Polybius, Histories
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Book 27 - Chapter 13

1
<head lang="la">II. Res Aegypti</head><w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="%2Aptolemai%3Dos">Πτολεμαῖος</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="strathgo%5Cs">στρατηγὸς</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="%2Aku%2Fpron">Κύπρον</w> <w lemma="ou%29damw%3Ds">οὐδαμῶς</w> <w lemma="%2Aai%29guptiako%5Cs">Αἰγυπτιακὸς</w> <w lemma="ge%2Fgonen">γέγονεν</w>, <w lemma="a%29lla%5C">ἀλλὰ</w> <w lemma="nounexh%5Cs">νουνεχὴς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="praktiko%2Fs">πρακτικός</w>.
2
<w lemma="paralabw%5Cn">παραλαβὼν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="nh%3Dson">νῆσον</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fti">ἔτι</w> <w lemma="nhpi%2Fou">νηπίου</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="basile%2Fws">βασιλέως</w> <w lemma="o%29%2Fntos">ὄντος</w> <w lemma="e%29gi%2Fneto">ἐγίνετο</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="e%29pimelw%3Ds">ἐπιμελῶς</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="sunagwgh%5Cn">συναγωγὴν</w> <w lemma="xrhma%2Ftwn">χρημάτων</w>, <w lemma="e%29di%2Fdou">ἐδίδου</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="a%28plw%3Ds">ἁπλῶς</w> <w lemma="ou%29de%5Cn">οὐδὲν</w> <w lemma="ou%29deni%2F">οὐδενί</w>, <w lemma="kai%2Fper">καίπερ</w> <w lemma="ai%29tou%2Fmenos">αἰτούμενος</w> <w lemma="polla%2Fkis">πολλάκις</w> <w lemma="u%28po%5C">ὑπὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="basilikw%3Dn">βασιλικῶν</w> <w lemma="dioikhtw%3Dn">διοικητῶν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="katalalou%2Fmenos">καταλαλούμενος</w> <w lemma="pikrw%3Ds">πικρῶς</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="mhde%5Cn">μηδὲν</w> <w lemma="proi+%2Fesqai">προΐεσθαι</w>. <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="basile%2Fws">βασιλέως</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="h%28liki%2Fan">ἡλικίαν</w> <w lemma="paragegono%2Ftos">παραγεγονότος</w>,
3
<w lemma="sunqei%5Cs">συνθεὶς</w> <w lemma="plh%3Dqos">πλῆθος</w> <w lemma="i%28kano%5Cn">ἱκανὸν</w> <w lemma="xrhma%2Ftwn">χρημάτων</w> <w lemma="e%29cape%2Fsteilen">ἐξαπέστειλεν</w>,
4
<w lemma="w%28%2Fste">ὥστε</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Aptolemai%3Don">Πτολεμαῖον</w> <w lemma="au%29to%5Cn">αὐτὸν</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%5Cs">τοὺς</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="au%29lh%5Cn">αὐλὴν</w> <w lemma="eu%29dokh%3Dsai">εὐδοκῆσαι</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="pro%2Fteron">πρότερον</w> <w lemma="au%29tou%3D">αὐτοῦ</w> <w lemma="sustolh%3D%7C">συστολῇ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tw%3D%7C">τῷ</w> <w lemma="mhde%5Cn">μηδὲν</w> <w lemma="proi+%2Fesqai">προΐεσθαι</w>.
<head>II. Affairs of Egypt</head>Ptolemy, the Egyptian commander in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyprus&groupId=119&placeId=356">Cyprus</a>, was not at all like an Egyptian, but gifted with good sense and capacity.
For having taken charge of the island when the king was still an infant, he applied himself diligently to the collection of Romanum, and never gave away a penny to anybody, although the royal governors were frequent beggars, and he was bitterly abused for never opening his purse.
Upon the king attaining his majority, he put together a considerable sum of money, and sent it off,
so that the king and the members of the court now approved of his former close-fistedness and refusal to part with money.

