Peace Treaty of the Diadochi and Alexander IV's Murder — Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica Book 19 (19.105.1–19.105.5), Greek & English

§19.105.1

ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Σιμωνίδου Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν ὑπάτους κατέστησαν Μάρκον Οὐαλλέριον καὶ Πόπλιον Δέκιον. ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων οἱ περὶ Κάσανδρον καὶ Πτολεμαῖον καὶ Λυσίμαχον διαλύσεις ἐποιήσαντο πρὸς Ἀντίγονον καὶ συνθήκας ἔγραψαν. ἐν δὲ ταύταις ἦν¹ Κάσανδρον μὲν εἶναι στρατηγὸν τῆς Εὐρώπης, μέχρι ἂν Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ ἐκ Ῥωξάνης εἰς ἡλικίαν ἔλθῃ, καὶ Λυσίμαχον μὲν τῆς Θρᾴκης κυριεύειν, Πτολεμαῖον δὲ τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ τῶν συνοριζουσῶν ταύτῃ πόλεων κατά τε τὴν Λιβύην καὶ τὴν Ἀραβίαν, Ἀντίγονον δὲ ἀφηγεῖσθαι τῆς Ἀσίας πάσης, τοὺς δὲ Ἕλληνας αὐτονόμους εἶναι. οὐ μὴν ἐνέμεινάν γε ταῖς ὁμολογίαις ταύταις, ἀλλʼ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν προφάσεις εὐλόγους ποριζόμενος πλεονεκτεῖν ἐπειρᾶτο.

When Simonides was archon in Athens, the Romans appointed Marcus Valerius and Publius Decius as consuls. During their term of office, the factions of Cassander, Ptolemy, and Lysimachus made a peace with Antigonus and drew up a treaty. In this treaty it was stipulated that Cassander should be general of Europe until Alexander, the son of Roxane, should come of age; and Lysimachus should rule Thrace, and Ptolemy should rule Egypt and the cities bordering on it in Libya and Arabia; and Antigonus should lead all Asia, and the Greeks should be autonomous. However, they did not abide by these agreements, but each of them, providing himself with plausible pretexts, tried to gain the advantage.

§19.105.2

Κάσανδρος δὲ ὁρῶν Ἀλέξανδρον τὸν ἐκ Ῥωξάνης αὐξόμενον καὶ κατὰ τὴν Μακεδονίαν λόγους ὑπό τινων διαδιδομένους ὅτι καθήκει² προάγειν ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς τὸν παῖδα καὶ τὴν πατρῴαν βασιλείαν παραδοῦναι, φοβηθεὶς ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ προσέταξε Γλαυκίᾳ τῷ προεστηκότι τῆς τοῦ παιδὸς φυλακῆς τὴν μὲν Ῥωξάνην καὶ τὸν βασιλέα κατασφάξαι καὶ κρύψαι τὰ σώματα, τὸ δὲ γεγονὸς μηδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπαγγεῖλαι.

But Cassander, seeing that Alexander, the son of Roxane, was growing up, and that rumors were being spread by some in Macedonia that it was fitting to release the boy from custody and hand over his father’s kingdom to him, fearing for himself, ordered Glaucias, who was in charge of the guard over the boy, to slaughter Roxane and the king, to hide their bodies, and to report what had happened to none of the others.

§19.105.3

ποιήσαντος δʼ αὐτοῦ τὸ προσταχθὲν οἱ περὶ Κάσανδρον καὶ Λυσίμαχον καὶ Πτολεμαῖον, ἔτι δʼ Ἀντίγονον ἀπηλλάγησαν τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως προσδοκωμένων φόβων·

When he had done what was ordered, the factions of Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and also Antigonus were freed from the fears expected from the king;

§19.105.4

οὐκέτι γὰρ ὄντος οὐδενὸς τοῦ διαδεξομένου τὴν ἀρχὴν τὸ λοιπὸν ἕκαστος τῶν κρατούντων ἐθνῶν ἢ πόλεων βασιλικὰς εἶχεν ἐλπίδας καὶ τὴν ὑφʼ ἑαυτὸν τεταγμένην χώραν εἶχεν ὡσανεί τινα βασιλείαν δορίκτητον.³ τὰ μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ Μακεδονίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.

for since there was no longer anyone to succeed to the rule, henceforth each of those ruling over nations or cities had royal hopes and held the territory placed under his command as if it were a kingdom won by the spear. Such, then, were the affairs in Asia and Europe, and those concerning Greece and Macedonia.

§19.105.5

κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Ῥωμαῖοι δυνάμεσιν ἁδραῖς πεζῶν τε καὶ ἱππέων ἐστράτευσαν ἐπὶ Πολλίτιον, Μαρρουκίνων οὖσαν πόλιν. ἀπέστειλαν δὲ καὶ τῶν πολιτῶν εἰς ἀποικίαν καὶ κατῴκισαν τὴν προσαγορευομένην Ἰντέραμναν.

But in Italy, the Romans campaigned with strong forces of both infantry and cavalry against Pollitium, a city of the Marrucini. They also sent out some of their citizens for a colony and settled the place called Interamna.

Syntax notes3 items

19.105.1ἐν δὲ ταύταις ἦν
This expression means 'in these (treaties) it was stipulated that...', followed by a series of accusative with infinitive constructions (εἶναι, κυριεύειν, ἀφηγεῖσθαι) that function as noun clauses explaining the specific terms of the treaty.
19.105.2ὅτι καθήκει
An appositive ὅτι clause explaining the content of the preceding noun λόγους (rumors). The impersonal verb καθήκει (it is fitting) takes the accusative with infinitive clause τὸν παῖδα ... προάγειν ... καὶ ... παραδοῦναι (to release the boy and hand over...) as its subject.
19.105.4ὡσανεί τινα βασιλείαν δορίκτητον
The conjunction ὡσανεί (as if) directly modifies the noun phrase, which functions as a predicative adjunct explaining the object of the preceding verb εἶχεν, namely τὴν ὑφʼ ἑαυτὸν τεταγμένην χώραν (the territory placed under his command).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.105.1-19.105.5