Antigonus's Advance in Asia Minor and Seizure of Funds — Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica Book 18 (18.52.1–18.52.8), Greek & English

§18.52.1

Ἀντίγονος δὲ πυθόμενος τὴν τῶν Κυζικηνῶν πόλιν πολιορκουμένην ἔτυχε μὲν ἐν Κελαιναῖς διατρίβων, κρίνας δὲ τὴν κινδυνεύουσαν πόλιν ἰδίαν κατασκευάσασθαι¹ πρὸς τὰς μελλούσας ἐπιβολὰς ἀπέλεξεν ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς δυνάμεως τοὺς ἀρίστους, πεζοὺς μὲν δισμυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τρισχιλίους. τούτους δὲ ἀναλαβὼν ἐν τάχει προῆγε βοηθήσων τοῖς Κυζικηνοῖς. βραχὺ δὲ τῶν καιρῶν ὑστερήσας φανερὰν μὲν ἔσχε τὴν εἰς τὴν πόλιν εὔνοιαν, τῆς δὲ ὅλης ἐπιβολῆς ἀπέτυχε.

Antigonus, when he learned that the city of the Cyzicenes was being besieged, happened to be spending his time in Celaenae; but deciding to make the endangered city his own for his future plans, he selected the best men from his entire force, twenty thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry. Taking these with him, he advanced in haste to bring help to the Cyzicenes. But having missed the opportune moment by a little, he made his goodwill toward the city manifest, but failed in his entire plan.

§18.52.3

πρὸς δὲ Ἀρριδαῖον ἐξέπεμψε πρεσβευτάς, ἐγκαλῶν ὅτι πρῶτον μὲν Ἑλληνίδα πόλιν σύμμαχον οὖσαν καὶ μηδὲν ἀδικοῦσαν ἐτόλμησε πολιορκεῖν, ἔπειθʼ ὅτι φανερός ἐστιν ἀποστατήσων² καὶ τὴν σατραπείαν ἑαυτῷ δυναστείαν κατασκευαζόμενος· τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον προσέταττε τῆς σατραπείας παραχωρεῖν καὶ μίαν λαβόντα πόλιν εἰς καταβίωσιν τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν.

Then he sent envoys to Arrhidaeus, accusing him first because he had dared to besiege a Greek city that was an ally and had done no wrong, and next because it was manifest that he was about to rebel and was preparing the satrapy as a personal principality for himself; and finally, he ordered him to withdraw from the satrapy and, receiving a single city for his retirement, to live in peace.

§18.52.4

ὁ δʼ Ἀρριδαῖος διακούσας τῶν πρέσβεων καὶ τὸ τῶν λόγων ὑπερήφανον καταμεμψάμενος οὐκ ἔφη παραχωρήσειν τῆς σατραπείας, τὰς δὲ πόλεις φρουραῖς διαλαμβάνων πειράσεσθαι τοῖς ὅπλοις διαγωνίζεσθαι πρὸς αὐτόν. ἀκολούθως δὲ ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσι τὰς πόλεις ἀσφαλισάμενος μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως ἐξέπεμψε καὶ στρατηγὸν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς. τούτῳ δὲ προσέταξε συνάπτειν τοῖς περὶ τὸν Εὐμενῆ καὶ λύειν τὴν πολιορκίαν τοῦ φρουρίου καὶ τὸν Εὐμενῆ τῶν κινδύνων ἀπαλλάξαντα ποιήσασθαι σύμμαχον.

Arrhidaeus, having heard the envoys through and having censured the arrogance of their words, said he would not withdraw from his satrapy, but by securing the cities with garrisons, he would try to contend against him with arms. Conformably to his reply, having secured the cities, he sent out a portion of his force and a general over it. To this general he gave orders to join forces with Eumenes and his men, to raise the siege of the fortress, and, having delivered Eumenes from his dangers, to make him an ally.