Walbank Commentary

Overview
27.13.1 - 27.13.4
<p rend="Plain Text">The conduct of Ptolemy, governor of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyprus&groupId=119&placeId=356">Cyprus</a></p> <p rend="Plain Text">This excerpt from de uirt. et uit. belongs to res Aegypti of Ol. 152, 1 = 172/1; see p. 24. The context is unknown, since the coming of age of Philometor (§ 3), which was in 169, must here be mentioned in anticipation.</p>
Specifics
27.13.1 - 27.13.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold">P<w lang="el-GR">τολεμαῖος ὁ στρατηγὸς ὁ κατὰ Κύπρον</w>:</emph> distinct from Ptolemy, son of Agesarchus, who became governor of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyprus&groupId=119&placeId=356">Cyprus</a> in 197 (xviii. 55. 6–9; cf. xv. 25. 14 n.), since the man referred to here took over the post under Ptolemy VI Philometor (§ 2; von Scala, 59 n. 2). He is probably Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy, who figures on a Gortynian inscription honouring his homonymous brother as a proxenos (IC, iv. 208 A) and, if <w lang="el-GR">[Πτολ] ε [μ] αῖος Πτολε [μ] αίου</w> is a correct restoration, in OGIS, 105 (the phrase is erased); if, further, he is Ptolemy <w lang="el-GR">ὁ καλού-μενος Μάκρων</w>, who later went over to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, became governor of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Coele-Syria&groupId=484&placeId=908">Coele-Syria</a>, and was forced to commit suicide in 164/3 (2 Macc. x. 12–14; Mrkholm, 108), the erasure of his name is explicable. It seems likely that this Ptolemy was the son of Ptolemy <w lang="el-GR">Μάκρωνος</w>, known together with his sons Cleoboutus, Ptolemy, and Andrytus, as a proxenos at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Delphi&groupId=534&placeId=363">Delphi</a> in 188/7 (Syll. 585 l. 139, no. 54). He is probably referred to in OGIS, 117, an Athenian inscription honouring Niceratus of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a>, <w lang="el-GR">τιμώμενος ὑπὸ Πτο [λεμαίο]υ τοῦ ἐπὶ Κύπρου</w>. For recent discussion see I. Lvy, Mlanges Grgoire, ii. 1950, 688–99; W. Peremans and E. van 't Dack, Historia, 3, 1955, <milestone unit="page" n="311">[311]</milestone> 338–45; T. B. Mitford, Studi Calderini e Paribeni, ii. 163–87; P. M. Fraser, JEA, 1956, 113–14 no. 43; 1958, 114–15 no. 45; J. and L. Robert, Bull. p. 1959, no. 490 (reporting Mitford inaccurately); Mrkholm, Class. et med., 1961, 37; Antiochus IV, 108; Volkmann, RE, 'Ptolemaios (48)', cols. 1763–4; Mooren, 187–8 no. 0350; Bagnall, 256. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">οὐδαμῶς Αἰγυπτιακός</w>:</emph> cf. 12. 2 for the racial prejudice; on the Egyptian reputation for sloth cf. xxxix. 7. 7, <w lang="el-GR">καί τις οἷον ἀσωτία καὶ ῥαθυμία</w> . As in 9. 12 the word need not imply Egyptian race. </p>
27.13.2 - 27.13.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἔτι νηπίου τοῦ βασιλέως ὄντος</w>:</emph> Ptolemy VI Philometor, who succeeded his father Ptolemy V in 180 (p. 17), and was under the guardianship of his mother Cleopatra until her death in 176, and then under that of Eulaeus and Lenaeus (cf. xxviii. 20. 5, 21. 1 f. for Eulaeus) until his coming-of-age ceremony early in 169 (xxviii. 12. 8–9). He was probably born c. 184/3, since at the time of Antiochus IV's invasion of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Egypt&groupId=556&placeId=368">Egypt</a> (169) he was <w lang="el-GR">παιδίσκος</w> (xxx. 26. 9; cf. Diod. xxx. 18, xxi. 1, <w lang="el-GR">μειράκιον</w>; Porphyry, FGH, 260 F 49 (a), puer); at least such a date would fit a coming of age early in 169 (there were special reasons for holding Ptolemy V's anacleteria at an earlier age; cf. xviii. 55. 3, <w lang="el-GR">οὐδέπω</w>c<w lang="el-GR">τῆς ἡλικίας κατεπειγού?σης)</w>. See Otto, 6. Ptolemer, 4–7, 44; Volkmann, RE, 'Ptolemaios (24)', cols. 1702–3; Mrkholm, Class. et med. 1961, 32. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">περὶ συναγωγὴν χρημάτων</w>:</emph> though taxes in provinces outside <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Egypt&groupId=556&placeId=368">Egypt</a> were nominally controlled by the dioecetes in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a>, the governors of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyprus&groupId=119&placeId=356">Cyprus</a>, with its wealthy copper-mines and forests, kept their hands on the island's revenues; cf. Praux, 415, 423–4; see, however, Bagnall, 73–79, 224–5. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τῶν βασιλικῶν διοικητῶν</w>:</emph> probably local dioecetae, responsible to the dioecetes in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a>; cf. Rostovtzeff, SEHHW, i. 269, for these officials. But the phrase could mean 'those who from time to time, while he was governor, held the post of dioecetes in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a>'; and Bengtson, Strat. iii, 175, thinks that the latter is meant and the plural used for the singular on stylistic grounds (which seems less likely). </p>
27.13.3 - 27.13.3
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">εἰς ἡλικίαν παραγεγονότος</w>:</emph> in 169 (xxviii. 12. 8–9). </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">πλῆθος . . . χρημάτων ἐξαπέστειλεν</w>:</emph> for a similar action by a former governor of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyprus&groupId=119&placeId=356">Cyprus</a>, Polycrates, see xviii. 55. 6 n. (where the reference to temple treasures should have been expanded to include revenues, as here). </p>
27.13.4 - 27.13.4
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τοὺς περὶ τὴν αὐλήν</w>:</emph> cf. v. 50. 14; Corradi, 318. The ministers then in control at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Alexandria&groupId=1063&placeId=1868">Alexandria</a> were Eulaeus and Lenaeus (§ 2 n.), and the coming-of-age ceremony did not alter this. Ptolemy's sending of this money from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyprus&groupId=119&placeId=356">Cyprus</a> has therefore no relevance to them and must be seen as 'the attempt of a high civil servant to pursue his own policy' (Mrkholm, Class. et med. 1961, 36; Antiochus IV, 70). <milestone unit="page" n="312">[312]</milestone> </p>

Commentary