- 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-grc6:18.53.1-18.53.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The author shifts the focus of the narrative from Antigonus to Eumenes, providing a summary of Eumenes' tumultuous career, in which he achieved great victories, suffered a severe defeat and siege, but was miraculously released and rapidly rebuilt his power.
ἡμεῖς δὲ διεληλυθότες τὰ περὶ Ἀντίγονον μεταβιβάσομεν τὴν ἀναγραφὴν ἐπὶ τὰ συμβάντα περὶ Εὐμενῆ. οὗτος γὰρ μεγάλαις καὶ παραδόξοις μεταβολαῖς χρώμενος διετέλεσεν ἀεὶ παρʼ ἐλπίδας ἀγαθῶν τε καὶ κακῶν μεταλαμβάνων.1
And we, having gone through the matters concerning Antigonus, will transfer our narrative to the events that befell Eumenes. For he continued to experience great and unexpected reversals, always sharing, contrary to expectation, in both good and bad fortune.
πρὸ μὲν γὰρ τούτων τῶν καιρῶν συναγωνιζόμενος Περδίκκᾳ τε καὶ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἔλαβε σατραπείαν Καππαδοκίαν καὶ τοὺς συνορίζοντας ταύτῃ τόπους, ἐν οἷς μεγάλων δυνάμεων καὶ πολλῶν χρημάτων κυριεύσας περιβόητον ἔσχε τὴν εὐτυχίαν.
For prior to these times, fighting on the side of Perdiccas and the kings, he received the satrapy of Cappadocia and the regions bordering on it, in which, having become master of great forces and much money, he held a fortune that was famous.
κρατερὸν2 μὲν γὰρ καὶ Νεοπτόλεμον, διωνομασμένους ἡγεμόνας καὶ τὰς ἀνικήτους τῶν Μακεδόνων ἔχοντας δυνάμεις, ἐνίκησε παρατάξει καὶ αὐτοὺς κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἀνεῖλεν.
For Craterus and Neoptolemus, generals of great renown who had the invincible forces of the Macedonians, he defeated in a pitched battle and slew them themselves in the fight.
δόξας δὲ ἀνυπόστατος εἶναι τηλικαύτης ἐπειράθη μεταβολῆς ὥστε ὑπʼ Ἀντιγόνου μεγάλῃ παρατάξει λειφθῆναι καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγων φίλων ἀναγκασθῆναι καταφυγεῖν εἴς τι χωρίον παντελῶς μικρόν. εἰς τοῦτο δʼ ἐγκλεισθεὶς καὶ περιληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων διπλοῖς τείχεσιν οὐδένα βοηθὸν ἔσχε τῆς ἰδίας συμφορᾶς.
But though he seemed to be irresistible, he experienced such a great reversal that he was defeated by Antigonus in a great pitched battle and was forced to flee with a few friends to a place that was utterly small. And having been shut up in this place and surrounded by the enemy with double walls, he had no helper for his misfortune.
ἐνιαυσίου δʼ οὔσης τῆς πολιορκίας καὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἀπογινωσκομένης ἄφνω παράδοξος λύσις ἐφάνη τῶν ἀτυχημάτων. ὁ γὰρ πολιορκῶν τὸν Εὐμενῆ καὶ σπεύδων ἀνελεῖν Ἀντίγονος ἐκ μεταβολῆς παρεκάλεσεν αὐτὸν πρὸς κοινοπραγίαν καὶ λαβὼν διὰ τῶν ὅρκων τὰς πίστεις τῆς πολιορκίας ἀπελύθη.3
When the siege had lasted a year and all hope of safety was given up, suddenly an unexpected solution to his misfortunes appeared. For Antigonus, who was besieging Eumenes and hastening to destroy him, changed his mind and invited him to common action, and having received pledges through oaths, he [Eumenes] was released from the siege.
μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον ἀνελπίστως διασωθεὶς τότε μὲν περὶ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν διέτριβεν ἀναλαμβάνων τοὺς προγεγονότας φίλους καὶ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν χώραν πλανωμένους τῶν συνεστρατευκότων αὐτῷ πρότερον. ἀγαπώμενος δὲ διαφερόντως ταχὺ πολλοὺς ἔσχε κοινωνοὺς τῶν αὐτῶν ἐλπίδων καὶ πρὸς τὴν μετʼ αὐτοῦ στρατείαν ὑπακούοντας.
And having been saved contrary to expectation, after some time he was then spending his time in Cappadocia, gathering again his former friends and those who had previously campaigned with him and were wandering about the country. And being exceptionally beloved, he quickly had many sharers in the same hopes and those who answered the call for military service with him.
τέλος δὲ ἐν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις χωρὶς τῶν ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ συμπεπολιορκημένων φίλων πεντακοσίων4 ἔσχε στρατιώτας ἐθελοντὶ ὑπακούοντας πλείους τῶν δισχιλίων. τῆς τύχης δʼ αὐτῷ συνεργούσης τηλικαύτην ἔλαβεν αὔξησιν ὥστε παραλαβεῖν τὰς βασιλικὰς δυνάμεις καὶ προστῆναι τῶν βασιλέων πρὸς τοὺς καταλύειν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀρχὴν τετολμηκότας. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν μικρὸν ὕστερον ἀκριβέστερον διέξιμεν ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις καιροῖς.
And finally, in a few days, apart from the five hundred friends who had been besieged with him in the fortress, he had more than two thousand soldiers willingly obeying him. And fortune working with him, he received such an increase that he took over the royal forces and stood as champion of the kings against those who had dared to destroy their rule. But we shall go through these matters in more detail a little later at the proper times.
- 18.53.1χρώμενος διετέλεσεν ἀεὶ παρʼ ἐλπίδας ἀγαθῶν τε καὶ κακῶν μεταλαμβάνων
The finite verb διετέλεσεν (from διατελέω, "continue to do") is accompanied by two participles, χρώμενος (from χράομαι, "experience, use") and μεταλαμβάνων (from μεταλαμβάνω, "participate in, share"). The structure functions to mean "he continued to experience great changes, always sharing in both good and bad fortune."
- 18.53.3κρατερὸν
Although appearing identical to the accusative of the adjective κρατερός ("strong, mighty"), this is the accusative of the Macedonian general's proper name, Craterus (Κρατερός). It stands in apposition and coordination with the accusative proper name Νεοπτόλεμον.
- 18.53.5ἀπελύθη
The subject of the passive verb ἀπελύθη (from ἀπολύω, "release") is not Antigonus (the subject of παρεκάλεσεν), but Eumenes (indicated earlier as τὸν Εὐμενῆ in the accusative), who was being besieged. One must recognize the sudden shift of the subject from the besieger to the besieged in the passive construction.
- 18.53.7χωρὶς τῶν ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ συμπεπολιορκημένων φίλων πεντακοσίων
The preposition χωρίς ("apart from, without") takes the genitive case. Here it governs the noun phrase τῶν φίλων πεντακοσίων ("the five hundred friends") with the attributive participle phrase ἐν τῷ φρουρίῳ συμπεπολιορκημένων ("who had been besieged with him in the fortress") embedded inside it.