§18.52.5

Ἀντίγονος δὲ σπεύδων ἀμύνασθαι τὸν Ἀρριδαῖον ἐξέπεμψεν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν δύναμιν τὴν διαπολεμήσουσαν, αὐτὸς δὲ τὴν ἱκανὴν στρατιὰν ἀναλαβὼν προῆγεν ἐπὶ Λυδίας, βουλόμενος ἐκβαλεῖν τὸν ἐν αὐτῇ σατράπην Κλεῖτον.

Antigonus, hastening to avenge himself on Arrhidaeus, sent against him a force to carry on the war, while he himself, taking a sufficient army, advanced toward Lydia, wishing to expel Cleitus, the satrap in it.

§18.52.6

ὁ δὲ προϊδόμενος τὴν ἔφοδον αὐτοῦ τὰς μὲν ἀξιολογωτάτας πόλεις φρουραῖς ἠσφαλίσατο, αὐτὸς δὲ εἰς Μακεδονίαν ἐξέπλευσε, δηλώσων τοῖς τε βασιλεῦσι καὶ Πολυπέρχοντι τὴν Ἀντιγόνου τόλμαν καὶ ἀπόστασιν καὶ ἀξιώσων ἑαυτῷ βοηθεῖν.

But Cleitus, having foreseen his attack, secured the most notable cities with garrisons, while he himself sailed away to Macedonia to report to the kings and to Polyperchon the audacity and rebellion of Antigonus, and to ask them to aid him.

§18.52.7

ὁ δʼ Ἀντίγονος τὴν μὲν Ἔφεσον ἐξ ἐφόδου παρέλαβε συνεργησάντων αὐτῷ τινων ἐκ τῆς πόλεως· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καταπλεύσαντος εἰς Ἔφεσον Αἰσχύλου³ τοῦ Ῥοδίου καὶ κομίζοντος ἐκ Κιλικίας ἐν τέσσαρσι ναυσὶν ἀργυρίου τάλαντα ἑξακόσια ἀπεσταλμένα εἰς Μακεδονίαν πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς παρείλετο, φάσκων ἑαυτῷ χρείαν ἔχειν πρὸς τὰς τῶν ξένων μισθοφορίας.

Antigonus, however, took Ephesus at his first assault, since certain persons from within the city co-operated with him; and after this, when Aeschylus of Rhodes sailed into Ephesus carrying six hundred talents of silver from Cilicia in four ships, which were being sent to Macedonia to the kings, Antigonus seized it, claiming that he himself had need of it for the wages of his foreign mercenaries.

§18.52.8

τοῦτο δὲ πράξας φανερὸς ἐγένετο πρὸς ἰδιοπραγίαν ὡρμημένος καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἐναντιούμενος. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συμπολιορκήσας⁴ ἐπῄει τὰς ἑξῆς πόλεις, ἃς μὲν βίᾳ χειρούμενος, ἃς δὲ πειθοῖ προσαγόμενος.

By doing this he became openly bent on his own personal enterprise and opposed to the kings. After this, he went against the adjacent cities, besieging them, subduing some by force and bringing others over by persuasion.

Syntax notes4 items

18.52.1ἰδίαν κατασκευάσασθαι
The adjective ἰδίαν functions as a predicative accusative modifying the direct object of the infinitive κατασκευάσασθαι, namely τὴν κινδυνεύουσαν πόλιν, meaning 'to make (the city) his own' or 'to bring it over to his side.'
18.52.3φανερός ἐστιν ἀποστατήσων
A personal construction where the subject is combined with the adjective φανερός and the future participle ἀποστατήσων, indicating a clear and definite future intention or plan ('it is manifest that he is about to rebel').
18.52.7καταπλεύσαντος... Αἰσχύλου
A genitive absolute construction indicating the action of Aeschylus, which is distinct from the main clause's subject (Antigonus). In the subsequent phrase φάσκων ἑαυτῷ χρείαν ἔχειν, the dative ἑαυτῷ indicates the person for whom the need exists ('that he himself had need').
18.52.8συμπολιορκήσας
The prefix σύν- does not mean 'together with someone else' here, but in combination with ἐπῄει, it signifies the consecutive or collective action of besieging the subsequent cities one after another. This is confirmed by the following distributive clause ἃς μὲν... ἃς δὲ...

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.52.1-18.52.8