Carthaginian Counterattack and Rout of Agathocles's Army — Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica Book 19 (19.109.1–19.109.5), Greek & English

§19.109.1

ὁ δʼ Ἀμίλκας ὁρῶν κατισχυομένους τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀεὶ πλείους παρεισπίπτοντας εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν ἐπέστησε τοὺς σφενδονήτας τοὺς ἐκ τῶν Βαλιαρίδων νήσων, ὄντας οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν χιλίων.

Hamilcar, seeing his own men being overpowered and ever more of the Greeks forcing their way into the camp, stationed the slingers from the Balearic Islands, who were not fewer than one thousand.

§19.109.2

οὗτοι δὲ συνεχεῖς καὶ μεγάλους λίθους ἀφιέντες πολλοὺς μὲν ἐτραυμάτιζον, οὐκ ὀλίγους δὲ καὶ τῶν βιαζομένων ἀπέκτεινον, τῶν δὲ πλείστων τὰ σκεπάζοντα τῶν ὅπλων¹ συνέτριβον· οἱ γὰρ ἄνδρες οὗτοι μναιαίους λίθους βάλλειν εἰωθότες μεγάλα συμβάλλονται πρὸς νίκην ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις, ὡς ἂν ἐκ παίδων παρʼ αὐτοῖς τῆς ἐν ταῖς σφενδόναις γυμνασίας διαπονουμένης.²

These, letting fly a constant shower of large stones, wounded many, killed not a few of those who were forcing their way in, and shattered the protective parts of the armor of most of them; for these men, being accustomed to hurl stones weighing a mina, contribute greatly toward victory in dangers, since training in the use of slings is diligently practiced among them from childhood.

§19.109.3

τούτῳ δὲ τῷ τρόπῳ τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐκβαλόντες ἐκράτησαν. πάλιν δὲ οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα κατʼ ἄλλους τόπους προσβολὰς ἐποιοῦντο καὶ δὴ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἤδη κατὰ κράτος ἁλισκομένης κατέπλευσε τοῖς Καρχηδονίοις δύναμις ἐκ Λιβύης ἀνέλπιστος.

In this manner, by casting the Greeks out of the camp, they prevailed. But those around Agathocles again made assaults at other points, and indeed, when the camp was already being captured by storm, an unexpected force from Libya sailed in to the Carthaginians.

§19.109.4

διὸ καὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς πάλιν θαρρήσαντες οἱ μὲν ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς κατὰ στόμα ἐκινδύνευον, οἱ δὲ παρόντες ἐπὶ τὴν βοήθειαν κύκλῳ περιίσταντο τοὺς Ἕλληνας. ὧν τιτρωσκομένων παραδόξως ἡ μὲν μάχη ταχὺ παλίντροπος ἐγένετο, ἔφευγον δʼ οἱ μὲν εἰς τὸν Ἱμέραν ποταμόν, οἱ δʼ εἰς τὴν παρεμβολήν. τεσσαράκοντα σταδίους δʼ ἐχούσης τῆς ἀποχωρήσεως καὶ ταῦτα³ σχεδὸν πάσης πεδινῆς οὔσης ἐπεδίωκον οἱ τῶν βαρβάρων ἱππεῖς, οὐκ ἔλασσον ὄντες πεντακισχιλίων. διὸ καὶ συνέβη τὸν μεταξὺ τόπον νεκρῶν πληρωθῆναι, πολλὰ συμβαλλομένου καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ πρὸς τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἀπώλειαν·

Therefore, taking courage again in their hearts, those from the camp risked their lives face to face, while those who had arrived for assistance surrounded the Greeks. As these were being wounded unexpectedly, the battle quickly turned, and some fled to the river Himera, and others to their camp. Since the retreat was forty stades, and that too being almost entirely level, the cavalry of the barbarians, being not fewer than five thousand, pursued them. Thus it happened that the intervening space was filled with corpses, the river also contributing much to the destruction of the Greeks;

§19.109.5

ὑπὸ κύνα⁴ γὰρ οὔσης τῆς ὥρας καὶ τοῦ διωγμοῦ περὶ μέσον ἡμέρας γινομένου οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν φευγόντων διά τε τὸ καῦμα καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς φυγῆς κακοπάθειαν ἔκδιψοι γιγνόμενοι λάβρως ἔπινον, καὶ ταῦθʼ ἁλυκοῦ τοῦ ῥεύματος ὄντος. διόπερ οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν ἐν τῷ διωγμῷ σφαγέντων εὑρέθησαν παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν τετελευτηκότες ἄτρωτοι. ἔπεσον δʼ ἐν τῇ μάχῃ ταύτῃ τῶν μὲν βαρβάρων περὶ πεντακοσίους, τῶν δʼ Ἑλλήνων οὐκ ἐλάττους ἑπτακισχιλίων.

for since the season was under the Dog-star and the pursuit took place around midday, many of those who fled, becoming parched with thirst because of the heat and the hardship of the flight, drank greedily, even though the stream was salty. Wherefore no fewer than those slain in the pursuit were found dead by the river without wounds. In this battle there fell about five hundred of the barbarians, and of the Greeks not fewer than seven thousand.

Syntax notes4 items

19.109.2τὰ σκεπάζοντα τῶν ὅπλων
The neuter plural participle τὰ σκεπάζοντα (the protective things) is combined with the partitive genitive τῶν ὅπλων (of the armor/weapons), referring to the defensive parts of their equipment, such as shields.
19.109.2ὡς ἂν ... διαπονουμένης
A genitive absolute construction introduced by ὡς ἄν. In post-classical Greek, ὡς ἄν is used with participles (especially in the genitive absolute) to express a subjective reason or a natural explanation ('since naturally...').
19.109.4καὶ ταῦτα
An adverbial idiom meaning 'and that too' or 'especially since,' modifying the genitive absolute πάσης πεδινῆς οὔσης to emphasize the vulnerability of the retreating Greeks on the flat terrain.
19.109.5ὑπὸ κύνα
A prepositional phrase referring to the rising of the Dog-star (Sirius), a traditional astronomical and seasonal idiom meaning the height of midsummer (the 'dog days') when the heat is most intense.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.109.1-19.109.5