Polybius, Histories
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Book 35 - Chapter 6

1
<head lang="la">B. Olymp. 157, 2. Achaeorum Exsules Liberantur</head><w lemma="%2A%28upe%5Cr">Ὑπὲρ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29c">ἐξ</w> <w lemma="%2A%29axai+%2Fas">Ἀχαΐας</w> <w lemma="fuga%2Fdwn">φυγάδων</w> <w lemma="e%29nteuxqei%5Cs">ἐντευχθεὶς</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="%2Apolu%2Fbion">Πολύβιον</w> <w lemma="u%28po%5C">ὑπὸ</w> <w lemma="%2Askipi%2Fwnos">Σκιπίωνος</w>, <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="polu%5Cs">πολὺς</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="sugklh%2Ftw%7C">συγκλήτῳ</w> <w lemma="lo%2Fgos">λόγος</w> <w lemma="e%29gi%2Fneto">ἐγίνετο</w>, <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="dido%2Fntwn">διδόντων</w> <w lemma="ka%2Fqodon">κάθοδον</w> <w lemma="au%29toi%3Ds">αὐτοῖς</w>, <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29nistame%2Fnwn">ἐνισταμένων</w>, <w lemma="a%29nasta%5Cs">ἀναστὰς</w> <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="%2Aka%2Ftwn">Κάτων</w> "
2
<w lemma="w%28%2Fsper">ὥσπερ</w> <w lemma="ou%29k">οὐκ</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fxontes">ἔχοντες</w>" <w lemma="ei%29%3Dpen">εἶπεν</w> "<w lemma="o%28%5C">ὃ</w> <w lemma="pra%2Fttwmen">πράττωμεν</w>, <w lemma="kaqh%2Fmeqa">καθήμεθα</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="h%28me%2Fran">ἡμέραν</w> <w lemma="o%28%2Flhn">ὅλην</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="geronti%2Fwn">γεροντίων</w> <w lemma="%2Agraikw%3Dn">Γραικῶν</w> <w lemma="zhtou%3Dntes">ζητοῦντες</w>, <w lemma="po%2Fteron">πότερον</w> <w lemma="u%28po%5C">ὑπὸ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="par%27">παρ᾽</w> <w lemma="h%28mi%3Dn">ἡμῖν</w> <w lemma="h%29%5C">ἢ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29axai+%2Fa%7C">Ἀχαΐᾳ</w> <w lemma="nekrofo%2Frwn">νεκροφόρων</w> <w lemma="e%29kkomisqw%3Dsi">ἐκκομισθῶσι</w>.
3
" <w lemma="yhfisqei%2Fshs">ψηφισθείσης</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="kaqo%2Fdou">καθόδου</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="a%29ndra%2Fsin">ἀνδράσιν</w>, <w lemma="h%28me%2Fras">ἡμέρας</w> <w lemma="o%29li%2Fgas">ὀλίγας</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="peri%5C">περὶ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Apolu%2Fbion">Πολύβιον</w> <w lemma="dialipo%2Fntes">διαλιπόντες</w> <w lemma="au%29%3Dqis">αὖθις</w> <w lemma="e%29pexei%2Froun">ἐπεχείρουν</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="su%2Fgklhton">σύγκλητον</w> <w lemma="ei%29selqei%3Dn">εἰσελθεῖν</w>, <w lemma="o%28%2Fpws">ὅπως</w> <w lemma="a%28%5Cs">ἃς</w> <w lemma="pro%2Fteron">πρότερον</w> <w lemma="ei%29%3Dxon">εἶχον</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29axai+%2Fa%7C">Ἀχαΐᾳ</w> <w lemma="tima%5Cs">τιμὰς</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="fuga%2Fdes">φυγάδες</w> <w lemma="a%29nala%2Fboien">ἀναλάβοιεν</w>, <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Aka%2Ftwnos">Κάτωνος</w> <w lemma="a%29pepeirw%3Dnto">ἀπεπειρῶντο</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="gnw%2Fmhs">γνώμης</w>.
4
<w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="meidia%2Fsas">μειδιάσας</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Ffh">ἔφη</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Apolu%2Fbion">Πολύβιον</w>, <w lemma="w%28%2Fsper">ὥσπερ</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29odusse%2Fa">Ὀδυσσέα</w>, <w lemma="bou%2Flesqai">βούλεσθαι</w> <w lemma="pa%2Flin">πάλιν</w> <w lemma="ei%29s">εἰς</w> <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="tou%3D">τοῦ</w> <w lemma="%2Aku%2Fklwpos">Κύκλωπος</w> <w lemma="sph%2Flaion">σπήλαιον</w> <w lemma="ei%29selqei%3Dn">εἰσελθεῖν</w>, <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="pili%2Fon">πιλίον</w> <w lemma="e%29kei%3D">ἐκεῖ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="zw%2Fnhn">ζώνην</w> <w lemma="e%29pilelhsme%2Fnon">ἐπιλελησμένον</w>
<head>II. Liberation of the Achaean exiles</head>Cato was approached by Scipio on behalf of the Achaean exiles through the influence of Polybius, and when there was a long debate in the senate, some advocating their return and others opposing it,
Cato rose and said" "Just as if we had nothing to do we sit here all day disputing about some wretched old Greeks whether they shall be carried to their graves by bearers from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> or from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Achaea&groupId=272&placeId=533">Achaea</a>."
And when their restitution was voted, and a few days afterwards Polybius intended to enter the house to demand that the exiles should recover the honours they had previously enjoyed in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Achaea&groupId=272&placeId=533">Achaea</a>, and asked Cato\'s advice,
Cato smiled and said that Polybius, like Ulysses, wanted to enter the cave of the Cyclops again, because he had forgotten his cap and belt.

