- 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-grc6:18.41.1-18.41.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Eumenes, facing the desertion of his troops, retreats with a small force to the strong fortress of Nora, where he is besieged by Antigonus. Antigonus tries to persuade Eumenes to join him, but Eumenes demands the restoration of his satrapies, leading Antigonus to leave a guard and march against other enemies.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦθʼ ὁ μὲν Εὐμενὴς ἐπεβάλετο φεύγειν εἰς Ἀρμενίαν καὶ τῶν ἐν ταύτῃ κατοικούντων τινὰς πρὸς τὴν συμμαχίαν συλλαβέσθαι· καταταχούμενος1 δὲ καὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας ὁρῶν ἀποχωροῦντας πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίγονον κατελάβετο χωρίον ὀχυρὸν ὃ προσηγορεύετο Νῶρα.
After this, Eumenes undertook to flee to Armenia and to win over some of the inhabitants there to an alliance; but being hard pressed and seeing his soldiers deserting to Antigonus, he occupied a strong place which was called Nora.
ἦν δὲ τὸ φρούριον τοῦτο παντελῶς μικρὸν διὰ τὸ τὸν περίβολον ἔχειν μὴ πλείω δυεῖν σταδίων,2 κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἐρυμνότητα θαυμαστόν· ἐπὶ γὰρ πέτρας ὑψηλῆς εἶχε τὰς οἰκίας συνῳκοδομημένας3 καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως, τὰ δʼ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν κατασκευῆς θαυμαστῶς ὠχύρωτο.
This fortress was altogether small, because its circumference was not more than two stades, but admirable for its strength; for it had its houses built close together upon a high rock, and was marvelously fortified, partly by nature and partly by the work of human hands.
εἶχε δὲ καὶ παραθέσεις σίτου πολλοῦ καὶ ξύλων καὶ ἁλῶν ὥστʼ εἰς ἔτη πολλὰ δύνασθαι χορηγῆσαι πάντα τοῖς εἰς αὐτὴν καταφυγοῦσι. συνέφυγον δὲ μετʼ αὐτοῦ τῶν φίλων οἱ ταῖς εὐνοίαις διαφέροντες καὶ κεκρικότες συναποθνήσκειν αὐτῷ κατὰ τοὺς ἐσχάτους κινδύνους· οἱ δὲ πάντες ὑπῆρχον ἱππεῖς τε καὶ πεζοὶ περὶ ἑξακοσίους.
It also had stores of much grain, wood, and salt, so as to be able to supply everything for many years to those who took refuge in it. There fled with him those of his friends who excelled in goodwill and had decided to die with him in the extreme dangers; they were all, both cavalry and infantry, about six hundred.
Ἀντίγονος δὲ παραλαβὼν τὴν μετʼ Εὐμενοῦς δύναμιν καὶ τῶν σατραπειῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν ταύταις προσόδων κύριος γενόμενος, ἔτι δὲ παραλαβὼν πλῆθος χρημάτων μειζόνων πραγμάτων ὠρέγετο· οὐκέτι γὰρ οὐδεὶς τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἡγεμόνων ἀξιόμαχον εἶχε δύναμιν διαγωνίσασθαι πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ τῶν πρωτείων.
But Antigonus, having taken over the force that was with Eumenes and having become master of the satrapies and the revenues in them, and moreover having received a great amount of money, aspired to greater things; for no longer did any of the commanders in Asia have a force sufficient to contend with him for the primacy.
διὸ καὶ πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον κατὰ μὲν τὸ παρὸν προσεποιεῖτο φιλικῶς διακεῖσθαι, διεγνώκει δὲ τὰ καθʼ αὑτὸν ἀσφαλισάμενος μηκέτι προσέχειν μήτε τοῖς βασιλεῦσι μήτε Ἀντιπάτρῳ.
For this reason, for the present indeed, he pretended to be friendly toward Antipater, but he had resolved, as soon as he had secured his own position, to pay no more attention either to the kings or to Antipater.
τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον περιέλαβε τοὺς καταπεφευγότας εἰς τὸ φρούριον διπλοῖς τοῖς τείχεσι καὶ τάφροις καὶ χαρακώμασι θαυμαστοῖς· μετὰ ταῦτα δʼ εἰς σύλλογον ἐλθὼν Εὐμενεῖ καὶ τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν φιλίαν ἀνανεωσάμενος ἔπειθεν αὐτὸν κοινοπραγεῖν. ὁ δὲ εἰδὼς τὴν τύχην ὀξέως μεταβάλλουσαν μείζονας ᾔτει φιλανθρωπίας τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν οὔσης περιστάσεως·4
First, therefore, he enclosed those who had fled to the fortress with double walls and marvelous ditches and palisades; after this, coming to a conference with Eumenes and renewing their former friendship, he tried to persuade him to act in common. But Eumenes, knowing that fortune changes rapidly, demanded greater favors than his present critical situation warranted;
ᾤετο γὰρ δεῖν αὐτῷ συγχωρηθῆναι5 τὰς ἐξ ἀρχῆς δεδομένας σατραπείας καὶ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων ἁπάντων ἀπόλυσιν. ὁ δὲ Ἀντίγονος περὶ μὲν τούτων ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀντίπατρον τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἐποιήσατο, τοῦ δὲ χωρίου τὴν ἱκανὴν φυλακὴν ἀπολιπὼν ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐπιπορευομένους ἡγεμόνας τῶν πολεμίων καὶ δυνάμεις ἔχοντας Ἀλκέταν τε τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Περδίκκου καὶ Ἄτταλον τὸν τοῦ στόλου παντὸς κυριεύοντα.
for he thought that the satrapies originally given to him should be granted to him, as well as a release from all charges. Antigonus, on these matters, referred the decision to Antipater, and leaving a sufficient guard for the place, set out against the hostile commanders who were approaching with forces, namely Alcetas, the brother of Perdiccas, and Attalus, who was master of the entire fleet.
- 18.41.1καταταχούμενος
Present passive participle of καταταχέω (or καταταχύνω), conveying the sense of "being hard pressed" or "overtaken" by the pursuing enemy.
- 18.41.2διὰ τὸ τὸν περίβολον ἔχειν μὴ πλείω δυεῖν σταδίων
An articular infinitive phrase governed by the preposition διά. The accusative τὸν περίβολον acts as the subject of the infinitive ἔχειν, and δυεῖν σταδίων is a genitive of comparison modifying the comparative πλείω.
- 18.41.2εἶχε τὰς οἰκίας συνῳκοδομημένας
The perfect passive participle συνῳκοδομημένας functions predicatively as a complement to εἶχε, describing the state of the houses as "having been built close together."
- 18.41.6μείζονας ᾔτει φιλανθρωπίας τῆς περὶ αὐτὸν οὔσης περιστάσεως
The genitive phrase τῆς ... οὔσης περιστάσεως serves as a genitive of comparison modifying the comparative adjective μείζονας (which agrees with φιλανθρωπίας), indicating that Eumenes demanded greater favors than his desperate situation warranted.
- 18.41.7ᾤετο γὰρ δεῖν αὐτῷ συγχωρηθῆναι
A multi-layered infinitive construction where the impersonal infinitive δεῖν (dependent on ᾤετο) governs the passive infinitive συγχωρηθῆναι, with the dative αὐτῷ referring to Eumenes as the recipient of the granted items.