- Source
- Diodorus Siculus. Diodori Bibliotheca Historica. Vols. 4-5 (partial). Bekker, Immanuel; Dindorf, Ludwig; Fischer, Curt Theodor; editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903-1906.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.20.1-18.20.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Thibron's officer Mnasicles deserts to the Cyrenaeans and recaptures the harbor while Thibron is away. Although Thibron attempts to recover by besieging another city, he suffers a major setback as most of his naval forces are destroyed by Libyan ambushes and a violent storm.
οὕτω δὲ τῶν πραγμάτων τῷ Θίβρωνι προχωρούντων ἡ τύχη ταχὺ μεταβαλοῦσα ἐταπείνωσεν αὐτὸν διὰ τοιαύτας αἰτίας. τῶν ἡγεμόνων τῶν παρʼ αὐτῷ τις Κρὴς μὲν τὸ γένος,1 ὄνομα δὲ Μνασικλῆς, ἐμπειρίαν δʼ ἔχων τῶν πολεμικῶν πράξεων διηνέχθη πρὸς αὐτόν, ἐγκαλέσας περὶ τοῦ μερισμοῦ τῶν λαφύρων, καὶ φύσει ταραχώδης ὢν καὶ θρασὺς ηὐτομόλησε πρὸς τοὺς Κυρηναίους.
While matters were thus proceeding for Thibron, fortune, quickly changing, humbled him for the following reasons. One of the officers under him, a Cretan by birth, Mnasicles by name, who had experience in military affairs, quarreled with him, bringing charges concerning the division of the booty, and being by nature turbulent and bold, deserted to the Cyrenaeans.
κατηγορήσας δὲ πολλὰ τοῦ Θίβρωνος εἰς ὠμότητα καὶ ἀπιστίαν ἔπεισε λῦσαι τὰς ὁμολογίας καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀντέχεσθαι. διὸ καὶ ταλάντων ἑξήκοντα μόνον ἀποδεδομένων, τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν χρημάτων οὐ διδομένων ὁ μὲν Θίβρων ἐγκαλέσας τοῖς ἀφεστηκόσι συνέλαβε τῶν Κυρηναίων τοὺς παρόντας ἐν τῷ λιμένι, ὄντας περὶ ὀγδοήκοντα, εὐθὺ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν ἐπαγαγὼν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐπολιόρκει τὴν Κυρήνην· οὐδὲν δὲ δυνάμενος πρᾶξαι πάλιν πρὸς τὸν λιμένα ἐπανῆλθε.
Having made many accusations against Thibron regarding his cruelty and bad faith, he persuaded them to break the agreement and to hold fast to their freedom. For this reason, since only sixty talents had been paid and the rest of the money was not being given, Thibron, having brought charges against the defectors, seized those of the Cyrenaeans who were present in the harbor, being about eighty, and immediately leading his force against the city, he besieged Cyrene; but being unable to accomplish anything, he returned again to the harbor.
τῶν δὲ Βαρκαίων καὶ τῶν Ἑσπεριτῶν συμμαχούντων τῷ Θίβρωνι Κυρηναῖοι μέρος μὲν τῆς δυνάμεως ἀπέλιπον ἐν τῇ Κυρήνῃ, μέρει δὲ στρατεύσαντες ἐπόρθουν τὴν τῶν ἀστυγειτόνων χώραν.
Since the Barcaeans and the Hesperitae were allied with Thibron, the Cyrenaeans left a part of their force in Cyrene, and with the other part they marched out and plundered the territory of their neighbors.
τούτων δʼ ἐπικαλεσαμένων βοηθεῖν τὸν Θίβρωνα ἅπαντας τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐξήγαγεν ἐπὶ τὴν συμμαχίαν. καθʼ ὃν δὴ χρόνον ὁ Κρὴς συλλογισάμενος τὴν ἐρημίαν τοῦ λιμένος ἔπεισε τοὺς ἐν Κυρήνῃ καταλειφθέντας ἐπιθέσθαι τῷ λιμένι.
When these appealed to Thibron for help, he led out all his soldiers to aid the alliance. It was at this very time that the Cretan, calculating the emptiness of the harbor, persuaded those who had been left behind in Cyrene to attack the harbor.
ὑπακουσάντων δʼ εὐδὺς αὐτὸς καθηγούμενος ἐπέθετο τῷ λιμένι καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀπουσίαν τοῦ Θίβρωνος ῥᾳδίως ἐγκρατὴς γενόμενος τὰ περιλειπόμενα τῶν φορτίων ἀποκατέστησε τοῖς ἐμπόροις καὶ τὸν λιμένα φιλοτίμως ἐτήρει.
When they immediately complied, he himself leading them attacked the harbor, and because of the absence of Thibron, having easily got possession of it, he restored the remaining goods to the merchants and zealously guarded the harbor.
ὁ δὲ Θίβρων τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀθύμως εἶχεν, ἀπολωλεκὼς τόπον ἐπίκαιρον καὶ τὰς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀποσκευάς· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα θαρσήσας δαὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ὀνομαζομένην Ταύχειρα ἐκπολιορκήσας ἀνέδραμε ταῖς ἐλπίσι.2 μετʼ ὀλίγον δὲ πάλιν αὐτὸν συνέβη3 περιπεσεῖν μεγαλοις ἐλαττώμασιν.
Thibron at first was despondent, having lost a strategic place and the baggage of his soldiers; but after this, taking heart and having taken by siege the city called Taucheira, he revived in his hopes. But shortly after, it happened that he again fell into great losses.
οἱ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶν ὄντες τοῦ λιμένος ἐστερημένοι, τροφῆς δὲ ἀποροῦντες εἰώθεισαν καθʼ ἡμέραν ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ἐξιέναι καὶ τὰς τροφὰς ἐκ ταύτης πορίζεσθαι. οἱ δὲ Λίβυες ἐνεδρεύσαντες αὐτοὺς πλανωμένους κατὰ τὴν χώραν πολλοὺς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν, οὐκ ὀλίγους δʼ ἐζώγρησαν· οἱ δὲ περιλειφθέντες ἐκ τοῦ κινδύνου καταφυγόντες εἰς τὰς ναῦς ἀπέπλεον εἰς τὰς συμμαχίδας πόλεις. ἐπιγενομένου δὲ μεγάλου πνεύματος αἱ πλεῖσται μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης κατεπόθησαν, τῶν δʼ ἄλλων αἱ μὲν εἰς Κύπρον, αἱ δʼ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀπερρίφησαν.
For those who were in the ships, being deprived of the harbor and lacking food, were accustomed to go out daily onto the land and procure food from it. But the Libyans, having ambushed them as they wandered about the land, killed many and captured not a few alive; those who survived the danger, fleeing to the ships, sailed away to the allied cities. But when a great wind arose, most of them were swallowed up by the sea, and of the others, some were cast away to Cyprus, and some to Egypt.
- 18.20.1τὸ γένος
The words τὸ γένος and the subsequent ὄνομα (by name) are examples of the accusative of respect (or specification), restricting the application of the noun or adjective ('a Cretan by birth', 'Mnasicles by name').
- 18.20.6ἀνέδραμε ταῖς ἐλπίσι
An idiomatic expression combining ἀνατρέχω (to run back, ascend) with the dative of means or association ταῖς ἐλπίσι (with hopes), meaning to 'revive' or 'recover' one's hopes.
- 18.20.6συνέβη
An impersonal verb taking the accusative and infinitive phrase αὐτὸν περιπεσεῖν μεγαλοις ἐλαττώμασιν (that he fell into great losses) as its subject. It functions to express 'it happened that he...'