- 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-grc6:18.70.1-18.70.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
The Megalopolitans prepare their defenses in anticipation of Polyperchon's attack. Although Polyperchon's mining operations collapse a section of the city walls, the citizens fiercely resist the enemy at the breach while successfully constructing an inner temporary wall.
οἱ δὲ Μεγαλοπολῖται γνόντες τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ Πολυπέρχοντος ἐψηφίσαντο τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας1 κατάγειν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, τῶν δὲ πολιτῶν καὶ ξένων καὶ δούλων ἀριθμὸν ποιησάμενοι μυρίους καὶ πεντακισχιλίους εὗρον τοὺς δυναμένους παρέχεσθαι τὰς πολεμικὰς χρείας. εὐθὺς οὖν τοὺς μὲν εἰς τάξεις κατελόχιζον, οὓς δὲ πρὸς τὰς ὑπηρεσίας τοῖς ἔργοις καθίστανον, οὓς δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν τειχῶν ἔταττον.
When the Megalopolitans learned of the design of Polyperchon, they voted to bring in their property from the country into the city; and having made a census of the citizens, foreigners, and slaves, they found that those who were able to perform military services numbered fifteen thousand. Immediately, therefore, they enrolled some in companies, assigned others to services in the works, and stationed others for the care of the walls.
ὑφʼ ἕνα δὲ καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρὸν οἱ μὲν περὶ τὴν πόλιν τάφρον ὤρυττον βαθεῖαν, οἱ δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας χάρακα παρεκόμιζον, τινὲς δὲ τὰ πεπονηκότα τῶν τειχῶν κατεσκεύαζον, ἄλλοι δὲ περὶ τὰς ὁπλοποιίας καὶ τὴν κατασκευὴν τῶν ὀξυβελῶν καταπελτῶν ἐγίνοντο, πᾶσα δʼ ἡ πόλις ἐν ἔργοις καθειστήκει διά τε τὴν προθυμίαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ διὰ τοὺς προσδοκωμένους κινδύνους·
At one and the same time, some dug a deep trench around the city, others brought in palisades from the country, some repaired the damaged parts of the walls, and others busied themselves with the manufacture of arms and the construction of catapults for shooting sharp arrows; and the whole city was set to work because of the enthusiasm of the men and because of the expected dangers.
διεβεβόητο γὰρ τό τε μέγεθος τῆς βασιλικῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν συνακολουθούντων ἐλεφάντων καὶ δοκούντων2 ἀνυπόστατον ἔχειν τήν τε ἀλκὴν καὶ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ὁρμήν.
For rumors had spread far and wide of the size of the royal force and the number of elephants accompanying it, which were thought to possess irresistible strength and bodily momentum.
ταχὺ δὲ πάντων εὐτρεπῶν γενομένων ὁ μὲν Πολυπέρχων ἧκε μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ πλησίον τῆς πόλεως ἐστρατοπέδευσε δύο θέμενος παρεμβολάς, τὴν μὲν τῶν Μακεδόνων, τὴν δὲ τῶν συμμάχων. κατασκευάσας δὲ πύργους ξυλίνους ὑψηλοτέρους τῶν τειχῶν προσῆγε τῇ πόλει κατὰ τοὺς εὐθέτους τόπους καὶ βέλη παντοδαπὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀγωνιζομένους ἐπιστήσας ἀνέστελλε τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπάλξεων ἀντιτεταγμένους.
When everything was quickly made ready, Polyperchon arrived with his entire army and encamped near the city, establishing two camps, one of the Macedonians and the other of the allies. Having constructed wooden towers higher than the walls, he brought them up to the city at the convenient places; and having placed on them missiles of all kinds and fighting men, he drove back those who were drawn up on the battlements.
ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις διὰ τῶν μεταλλευόντων ὑπορύξας τὰ τείχη καὶ τὰς στήριγγας ἐμπρήσας κατέβαλε τρεῖς πύργους τοὺς μεγίστους καὶ μεσοπύργια τὰ ἴσα.3 μεγάλου δὲ τοῦ πτώματος καὶ παραδόξου γενομένου τὸ μὲν πλῆθος τῶν Μακεδόνων ἀνεβόησεν, οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν διὰ τὴν δεινότητα τῆς πράξεως κατεπλάγησαν.
While these things were being done, he undermined the walls by means of miners, and having set fire to the wooden props, he overthrew three of the largest towers and an equal length of the curtain walls between them. Since the collapse was great and unexpected, the multitude of Macedonians shouted aloud, while those in the city were struck with terror at the dreadfulness of the event.
ἔνθα δὴ τῶν Μακεδόνων διὰ τοῦ πτώματος εἰσπιπτόντων εἰς τὴν πόλιν οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται διεῖλον σφᾶς αὐτοὺς καὶ τῷ μὲν ἑνὶ μέρει τοὺς πολεμίους ὑποστάντες καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ πτώματι δυσχωρίαν συνεργὸν ἔχοντες καρτερὰν μάχην συνίσταντο, τῷ δʼ ἑτέρῳ4 χάρακι διελάμβανον τὸν ἐντὸς τοῦ πτώματος τόπον καὶ τεῖχος ἕτερον ἀντῳκοδόμουν, συνεχῶς ἐργαζόμενοι καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτωρ.
Then, as the Macedonians were rushing into the city through the breach, the Megalopolitans divided themselves: with one part they withstood the enemy, and having the rough ground in the breach as an ally, they maintained a stiff fight, while with the other they blocked off the space inside the breach with a palisade and built another wall opposite it, working continuously day and night.
ταχὺ δὲ τῶν ἔργων συντελουμένων διά τε τὴν πολυχειρίαν καὶ τὸ πλῆθος· τῆς εἰς ἅπαντα παρασκευῆς τὸ μὲν διὰ τοῦ πτώματος ἐλάττωμα συντόμως οἱ Μεγαλοπολῖται διωρθώσαντο, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῶν ξυλίνων πύργων ἀγωνιζομένους τοῖς τε ὀξυβελέσι καταπέλταις ἐχρῶντο καὶ τοῖς σφενδονήταις καὶ τοξόταις πολλοὺς τῶν πολεμίων κατετίτρωσκον.
Since the works were quickly completed because of the large number of hands and the abundance of preparation of every kind, the Megalopolitans quickly repaired the damage caused by the breach; and against those who were fighting from the wooden towers they used their catapults for shooting sharp arrows, and with their slingers and archers they wounded many of the enemy.
- 18.70.1τὰ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας
The neuter plural article τὰ acting as the direct object of the infinitive κατάγειν means "things/property from the country (ἀπὸ τῆς χώρας)" and functions as a substantive representing an omitted noun (such as σκεύη or κτήματα).
- 18.70.3δοκούντων
A genitive plural present participle. It modifies the preceding noun ἐλεφάντων, agreeing in gender, number, and case, meaning "[elephants] which were thought (to possess irresistible strength)." It functions as an attributive clause explaining the nature of the elephants rather than a direct accusative and infinitive construction.
- 18.70.5μεσοπύργια τὰ ἴσα
Refers to "an equal length (or number) of curtain walls (the walls between the towers)." The adjective ἴσα ("equal") indicates that the collapsed walls corresponded in scale or number to the three "towers (πύργους)" that were overthrown.
- 18.70.6τῷ μὲν ἑνὶ μέρει... τῷ δʼ ἑτέρῳ
Contrastive dative phrases corresponding to the preceding "they divided themselves (διεῖλον σφᾶς αὐτοὺς)." They indicate the respective divisions of the citizens, functioning as datives of relation or respect to show the distribution of subjects for the fighting and building tasks.