Polybius, Histories
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Book 30 - Chapter 17

1
<head lang="la">B. Olymp. 153, 2. I. Res Italiae</head><w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="kairo%5Cn">καιρὸν</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dton">τοῦτον</w> <w lemma="%2Ako%2Ftus">Κότυς</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29odrusw%3Dn">Ὀδρυσῶν</w> <w lemma="basileu%5Cs">βασιλεὺς</w> <w lemma="a%29pe%2Fsteile">ἀπέστειλε</w> <w lemma="presbeuta%5Cs">πρεσβευτὰς</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rw%2Fmhn">Ῥώμην</w>, <w lemma="a%29ciw%3Dn">ἀξιῶν</w> <w lemma="a%29podoqh%3Dnai">ἀποδοθῆναι</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="ui%28o%5Cn">υἱὸν</w> <w lemma="au%28tw%3D%7C">αὑτῷ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="genome%2Fnhs">γενομένης</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="%2Aperse%2Fa">Περσέα</w> <w lemma="koinopragi%2Fas">κοινοπραγίας</w> <w lemma="dikaiologou%2Fmenos">δικαιολογούμενος</w>.
2
<w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rwmai%3Doi">Ῥωμαῖοι</w> <w lemma="nomi%2Fsantes">νομίσαντες</w> <w lemma="h%29nu%2Fsqai">ἠνύσθαι</w> <w lemma="sfi%2Fsi">σφίσι</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="prokei%2Fmenon">προκείμενον</w>, <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Aperse%2Fa">Περσέα</w> <w lemma="pole%2Fmou">πολέμου</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="nou%3Dn">νοῦν</w> <w lemma="prokexwrhko%2Ftos">προκεχωρηκότος</w>, <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="%2Ako%2Ftun">Κότυν</w> <w lemma="diafora%5Cn">διαφορὰν</w> <w lemma="pro%5Cs">πρὸς</w> <w lemma="ou%29de%5Cn">οὐδὲν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fti">ἔτι</w> <w lemma="diatei%2Fnein">διατείνειν</w>,
3
<w lemma="sunexw%2Frhsan">συνεχώρησαν</w> <w lemma="au%29tw%3D%7C">αὐτῷ</w> <w lemma="komi%2Fzesqai">κομίζεσθαι</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="ui%28o%2Fn">υἱόν</w>, <w lemma="o%28%5Cs">ὃς</w> <w lemma="o%28mhrei%2Fas">ὁμηρείας</w> <w lemma="xa%2Frin">χάριν</w> <w lemma="doqei%5Cs">δοθεὶς</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="%2Amakedoni%2Fan">Μακεδονίαν</w> <w lemma="e%28alw%2Fkei">ἑαλώκει</w> <w lemma="meta%5C">μετὰ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Aperse%2Fws">Περσέως</w> <w lemma="te%2Fknwn">τέκνων</w>,
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<w lemma="boulo%2Fmenoi">βουλόμενοι</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="au%28tw%3Dn">αὑτῶν</w> <w lemma="pra%7Co%2Fthta">πρᾳότητα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="megaloyuxi%2Fan">μεγαλοψυχίαν</w> <w lemma="e%29mfai%2Fnein">ἐμφαίνειν</w>, <w lemma="a%28%2Fma">ἅμα</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Ako%2Ftun">Κότυν</w> <w lemma="a%29nadou%2Fmenoi">ἀναδούμενοι</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="toiau%2Fths">τοιαύτης</w> <w lemma="xa%2Fritos">χάριτος</w>. —
<head>IV. Affairs of Egypt</head>At this time Cotys, king of the Odrysae, sent envoys to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> to beg that his son might be given back to him and also to defend his action in having joined Perseus.
The Romans, thinking that they had attained their main object now that the war against Perseus had ended in their favour,
and that it served no purpose to prolong their difference with Cotys, allowed him to take back his son, who had been sent as a hostage,
to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Macedonia&groupId=723&placeId=428">Macedonia</a> and captured together with the children of Perseus, wishing to show their leniency and magnanimity, and at the same time attaching Cotys to them by this favour.

Walbank Commentary

Overview
30.17.1 - 30.17.4
<p rend="Plain Text">Embassy to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> from Cotys</p> <p rend="Plain Text">This excerpt from de legat. gent. clearly belongs to res Italiae of Ol. 153, 2 = 167/6. Livy, xlv. 42. 6–11 (annalistic) recounts the reception of Cotys' envoys under A.U.C. 587 = 167, and it must date to autumn. Livy sets it after the naval triumph of Cn. Octavius on kal. dec. (Roman), and this is likely to be the equivalent of 6 September 167 (or if 167 was intercalary, 28 or 29 September): see Derow, Phoenix, 1973, 349 and 355 (who observes that 166 was intercalary (Livy, xlv. 44. 3), but that we have no information on 167).</p>
Specifics
30.17.1 - 30.17.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Κότυς</w>:</emph> cf. xxvii. 12. 1 n. His son Bithys, a hostage at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Pella&groupId=1089&placeId=1913">Pella</a>, had fallen into Roman hands (§ 3) and had marched in Aemilius' triumph (which immediately preceded that of Cn. Octavius: cf. Fasti tr. 'L. Aemilius L.f. M.n. Paullus pro cos. an. DXXC[VI] ex Macedon. et rege Perse per triduum IIII III prid. k. decem.') (Zon. ix. 24) and had then been imprisoned at Carseoli (Livy, xlv. 42. 5). </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">περὶ τῆς . . . κοινοπραγίας δικαιολογούμενος</w>:</emph> according to Livy, xlv. 42. 7, they claimed that Cotys had acted under constraint, having given Perseus hostages; that, the Senate replied, 'crimen, non criminis defensionem esse' (Livy, xlv. 42. 9). </p>
30.17.4 - 30.17.4
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τὸν Κότυν ἀναδούμενοι</w>:</emph> cf. Livy, xlv. 42. 11 (annalistic), 'beneficia gratuita esse populi Romani; pretium eorum malle relinquere in accipientium animis quam praesens exigere'. Three legati, T. Quinctius Flamininus, C. Licinius Nerva, and M. Caninius Rebilus, were sent to restore the hostages; and each Thracian envoy received 2,000 denarii (Livy, xlv. 42. 11–12). Some time later the Romans received envoys from Teos sent to intercede for Abdera, part of whose territory was being threatened by Cotys (Syll. 656; new readings in L. Robert, BCH, 1935, 507 f. = OSM, i. 320 f.; P. Herrmann, Z. Pap. Ep. 7, 1971, 72–77; see below, xxxi. 29. 8 n.), who had sent Bithys to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> to plead his cause. The Abderan decree suggests that the Teans were successful in their mission (cf. Magie, ii. 960–1). <milestone unit="page" n="440">[440]</milestone> </p>

Commentary