Polybius, Histories
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Book 13 - Chapter 9

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<head lang="la">II. Res Asiae</head><w lemma="%2Ala%2Fbai">Λάβαι</w>, <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="%2Asa%2Fbai">Σάβαι</w>, <w lemma="%2Axatthni%2Fas">Χαττηνίας</w> <w lemma="po%2Flis">πόλις</w>. <w lemma="%2Apolu%2Fbios">Πολύβιος</w> <w lemma="triskaideka%2Ftw%7C">τρισκαιδεκάτῳ</w>. <w lemma="to%5C">τὸ</w> <w lemma="e%29qniko%5Cn">ἐθνικὸν</w> <w lemma="%2Alabai%3Dos">Λαβαῖος</w> <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="%2Asabai%3Dos">Σαβαῖος</w>. <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="au%29th%3Ds">αὐτῆς</w> <w lemma="xw%2Fras">χώρας</w> <w lemma="a%29mfo%2Fterai:">ἀμφότεραι·</w> <w lemma="h%28">ἡ</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="%2Axatthni%2Fa">Χαττηνία</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Agerrai%2Fwn">Γερραίων</w> <w lemma="e%29sti%5C">ἐστὶ</w> <w lemma="xw%2Fra">χώρα</w>. — <w lemma=""></w>
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<w lemma="%2Axatthni%2Fa">Χαττηνία</w>, <w lemma="xw%2Fra">χώρα</w> <w lemma="tri%2Fth">τρίτη</w> <w lemma="%2Agerrai%2Fwn">Γερραίων</w>. <w lemma="%2Apolu%2Fbios">Πολύβιος</w> <w lemma="ig#">ιγʹ</w> <w lemma="“e%29%2Fsti">“ἔστι</w> <w lemma="d%27">δ᾽</w> <w lemma="h%28">ἡ</w> <w lemma="%2Axatthni%2Fa">Χαττηνία</w> <w lemma="ta%29%2Flla">τἄλλα</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="lupra%2F">λυπρά</w>, <w lemma="kw%2Fmais">κώμαις</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="pu%2Frgois">πύργοις</w> <w lemma="dieskeu%2Fastai">διεσκεύασται</w> <w lemma="dia%5C">διὰ</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="eu%29kairi%2Fan">εὐκαιρίαν</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Agerrai%2Fwn:">Γερραίων·</w>
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<w lemma="ou%28%3Dtoi">οὗτοι</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="au%29th%5Cn">αὐτὴν</w> <w lemma="ne%2Fmontai”">νέμονται”</w>. <w lemma="e%29%2Fsti">ἔστι</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="%2A%29eruqra%3Ds">Ἐρυθρᾶς</w> <w lemma="qala%2Fsshs">θαλάσσης</w>. <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="poli%3Dtai">πολῖται</w> <w lemma="%2Axatthnoi%2F">Χαττηνοί</w>, <w lemma="w%28s">ὡς</w> <w lemma="au%29to%2Fs:">αὐτός·</w> <w lemma="“tou%2Ftois">“τούτοις</w> <w lemma="me%5Cn">μὲν</w> <w lemma="ga%5Cr">γὰρ</w> <w lemma="parh%2Fggeile">παρήγγειλε</w> <w lemma="fei%2Fdesqai">φείδεσθαι</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="%2Axatthnw%3Dn">Χαττηνῶν</w> <w lemma="xw%2Fras”">χώρας”</w>. —
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<w lemma=""></w> <w lemma="%2Aoi%28">Οἱ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="%2Agerrai%3Doi">Γερραῖοι</w> <w lemma="a%29ciou%3Dsi">ἀξιοῦσι</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="basile%2Fa">βασιλέα</w> <w lemma="mh%5C">μὴ</w> <w lemma="katalu%3Dsai">καταλῦσαι</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="para%5C">παρὰ</w> <w lemma="tw%3Dn">τῶν</w> <w lemma="qew%3Dn">θεῶν</w> <w lemma="au%29toi%3Ds">αὐτοῖς</w> <w lemma="dedome%2Fna">δεδομένα</w>, <w lemma="tou%3Dt%27">τοῦτ᾽</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Fstin">ἔστιν</w> <w lemma="a%29i+%2Fdion">ἀΐδιον</w> <w lemma="ei%29rh%2Fnhn">εἰρήνην</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="e%29leuqeri%2Fan">ἐλευθερίαν</w>. <w lemma="o%28">ὁ</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="e%28rmhneuqei%2Fshs">ἑρμηνευθείσης</w> <w lemma="oi%28">οἱ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="e%29pistolh%3Ds">ἐπιστολῆς</w> <w lemma="e%29%2Ffh">ἔφη</w> <w lemma="sugxwrei%3Dn">συγχωρεῖν</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="a%29cioume%2Fnois">ἀξιουμένοις</w>. —
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<w lemma=""></w> <w lemma="%2Akurwqei%2Fshs">Κυρωθείσης</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="e%29leuqeri%2Fas">ἐλευθερίας</w> <w lemma="toi%3Ds">τοῖς</w> <w lemma="%2Agerrai%2Fois">Γερραίοις</w> <w lemma="e%29stefa%2Fnwsan">ἐστεφάνωσαν</w> <w lemma="paraxrh%3Dma">παραχρῆμα</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="%2A%29anti%2Foxon">Ἀντίοχον</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="basile%2Fa">βασιλέα</w> <w lemma="pentakosi%2Fois">πεντακοσίοις</w> <w lemma="a%29rguri%2Fou">ἀργυρίου</w> <w lemma="tala%2Fntois">ταλάντοις</w>, <w lemma="xili%2Fois">χιλίοις</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="libanwtou%3D">λιβανωτοῦ</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="diakosi%2Fois">διακοσίοις</w> <w lemma="th%3Ds">τῆς</w> <w lemma="legome%2Fnhs">λεγομένης</w> <w lemma="stakth%3Ds">στακτῆς</w>. <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="e%29poi%2Fei">ἐποίει</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="plou%3Dn">πλοῦν</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Atu%2Flon">Τύλον</w> <w lemma="th%5Cn">τὴν</w> <w lemma="nh%3Dson">νῆσον</w> <w lemma="kai%5C">καὶ</w> <w lemma="e%29poi%2Fei">ἐποίει</w> <w lemma="to%5Cn">τὸν</w> <w lemma="a%29po%2Fploun">ἀπόπλουν</w> <w lemma="e%29pi%5C">ἐπὶ</w> <w lemma="%2Aseleukei%2Fas">Σελευκείας</w>. <w lemma="h%29%3Dsan">ἦσαν</w> <w lemma="de%5C">δὲ</w> <w lemma="ta%5C">τὰ</w> <w lemma="a%29rw%2Fmata">ἀρώματα</w> <w lemma="e%29n">ἐν</w> <w lemma="th%3D%7C">τῇ</w> <w lemma="%2A%29eruqra%3D%7C">Ἐρυθρᾷ</w> <w lemma="qala%2Ftth%7C">θαλάττῃ</w>.
<head>Antiochus in <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Arabia&groupId=349&placeId=671">Arabia</a>, B.C. 205-204</head>Labae, like Sabae, is a city of Chattenia, which is a territory of the Gerraei. . . . In other respects, Chattenia is a rugged country, but the wealth of the Gerraei who inhabit it has adorned it with villages and towers. It lies along the Arabian Sea, and Antiochus gave orders to spare it. . . .In a letter to Antiochus the Gerraei demanded that he should not destroy what the gods had given them—perpetual peace and freedom; and this letter having been interpreted to him he granted the request. . . .Their freedom having been confirmed to the Gerraei, they presented King Antiochus at once with five hundred talents of silver, one thousand of frankincense, and two hundred of oil of cinnamon, called stacte, all of them spices of the country on the Arabian Sea. He then sailed to the island of Tylos, and thence to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Seleucia&groupId=233&placeId=484">Seleucia</a>. . . .<pb />

