- 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-grc6:18.48.1-18.48.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
As Antipater falls terminally ill, Athens sends Demades to demand the withdrawal of the garrison, but his treacherous past letters are discovered, leading to his execution. Feeling his end near, Antipater appoints Polyperchon as guardian of the kings and his son Cassander as chiliarch.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν Μακεδονίαν Ἀντιπάτρου περιπεσόντος ἀρρωστίᾳ βαρυτέρᾳ καὶ τοῦ γήρως συνεργοῦντος1 πρὸς τὴν ἀπόλυσιν τοῦ βίου Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν ἐξέπεμψαν πρεσβευτὴν πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον Δημάδην, δοκοῦντα καλῶς πολιτεύεσθαι τὰ πρὸς τοὺς Μακεδόνας, ἀξιοῦντες τὸν Ἀντίπατρον, καθάπερ ἦν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὡμολογηκώς, ἐξαγαγεῖν τὴν φρουρὰν ἐκ τῆς Μουνυχίας.
In Macedonia, when Antipater fell into a more serious illness, with old age also contributing to the release from his life, the Athenians sent Demades as an envoy to Antipater, as he was thought to conduct political relations well with the Macedonians, demanding that Antipater, just as he had agreed from the beginning, withdraw the garrison from Munychia.
ὁ δʼ Ἀντίπατρος τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εὐνοϊκῶς διέκειτο πρὸς τὸν Δημάδην, ὕστερον δὲ Περδίκκου τελευτήσαντος καί τινων ἐπιστολῶν εὑρεθεισῶν ἐν τοῖς βασιλικοῖς γράμμασιν, ἐν αἷς ἦν ὁ Δημάδης παρακαλῶν2 τὸν Περδίκκαν κατὰ τάχος διαβαίνειν εἰς τὴν Εὐρώπην ἐπʼ Ἀντίπατρον, ἀπηλλοτριώθη πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ κεκρυμμένην ἐτήρει τὴν ἔχθραν.
At first, Antipater was well-disposed toward Demades, but later, after Perdiccas had died and certain letters were found among the royal archives, in which Demades urged Perdiccas to cross over with all speed into Europe against Antipater, he became estranged from him and maintained a hidden enmity.
διόπερ τοῦ Δημάδου κατὰ τὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου δεδομένας ἐντολὰς ἀπαιτοῦντος τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν καὶ παρρησιωδέστερον ἀπειλήσαντος περὶ τῆς φρουρᾶς ὁ μὲν Ἀντίπατρος οὐδεμίαν δοὺς ἀπόκρισιν παρέδωκε τοῖς ἐπὶ τὰς τιμωρίας τεταγμένοις αὐτόν τε τὸν Δημάδην καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Δημέαν συμπρεσβεύοντα τῷ πατρί.
Therefore, when Demades, in accordance with the instructions given by the people, demanded the fulfillment of the promise and threatened him rather boldly concerning the garrison, Antipater gave no answer but handed over both Demades himself and his son Demeas, who was serving as envoy with his father, to those appointed for executions.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ἀπαχθέντες εἴς τι οἴκημα εὐτελὲς ἐθανατώθησαν διὰ τὰς προειρημένας αἰτίας. ὁ δʼ Ἀντίπατρος ἐσχάτως ἤδη διακείμενος3 ἀπέδειξεν ἐπιμελητὴν τῶν βασιλέων Πολυπέρχοντα καὶ στρατηγὸν αὐτοκράτορα, πρεσβύτατον σχεδὸν ὄντα τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ συνεστρατευμένων καὶ τιμώμενον ὑπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὴν Μακεδονίαν, τὸν δʼ υἱὸν Κάσανδρον χιλίαρχον καὶ δευτερεύοντα κατὰ τὴν ἐξουσίαν.
These men, then, having been led away to some mean dwelling, were put to death for the aforementioned reasons. But Antipater, being already in an extreme state, appointed Polyperchon as guardian of the kings and supreme commander, since he was almost the oldest of those who had campaigned with Alexander and was held in honor by those in Macedonia, and appointed his son Cassander as chiliarch, holding the second place in authority.
ἡ δὲ τοῦ χιλιάρχου τάξις καὶ προαγωγὴ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὑπὸ τῶν Περσικῶν βασιλέων εἰς ὄνομα καὶ δόξαν προήχθη, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάλιν ὑπʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου μεγάλης ἔτυχεν ἐξουσίας καὶ τιμῆς, ὅτε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Περσικῶν νομίμων ζηλωτὴς ἐγένετο. διὸ καὶ Ἀντίπατρος κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἀγωγὴν τὸν υἱὸν Κάσανδρον ὄντα νέον ἀπέδειξε χιλίαρχον.
The rank and promotion of the chiliarch was at first raised to a name and glory by the Persian kings, and after this, it again obtained great power and honor from Alexander, at the time when he became an imitator of the other Persian customs. Therefore Antipater also, in accordance with the same system, appointed his son Cassander, who was a young man, as chiliarch.
- 18.48.1περιπεσόντος ... συνεργοῦντος
These are parallel genitive absolutes, with Ἀντιπάτρου and τοῦ γήρως acting as their respective subjects. They describe the background circumstances where Antipater fell ill and old age accelerated his demise.
- 18.48.2ἐν αἷς ἦν ὁ Δημάδης παρακαλῶν
This is a periphrastic construction combining ἦν and the present participle παρακαλῶν, emphasizing the continuous aspect or state of the action in the past. The antecedent of the relative pronoun αἷς is ἐπιστολῶν.
- 18.48.4ἐσχάτως ἤδη διακείμενος
The combination of the adverb ἐσχάτως and the participle of διακείμαι is an idiomatic expression meaning 'being in an extreme state' or 'on the brink of death.'