- 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
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.36.1-18.36.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Following heavy casualties from Perdiccas' failed operation, the Macedonian soldiers turn their support to Ptolemy and assassinate Perdiccas. Ptolemy declines the guardianship of the kings and instead helps establish Pithon and Arrhidaeus in those positions.
ἀπολομένων δὲ πλειόνων ἢ δισχιλίων, ἐν οἷς καὶ τῶν ἐπιφανῶν τινες ἡγεμόνων ὑπῆρχον, ἀλλοτρίως τὸ πλῆθος ἔσχε πρὸς τὸν Περδίκκαν.1 ὁ δὲ Πτολεμαῖος τὰ σώματα τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκπεσόντων καύσας καὶ τῆς ἁρμοζούσης κηδείας ἀξιώσας ἀπέστειλε τὰ ὀστᾶ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους τε καὶ φίλους τῶν τετελευτηκότων.
When more than two thousand had perished, among whom were also some of the prominent commanders, the multitude became hostilely disposed toward Perdiccas. But Ptolemy, having burned the bodies of those who had been cast up on his side and having deemed them worthy of the fitting burial, sent the bones to the relatives and friends of the deceased.
τούτων δὲ πραχθέντων οἱ παρὰ τῷ Περδίκκᾳ Μακεδόνες πρὸς μὲν τοῦτον πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἀπεθηριώθησαν, πρὸς δὲ τὸν Πτολεμαῖον ἀπέκλιναν ταῖς εὐνοίαις.
When these things were done, the Macedonians in Perdiccas’ camp became much more embittered against him, but they inclined in their goodwill toward Ptolemy.
ἐπιγενομένης δὲ νυκτὸς πλήρης ἦν ἡ παρεμβολὴ κλαυθμοῦ καὶ πένθους, τοσούτων μὲν ἀνδρῶν ἀλόγως ἀπολωλότων ἄνευ πολεμίας πληγῆς καὶ τούτων οὐκ ἐλαττόνων ἢ χιλίων θηριοβρώτων γεγονότων.2
When night came on, the camp was full of weeping and mourning, since so many men had perished unreasonably without a hostile blow, and of these no fewer than a thousand had been devoured by beasts.
πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἡγεμόνων συνίσταντο καὶ κατηγόρουν τοῦ Περδίκκου, πᾶσα δʼ ἡ φάλαγξ τῶν πεζῶν ἀπαλλοτριωθεῖσα φανερὰν διὰ τῆς ἀπειλούσης φωνῆς τὴν ἰδίαν κατεσκεύασεν ἀλλοτριότητα.3
Many of the commanders, therefore, gathered together and accused Perdiccas, and the entire phalanx of the infantry, having alienated themselves, made their own hostility clear by their threatening voice.
διόπερ πρῶτοι τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἀπέστησαν ὡς ἑκατόν, ὧν ἦν ἐπιφανέστατος Πίθων ὁ τοὺς ἀποστάντας Ἕλληνας καταπολεμήσας, οὐδενὸς δὲ τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου λειπόμενος φίλων ἀρετῇ τε καὶ δόξῃ· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τῶν ἱππέων τινὲς συμφρονήσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ Περδίκκου κατήντησαν καὶ προσπεσόντες ἀθρόοι κατέσφαξαν τὸν Περδίκκαν.
For this reason, about a hundred of the commanders revolted first, of whom the most prominent was Pithon, who had subdued the revolted Greeks and was second to none of Alexander’s friends in virtue and reputation; and after this, some of the cavalry, having conspired together, came to the tent of Perdiccas, and falling upon him in a body, assassinated him.
τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ γενομένης ἐκκλησίας ὁ Πτολεμαῖος καταβὰς καὶ τοὺς Μακεδόνας ἀσπασάμενος περί τε τῶν καθʼ αὑτὸν ἀπελογήσατο καὶ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐκλελοιπότων ἐχορήγησε σῖτόν τε δαψιλῆ ταῖς δυνάμεσι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδείων ἐπλήρωσε τὴν παρεμβολήν. μεγάλης δὲ τυγχάνων ἀποδοχῆς καὶ δυνάμενος παραλαβεῖν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν βασιλέων διὰ τὴν τοῦ πλήθους εὔνοιαν τούτου μὲν οὐκ ὠρέχθη,4 τῷ δὲ Πίθωνι καὶ Ἀρριδαίῳ χάριτας ὀφείλων συγκατεσκεύασε τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἡγεμονίαν·
On the following day, an assembly being held, Ptolemy came down and, having greeted the Macedonians, defended himself concerning his own actions, and, as provisions had failed, supplied abundant grain to the forces and filled the camp with other provisions. Though he met with great approval and was able to take over the guardianship of the kings because of the goodwill of the multitude, he did not reach out for this, but, owing gratitude to Pithon and Arrhidaeus, helped establish the general command for them;
οἱ γὰρ Μακεδόνες βουλῆς προτεθείσης περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας καὶ συμβουλεύσαντος Πτολεμαίου πάντες προθύμως εἵλαντο τῶν βασιλέων ἐπιμελητὰς αὐτοκράτορας Πίθωνα καὶ Ἀρριδαῖον τὸν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ βασιλέως κατακομίσαντα. Περδίκκας μὲν οὖν ἄρξας ἔτη τρία τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀπέβαλε τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἅμα καὶ τὴν ψυχήν.
for when a deliberation was proposed concerning the command and Ptolemy advised it, the Macedonians all eagerly chose as independent guardians of the kings Pithon and Arrhidaeus, the one who had conveyed the body of the king. Perdiccas, therefore, after having ruled for three years, lost his command and his life at the same time in this manner.
- 18.36.1ἀλλοτρίως τὸ πλῆθος ἔσχε πρὸς τὸν Περδίκκαν
The intransitive verb ἔχω with the adverb ἀλλοτρίως is equivalent to the copula εἰμί with the adjective ἀλλότριος ("to be hostilely/alienatedly disposed"). The preposition πρός with the accusative (τὸν Περδίκκαν) indicates the object of this attitude.
- 18.36.3τοσούτων μὲν ἀνδρῶν ἀλόγως ἀπολωλότων ... καὶ τούτων οὐκ ἐλαττόνων ἢ χιλίων θηριοβρώτων γεγονότων
Two coordinate genitive absolute constructions (ἀπολωλότων and γεγονότων) express the cause or accompanying circumstance of the main clause (the camp being full of mourning). τούτων is a partitive genitive referring to the previously mentioned deceased.
- 18.36.4φανερὰν διὰ τῆς ἀπειλούσης φωνῆς τὴν ἰδίαν κατεσκεύασεν ἀλλοτριότητα
The word order is inverted (hyperbaton). The direct object is τὴν ἰδίαν ἀλλοτριότητα, and the adjective φανεράν is placed at the beginning as a predicate accusative (object complement) to the verb κατεσκεύασεν ("rendered their own hostility manifest").
- 18.36.6τούτου μὲν οὐκ ὠρέχθη
The verb ὀρέγομαι (here in the passive deponent aorist ὠρέχθην) governs the genitive of the object desired. The genitive neuter singular τούτου refers back to the preceding phrase τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν βασιλέων (the guardianship of the kings).