Walbank Commentary

Overview
13.9.0 - 13.9.0
<p rend="Plain Text">Geographical fragments</p>
Specifics
13.9.1 - 13.9.1
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">Λάβαι . . . Χαττηνίας πόλις</w>:</emph> cf. Pliny, Nat. hist. vi. 147, 'sinus Capeus, quem accolunt Gaulopes et Gattaei, sinus Gerraicus, oppidum Gerra'. Neither Labae nor Sabae is identifiable, but Chattenia is a name for the country of the Gerrhaei, who lived in the southern part of the modern province of Hasa on the west shore of the Persian Gulf. They are mentioned by Strabo, xvi. 766, 776, 778 (using Eratosthenes and Artemidorus); Diod. iii. 42. 5 (Agatharchides; cf. GGM, i. 177); Pliny, Nat. hist. vi. 147 (quoted above), xxxi. 78; Ptol. vi. 7. 16, viii. 22. 10. The capital <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Gerrha&groupId=601&placeId=1111">Gerrha</a> is mentioned by the Arab geographer Hamdan(ezret, 137, 24 M) under the name of el-er'; it lay near the modern town of Hufuf, two days inland from the coast at Uqair, and it may be the Carrhae of Pliny, Nat. hist. xii. 80. See Tkac, '<a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Gerrha&groupId=601&placeId=1111">Gerrha</a> (2)', cols. 1270–2. </p>
13.9.2 - 13.9.2
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">διὰ τὴν εὐκαιρίαν</w>:</emph> 'through the wealth of the Gerrhaei' (cf. x. 27. 9) rather than 'for their convenience' (Paton). </p>
13.9.3 - 13.9.3
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τούτοις . . . παρήγγειλε φείδεσθαι</w>:</emph> probably the order is to his troops (see § 4, where hiatus betrays the excerptor). </p>
13.9.5 - 13.9.5
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἐστεφάνωσαν</w>:</emph> 'they made him a gift of'. Will, i. 172 n. 1, suggests that in addition to extracting this heavy tribute Antiochus was also interested in persuading the Gerrhaeans to direct their valuable trade towards the Seleucid dominions. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">στακτῆς</w>:</emph> oil of myrrh; cf. Dioscor. i. 60; LXX Gen. 37. 25. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">ἐπὶ Τύλον τὴν νῆσον</w>:</emph> cf. Pliny, Nat. hist. vi. 148, xii. 38, 40; the best account is in Theoph. HP, iv. 7. 7. and CP, ii. 5. 5, who describes the pearls and rich vegetation, including palms, mangroves, figs, fruit, and cotton. It is the island of Bahrain (Manama). See O. Stein, RE, 'Tylos (2)', cols. 1732–3. This passage probably implies the presence of a Seleucid fleet in these waters; cf. Pliny, Nat. hist. vi. 152; Tarn, HC, 240; Schmitt, Antiochos, 49 n. 1. </p> <p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold"><w lang="el-GR">τὸν ἀπόπλουν ἐπὶ Σελευκείας</w>:</emph> he probably wintered there in 205/4. </p>
Addenda & corrigenda
13.9.5 - 13.9.5
<p rend="Plain Text"> <emph rend="bold">9. 5. <w lang="el-GR">ἐστεφάνωσαν</w>:</emph> Will, i. 172 n. 1, suggests that in addition to extracting this heavy tribute Antiochus was also interested in persuading the Gerrhaeans to direct their valuable trade towards the Seleucid dominions. </p>

Commentary