Polybius, Histories
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Book 33 - Chapter 4

1
<head lang="la">II. Res Rhodiorum</head><w lemma="%2A%28%2Foti">Ὅτι</w> <w lemma="%2A%29aristokra%2Fths">Ἀριστοκράτης</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2A%28rodi%2Fwn">Ῥοδίων</w> <w lemma="strathgo%5Cs">στρατηγὸς</w> <w lemma="h%29%3Dn">ἦν</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="kata%5C">κατὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="e%29pifa%2Fneian">ἐπιφάνειαν</w> <w lemma="a%29ciwmatiko%5Cs">ἀξιωματικὸς</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="kataplhktiko%2Fs">καταπληκτικός</w>.
2
<w lemma="dio%2Fper">διόπερ</w> <w lemma="e%29k">ἐκ</w> <w lemma="pa%2Fntwn">πάντων</w> <w lemma="tou%3Dton">τοῦτον</w> <w lemma="u%28pe%2Flabon">ὑπέλαβον</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="%2A%28ro%2Fdioi">Ῥόδιοι</w> <w lemma="tele%2Fws">τελέως</w> <w lemma="a%29cio%2Fxrewn">ἀξιόχρεων</w> <w lemma="h%28gemo%2Fna">ἡγεμόνα</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="prosta%2Fthn">προστάτην</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxein">ἔχειν</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="pole%2Fmou">πολέμου</w>.
3
<w lemma="dieyeu%2Fsqhsan">διεψεύσθησαν</w> <w lemma="me%2Fntoi">μέντοι</w> <w lemma="ge">γε</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29lpi%2Fdwn:">ἐλπίδων·</w> <w lemma="e%29lqw%5Cn">ἐλθὼν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="ta%5Cs">τὰς</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fceis">πράξεις</w> <w lemma="w%28%2Fsper">ὥσπερ</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="pu%3Dr">πῦρ</w>, <w lemma="kaqa%2Fper">καθάπερ</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="ki%2Fbdhla">κίβδηλα</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="nomisma%2Ftwn">νομισμάτων</w>, <w lemma="a%29lloi%3Dos">ἀλλοῖος</w> <w lemma="e%29fa%2Fnh">ἐφάνη</w>. <w lemma="tou%3Dto">τοῦτο</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29ge%2Fneto">ἐγένετο</w> <w lemma="dh%3Dlon">δῆλον</w> <w lemma="e%29p%27">ἐπ᾽</w> <w lemma="au%29tw%3Dn">αὐτῶν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Frgwn">ἔργων</w>.
4
<w lemma=""></w>
<head>II. Affairs of Rhodes</head>Aristocrates, the Rhodian general, was dignified and imposing in appearance,
and from all this the Rhodians imagined that they had a perfectly capable commander and director of the war.
But they were deceived in their hopes. For when he came to be tested by action, like base coin tried by fire, he turned out quite others,
as was shown by actual facts.

Walbank Commentary

Overview
33.4.1 - 33.4.4
<p rend="Plain Text">Character of Aristocrates of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rhodes&groupId=931&placeId=1665">Rhodes</a></p> <p rend="Plain Text"> This brief excerpt follows xxxii. 15. 1–14 in de uirt. et uit., and as P. normally treats the affairs of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rhodes&groupId=931&placeId=1665">Rhodes</a> before those of Asia, it should probably stand in Ol. 156, 2 = 155/4, after 11. 1–7; see pp. 41–42. The context is the war which broke out late in 155 or in 154 between <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Crete&groupId=505&placeId=949">Crete</a> and an enfeebled <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rhodes&groupId=931&placeId=1665">Rhodes</a>; the details leading to this are lost. See Trog. prol. 35, 'bellum piraticum inter Cretas et Rhodios'; Diod. xxxi. 37–38, 43–45 (probably drawing on P.); Niese, iii. 324–5; Schmitt, Rom und Rhodos, 177; van Effenterre, 268–9; van Gelder, Rhodier, 160. An inscription from Carpathos relevant to this war is published by Segre, Riv. fil. 1933, 380, and goes with Syll. 570 (= IG, xii. 1. 1033); cf. Blinkenberg, Insc. Lind. 1007 ff. Syll. 673 mentions a Cretan War, which some scholars have taken to be this one (cf. Blinkenberg, ibid. 1010; Fraser and Bean, 148–51); but Holleaux's arguments in favour of the Cretan War of 204–201 (cf. xiii. 3–5. 6 n.) are convincing (cf. W. Thompson, TAPA, 1971, 616–17). See further xxvii. 7. 3 n. The Cretans seem to have acted in unison, perhaps led by Gortyn (but cf. 16. 1). <milestone unit="page" n="545">[545]</milestone> </p>
33.4.1 - 33.4.4
<p rend="Plain Text"> (res Graeciae), <emph rend="bold">5. 1–3</emph> and <emph rend="bold">6. 1–9</emph> (res Asiae) should stand here in Ol. 156, 2 = 155/4; see pp. 41–42. </p>
Specifics
33.4.1 - 33.4.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Ἀριστοκράτης ὁ τῶν Ῥοδίων στρατηγός</w>:</emph> he could be the son of <w lang="el-GR">Στράτων Ἀριστοκράτευς</w>, a Delphic proxenos in 180/79 (Syll. 585 l. 103), but the name is not unusual. Aristocrates will have been navarch (cf. van Gelder, Rhodier, 251); <w lang="el-GR">στρατηγός</w> is probably the excerptor's word. </p>
33.4.2 - 33.4.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἡγεμόνα . . . τοῦ πολέμου</w>:</emph> against the Cretan pirates; cf. 4. 1–4 n. </p>
33.4.3 - 33.4.3
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">καθάπερ τὰ κίβδηλα τῶν νομισμάτων</w>:</emph> cf. Diod. xxxi. 37, who adds (clearly from P.) <w lang="el-GR">ἀλλοῖος ἐφάνη καὶ τὸν πόλεμον τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐλαττώμασιν ηὔξησεν</w> . For the metaphor cf. xxi. 20. 7 n., xxix. 17. 2, xxxix. 3. 6, fg. 26. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">δῆλον ἀπ᾽ αὐτῶν τῶν ἔργων</w>:</emph> Diod. xxxi. 38 recounts the worsting of the Rhodian fleet by one of smaller vessels (their names are probably corrupt in the manuscript of the excerpt, which is from de sent.); Diodorus, in a simile probably taken from P., who elsewhere reveals an interest in hunting (cf. Walbank, Polybius, 33 n. 6), compares the Rhodian fleet to bears attacked by small hunting dogs, which bite their heels and force them to sit until the hunter administers the coup de grce. This vivid comparison does not however enable us to reconstruct the Cretan tactics. </p> <p rend="Plain Text">The war continued with Cretan raids on Carpathos (Syll. 570; Riv. fil. 1933, 380 ff.) and Siphnos (Diod. xxxi. 45). The Rhodians had to divert some ships to help Attalus (13. 2 n.) and appealed unsuccessfully to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Achaea&groupId=272&placeId=533">Achaea</a> (cf. 16. 1–17. 5).</p>

Commentary