Ποστόμιος ὕπατος

Postumius (the) consul

Translated by Elizabeth Gohn14 Mar 2014Vetting: high7 revisions

182 words

"This man thought greatly of himself, because of the rank of his family members and because he had already been distinguished by double consulships. At first his co-consul used to complain because he was being denied equality and many times he spoke his claims against him before the senate. Later, understanding that, regarding the dignity of his forebears and friends, and regarding other sources of power, he had less strength (for he was a commoner and had only lately achieved renown) he yielded to his co-consul and surrendered the command of the war. And this brought criticism to Postumius since it happened with great willfulness. And another thing happened that was more grievous than was suitable for a Roman leader. For, selecting from his own soldiers about two thousand men, he brought them to his own fields, in which he ordered them to cut down a thicket without axes. And he kept the men in his fields, doing the work of serfs and servants. And having done many other extremely grievous things, he provided to the people a just reason for hatred."

Greek original · Adler’s text

Ποστόμιος ὕπατος· οὗτος μέγα φρονῶν ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ τῆς τάξεως τοῦ γένους ἕνεκα καὶ ὅτι διτταῖς ὑπατείαις ἤδη κεκοσμημένος ἦν. ἐφ' οἷς ὁ συνύπατος αὐτοῦ καταρχὰς μὲν ὡς ἀπελαυνόμενος τῶν ἴσων ἠγανάκτει καὶ πολλάκις ἐπὶ τῆς βουλῆς τὰ δίκαια πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔλεγεν· ὕστερον δὲ συγγνοὺς ἑαυτῷ κατά τε προγόνων ὄγκον καὶ φίλων καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἄλλας δυνάμεις ἐλάττονα ἰσχὺν ἔχοντι [δημοτικὸς γὰρ ἦν καὶ τῶν νεωστὶ παρελθόντων ἐς γνῶσιν] εἶξέ τε τῷ συνυπάτῳ καὶ παρεχώρησε τοῦ πολέμου τὴν ἡγεμονίαν. καὶ τοῦτο ἤνεγκε διαβολὴν τῷ Ποστομίῳ κατὰ πολλὴν αὐθάδειαν γενόμενον, ἕτερον δὲ βαρύτερον ἢ ὡς κατὰ Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμόνα γενόμενον. ἐπιλεξάμενος γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ στρατιᾶς περὶ τοὺς δισχιλίους ἄνδρας ἐς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀγροὺς ἀπήγαγεν, οἷς ἄνευ σιδήρου δρυμὸν ἐκέλευσε κείρειν. καὶ κατέσχε τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς, θητῶν ἔργα καὶ θεραπόντων ὑπηρετοῦντας. καὶ ἄλλα πλεῖστα ὅσα βαρύτατα διαπραξάμενος παρέσχε τῷ δήμῳ μίσους ἀφορμὰς δικαίου.

Betacode

*posto/mios u(/patos: ou(=tos me/ga fronw=n e)f' e(autw=| th=s ta/cews tou= ge/nous e(/neka kai\ o(/ti dittai=s u(patei/ais h)/dh kekosmhme/nos h)=n. e)f' oi(=s o( sunu/patos au)tou= katarxa\s me\n w(s a)pelauno/menos tw=n i)/swn h)gana/ktei kai\ polla/kis e)pi\ th=s boulh=s ta\ di/kaia pro\s au)to\n e)/legen: u(/steron de\ suggnou\s e(autw=| kata/ te progo/nwn o)/gkon kai\ fi/lwn kai\ kata\ ta\s a)/llas duna/meis e)la/ttona i)sxu\n e)/xonti [dhmotiko\s ga\r h)=n kai\ tw=n newsti\ parelqo/ntwn e)s gnw=sin] ei)=ce/ te tw=| sunupa/tw|  kai\ parexw/rhse tou= pole/mou th\n h(gemoni/an. kai\ tou=to h)/negke diabolh\n tw=| *postomi/w| kata\ pollh\n au)qa/deian geno/menon, e(/teron de\ baru/teron h)\ w(s kata\ *(rwmai/wn h(gemo/na geno/menon. e)pileca/menos ga\r e)k th=s e(autou= stratia=s peri\ tou\s disxili/ous a)/ndras e)s tou\s i)di/ous a)grou\s a)ph/gagen, oi(=s a)/neu sidh/rou drumo\n e)ke/leuse kei/rein. kai\ kate/sxe tou\s a)/ndras e)n toi=s a)groi=s, qhtw=n e)/rga kai\ qerapo/ntwn u(phretou=ntas. kai\ a)/lla plei=sta o(/sa baru/tata diapraca/menos pare/sxe tw=| dh/mw| mi/sous a)forma\s dikai/ou.

Notes

= Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 17/18.4.1-4 (with a number of alterations). The Suda's headword phrase summarises the passage rather than occurring in it.
The individual featured is Lucius Postumius Megellus, 'a colourful and controversial political figure of the age of the Samnite Wars. He was three times consul (305, 294, 291 BC), and is said to have triumphed over the Samnites on all three occasions, and on the last two over the Etruscans as well. [...] In 291 he was fined for using soldiers under his command as agricultural labourers on his own estates, an episode dealt with in a newly discovered fragment of Livy book 11' (OCD4 s.v.).

References

Benedetto Bravo and Miriam T. Griffin, 'Un frammento de libro XI di Tito Livio?', Athenaeum 66 (1988), 447-521
Chantal Gabrielli, 'Lucius Postumius Megellus at Gabii: a new fragment of Livy', Classical Quarterly 53 (2003), 247-259 (with post Bravo/Griffin bibliography)

Neighbouring entries

π2116Ποσόνof a certain quantity π2117Πόσουfor how much?π2118Ποστόμιος ὕπατοςPostumius (the) consul π2119Πόστοςwhich (in the ordinal series)?π2120ΠόστουμοςPostumus

Revision history7 revisions · last 15 Oct 2021

15 Oct 2021cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
10 Aug 2014Revised — David Whitehead
16 Mar 2014Revised — David Whitehead
16 Mar 2014added bibliography — David Whitehead
16 Mar 2014augmented notes; another keyword; tweaks and cosmetics; raised status — David Whitehead
15 Mar 2014cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
14 Mar 2014modified translation, tweaked note, added keyword, raised status — William Hutton
14 Mar 2014Translated — Elizabeth Gohn

Translation

Greek original · Adler’s text

Notes

References

Neighbouring entries

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