- 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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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.4.1-19.4.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Agathocles acts as a mercenary in Italy, is exiled on suspicion of revolution, and then fights for Syracusan democracy, saving his men from a crisis near Gela through a clever stratagem using trumpeters.
ὁ δʼ Ἀγαθοκλῆς ἀλλοτρίως ἔχων τὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς1 τὸ μὲν πρῶτον κατέμενεν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ μετὰ τῶν κοινοπραγούντων καὶ καταλαμβάνεσθαι τὴν τῶν Κροτωνιατῶν πόλιν ἐπιχειρήσας ἐξέπεσε καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγων εἰς Τάραντα διεσώθη. ταχθεὶς δὲ παρὰ τοῖς Ταραντίνοις ἐν τῇ τῶν μισθοφόρων τάξει καὶ πολλαῖς καὶ παραβόλοις ἐγχειρῶν πράξεσιν εἰς ὑποψίαν ἦλθε καινοτομεῖν.2
But Agathocles, being on hostile terms with them, at first remained in Italy with his associates, and having attempted to seize the city of the Crotoniates, he was driven out and escaped safely with a few men to Tarentum. Having been enrolled among the Tarentines in the rank of the mercenaries, and undertaking many bold enterprises, he fell under suspicion of plotting a revolution.
διόπερ ἀπολυθεὶς καὶ ταύτης τῆς στρατείας συνήθροισε τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν φυγάδας καὶ Ῥηγίνοις πολεμουμένοις ὑπὸ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἡρακλείδην καὶ Σώστρατον ἐβοήθησεν.
For this reason, having been dismissed also from this service, he gathered the exiles throughout Italy and brought aid to the Rhegians, who were being attacked by Heracleides and Sostratus and their faction.
ἔπειτα τῆς ἐν Συρακούσσαις δυναστείας καταλυθείσης καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν Σώστρατον φυγόντων κατῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα. συνεκπεσόντων δὲ τοῖς δυνάσταις πολλῶν ἐνδόξων ἀνδρῶν, ὡς ἂν τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας κενοινωνηκότων3 τῆς τῶν ἑξακοσίων τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων, ἐνέστη πόλεμος τοῖς φυγάσι πρὸς τοὺς ἀντεχομένους τῆς δημοκρατίας. συμμαχούντων δὲ τῶν Καρχηδονίων τοῖς περὶ τὸν Σώστρατον φυγάσιν ἐγίνοντο κίνδυνοι συνεχεῖς καὶ παρατάξεις ἁδρῶν δυνάμεων, ἐν αἷς Ἀγαθοκλῆς, ποτὲ μὲν ἰδιώτης ὤν, ποτὲ δὲ ἐφʼ ἡγεμονίας τεταγμένος, ὑπελήφθη δραστικὸς εἶναι καὶ φιλότεχνος ἐκ τοῦ πρὸς ἕκαστον τῶν καιρῶν ἐπινοεῖσθαί τι τῶν χρησίμων· ὧν ἓν ἔπραξε καὶ μάλα μνήμης ἄξιον.
Then, after the ruling power in Syracuse was overthrown and Sostratus and his faction had fled, he returned to his fatherland. But since many illustrious men had been banished along with the rulers, on the ground that they had shared in the oligarchy of the six hundred most prominent men, a war arose between the exiles and those who clung to the democracy. Since the Carthaginians were allied with Sostratus and his fellow exiles, there were continuous dangers and pitched battles of large forces, in which Agathocles, sometimes as a private citizen, sometimes appointed to a command, was considered to be energetic and resourceful from his devising some useful plan for each occasion; of which things he performed one that is highly worthy of mention.
στρατοπεδευόντων γάρ ποτε τῶν Συρακοσίων πλησίον τῆς Γέλας αὐτὸς μὲν νυκτὸς παρεισέπεσεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν μετὰ χιλίων στρατιωτῶν, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Σώστρατον ἐπιφανέντες μετὰ μεγάλης καὶ τεταγμένης δυνάμεως ἐτρέψαντο τοὺς παρεισπεπτωκότας καὶ κατέβαλον εἰς τριακοσίους.