Walbank Commentary

Overview
35.6.1 - 35.6.4
<p rend="Plain Text">Return of the Achaean detainees (150)</p> <p rend="Plain Text">This extract from Plut. Cat. mai. 9 probably draws on P. but hardly ranks as a fragment. The Achaean detainees were allowed to return home to Greece in the seventeenth year of their detention (Paus. vii. 10. 12, <w lang="el-GR">ἑπτακαιδεκάτῳ . . . ὕστερον ἔτει . . . ἀφιᾶσιν)</w>; and since Scipio was in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a>, it was evidently in late summer or early winter 150. They had reached <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a> in 167; cf. xxxi. 24. 1 n. Hence P. probably described their release in the res Italiae of Ol. 157, 2 (151/0); but Ol. 157, 3 (150/49) cannot be excluded. Unfortunately Plutarch does not record the circumstances in which this debate took place. If it followed yet another Achaean embassy (the last one was in 153; cf. xxxiii. 14 n.), since envoys were usually heard at the beginning of a new consular year, this could mean early in A.U.C. 605 = 149. But by then the Senate were too much involved in the forthcoming war against <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Carthage&groupId=441&placeId=820">Carthage</a> to debate the Achaeans' fate at length (§ 1); hence it seems likely that the matter was raised through Cato by Scipio at P.'s instigation, and so probably soon after his return from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Spain&groupId=983&placeId=1735">Spain</a> in 150. The Punic question may have been used as a reason for getting this old issue out of the way.</p>
Specifics
35.6.1 - 35.6.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τῶν ἐξ Ἀχαΐας φυγάδων</w>:</emph> cf. xxx. 13. 11 n. </p>
35.6.2 - 35.6.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Κάτων</w>:</emph> M. Porcius Cato, cos. 195; see xix. 1. 1 n. and xxxi. 25. 5a n. Scullard, Pol. <emph rend="superscript">2</emph> , 239, suggests that Cato was more easily won over because his son Marcus, who had died in 152, had been married to Aemilia, Scipio's sister (see above p. 504); but such a tie was more likely to have influenced him during his son's lifetime. There are however strong arguments for the view that Cato and Scipio Aemilianus shared a common policy; see Astin, 280–1 (modifying Latomus, 1956, 159–80); contra Badian, 132 n. 1. </p>
35.6.3 - 35.6.3
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἃς πρότερον εἶχον . . . τιμὰς . . . ἀναλάβοιεν</w>:</emph> the reference might be to priesthoods. Certainly the Achaeans could hardly expect to return to any offices they held in 167; and presumably, once back, they would enjoy the same rights as any other citizen to be elected to the council or any board or magistracy. The passage cannot be used to suggest that <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Achaea&groupId=272&placeId=533">Achaea</a> was a veiled oligarchy (as by von Scala, 216 n.). </p>
35.6.4 - 35.6.4
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Πολύβιον, ὥσπερ τὸν Ὀδυσσέα</w>:</emph> this quip about returning to the <milestone unit="page" n="649">[649]</milestone> Cyclops' cave to recover his cap and belt would have still more point if P.'s affectation of seeing a parallel between himself and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Odysseus&groupId=801&placeId=1446">Odysseus</a> was already familiar at <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Rome&groupId=935&placeId=1669">Rome</a>; cf. xii. 28. 1 n. Von Scala, 72 n. 1, observes that visual representations of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Odysseus&groupId=801&placeId=1446">Odysseus</a> from the time of Apollodorus or Nicomachus (cf. Serv. ad Virg. Aen. ii. 44 = Pliny, Nat. hist. xxxv. 108) almost always showed him with a pileus; and that the usual name for a man's belt was <w lang="el-GR">ζωστήρ</w>, not <w lang="el-GR">ζώνη</w>. <milestone unit="page" n="650">[650]</milestone> </p>

Commentary