1946–8, 84 n. 2. For its capitulation, perhaps not before late 199 or early 198, cf. xviii. 41 a n. </p>
16.39.5 - 16.39.5
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">περὶ τῆς γενομένης περὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ἐπιφανείας</w>:</emph> 'concerning the splendour of the temple.' P. perhaps described <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Jerusalem&groupId=51&placeId=242">Jerusalem</a> in connexion with either the dedication of the temple to Zeus or its pillage by Antiochus IV (cf. Pdech, Mthode, 562 n. 276). </p>

Commentary