Polybius, Histories
Layout
Translation

Bibliography

(0)
No bibliography content available

Archaeology

Places
<head>II. Affairs of Asia</head><head>Advantageous Site of Ephesus</head>King Antiochus was very anxious to get possession of Ephesus because of its favourable site, as it may be said to stand in the position of a citadel both by land and sea for anyone with designs on <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Ionia&groupId=171&placeId=413">Ionia</a> and the cities of the <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Hellespont&groupId=620&placeId=1141">Hellespont</a>, and is always a most favourable point of defence against Europe for the kings of Asia.

Walbank Commentary

Overview
18.40.1 - 18.40.4
<p rend="Plain Text">On being deceived</p> <p rend="Plain Text">See p. 27 for the argument in favour of transposing this fragment after 43. 13, where it will represent P.'s comments on the treachery of a slave which led to the discovery of the guilt of Zeuxippus and Peisistratus as murderers of Brachylles; the passage is introduced in Suidas with the words <w lang="el-GR">περὶ οἰκογενοῦς προδότου</w>. See further, 43. 13 n.; for similar reflections cf. v. 75. 4, xv. 21. 5.</p>
18.40.5 - 18.40.5
<p rend="Plain Text">Fragment on Medion</p> <p rend="Plain Text">On Medion see ii. 2. 5 n. It may well have been mentioned in a description of L. Quinctius' operations against <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Acarnania&groupId=270&placeId=527">Acarnania</a>, including the capture of Leucas (cf. 47. 8 n.), which are related from P. in Livy, xxxiii. 16–17; the last sentence of 17, 'audito proelio, quo ad Cynoscephalas pugnatum erat, omnes Acarnaniae populi in dicionem legati uenerunt', may represent a fuller narrative in P.</p>
18.40.1 - 18.40.4
<p rend="Plain Text">should probably be inserted here: see ad loc.</p>
18.40.0 - 18.48.0
<p rend="Plain Text">The Roman settlement in Greece and the Isthmus declaration</p> <p rend="Plain Text">These events of spring–summer 196 follow in Livy (xxxiii. 30. 1–35. 12) immediately after the account of the events in Boeotia.</p>
Specifics
18.40.2 - 18.40.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ῥᾳδιουργίας</w>:</emph> 'villainy', cf. xii. 9. 5; on the above hypothesis, the reference is to the treachery of the slave who gives away his master; cf. Livy, xxxiii. 28. 14, 'aperit perlectisque litteris pauidus Thebas refugit et ad magistratus iudicium defert'. This act remains <milestone unit="page" n="601">[601]</milestone> villainous,even though carried out against those equally villainous, <w lang="el-GR">παρ᾽ οἷς ἡ πηγὴ τῆς τοιαύτης? ὑπάρχει κακοπραγμοσύνης</w>villainous both as murderers and as men prepared cold-bloodedly to rid themselves of the slave who shares in the guilt. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">πολλάκις ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἤδη γέγονε</w>:</emph> Aymard, Palas, 1956, 36 n. 36, recalls the similar incident which occurred in connexion with the Spartan regent Pausanias (Thuc. i. 132–3). </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τὸ παρ᾽ Ἐπιχάρμῳ . . . εἰρημένον</w>:</emph> the line (Kaibel, CGF, fg. 250) is repeated xxxi. 13. 14 as the last line of the verses which P. wrote for the prince Demetrius as a hint to fly. The verse was very common. Cicero, ad Att. i. 19. 8, quotes it as cantilena illa; cf. Lucian, Hermotim. 47; [Cic.] de pet. cons. 39, '<w lang="el-GR">Ἐ πιχαρμεῖον</w> illud teneto, neruos atque artus esse sapientiae, non temere credere'. One need not assume that P. was familiar with Epicharmus' works in general. See Wunderer, ii. 51. </p>

Commentary