For when the Syracusans were once encamped near Gela, he himself by night slipped into the city with a thousand soldiers, but Sostratus and his men, having appeared with a large and well-ordered force, routed those who had slipped in, and cut down about three hundred of them.
τῶν δʼ ἄλλων ἐπιβαλομένων μὲν φεύγειν διά τινος στενοῦ τόπου καὶ τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀπεγνωκότων παραδόξως αὐτοὺς Ἀγαθοκλῆς ἐκ τῶν κινδύνων ἐρρύσατο.
And when the rest attempted to flee through a narrow place and had despaired of their safety, Agathocles unexpectedly rescued them from the dangers.
αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ λαμπρότατα πάντων ἀγωνισάμενος ἑπτὰ τραύμασι περιέπεσε καὶ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ ῥυέντος αἵματος τὸ σῶμα παρελύετο· τῶν δὲ πολεμίων ἐπικειμένων παρήγγειλε τοῖς σαλπιγκταῖς ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ μέρη τοῦ τείχους παρελθόντας σημαίνειν4 τὸ πολεμικόν.
For he himself, having fought most brilliantly of all, received seven wounds, and because of the quantity of blood that flowed, his body was becoming paralyzed; but as the enemy were pressing upon them, he ordered the trumpeters to go to both sides of the wall and sound the battle-signal.
ὧν ταχέως τὸ ῥηθὲν πραξάντων οἱ προσβοηθήσαντες ἐκ τῆς Γέλας τὸ μὲν ἀληθὲς διὰ τὸ σκότος οὐκ ἠδύναντο συνιδεῖν, ὑπολαβόντες δὲ τὴν ἄλλην δύναμιν τῶν Συρακοσίων κατʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ μέρη παρεισπεπτωκέναι τοῦ μὲν ἔτι διώκειν ἀπέστησαν, διελόμενοι δὲ τὰς τάξεις διχῇ ταχέως ἐβοήθουν, συντρέχοντες πρὸς τὸν ἦχον τῶν σαλπιγκτῶν. ἐν τοσούτῳ δὲ τυχόντες ἀνοχῆς οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα μετὰ πάσης ἀσφαλείας διεσώθησαν εἰς τὸν χάρακα. ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὖν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον καταστρατηγήσας τοὺς πολεμίους οὐ μόνον τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ παραδόξως ἔσωσεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν συμμάχων ἑπτακοσίους ἄνδρας.
And when they quickly did what was ordered, those who had come as reinforcements from Gela could not see the truth because of the darkness, but supposing that the rest of the Syracusan army had broken in on both sides, they stopped pursuing, and dividing their ranks into two, they quickly brought aid, running together toward the sound of the trumpets. And in the meantime, having obtained a respite, Agathocles and his men escaped with entire safety to their camp. Thus, having outgeneralled the enemy in this manner, he not only unexpectedly saved his own men, but also seven hundred of the allies.
- 19.4.1ἀλλοτρίως ἔχων τὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς
The verb ἔχω combined with the adverb ἀλλοτρίως denotes a state, while the prepositional phrase with the neuter plural article τὰ πρὸς αὐτούς functions as an accusative of respect. Together, it means 'being on hostile terms regarding relations with them' (i.e., Sostratus' faction).
- 19.4.1εἰς ὑποψίαν ἦλθε καινοτομεῖν
To the phrase εἰς ὑποψίαν ἦλθε ('he came into suspicion'), the infinitive καινοτομεῖν ('to innovate/rebel') functions as an explanatory or appositional infinitive, specifying the content of the suspicion.
- 19.4.3ὡς ἂν τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας κενοινωνηκότων
The manuscript reading κενοινωνηκότων is understood as a scribal error for κεκοινωνηκότων (perfect active participle genitive plural of κοινωνέω). The construction of ὡς ἄν with a participle presents a subjective reason or pretext, meaning 'on the ground that they had shared in...'
- 19.4.6παρήγγειλε τοῖς σαλπιγκταῖς ... παρελθόντας σημαίνειν
The verb of ordering παρήγγειλε normally governs the dative (τοῖς σαλπιγκταῖς), but the accompanying participle παρελθόντας is in the accusative masculine plural. This is a case of case attraction where the subject of the infinitive σημαίνειν is attracted into the accusative case.