- 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-grc6:19.41.1-19.41.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-10
Just before the battle, Antigenes shakes the enemy Macedonian troops by reminding them that they are facing their own fathers who conquered the world, while Eumenes orders the charge upon seeing his men's high spirits.
μικρὸν δὲ πρὸ τῆς παρατάξεως Ἀντιγένης ὁ τῶν ἀργυρασπίδων στρατηγὸς ἔπεμψεν ἕνα τῶν Μακεδόνων ἱππέων ἐπὶ τὴν φάλαγγα τῶν ἐναντίων, προστάξας πλησίον παραγενόμενον ἀναβοῆσαι. οὗτος δὲ προσιππεύσας μόνος εἰς φωνῆς ἀκοὴν, καθʼ ὃ μέρος ἡ φάλαγξ ἦν τῶν παρʼ Ἀντιγόνου Μακεδόνων, ἀνεβόησεν «Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας,1 ὦ κακαὶ κεφαλαί, τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου τὰ ὅλα κατειργασμένους;» οὓς μετʼ ὀλίγον ὄψονται καὶ τῶν βασιλέων καὶ τῶν προγεγονότων ἀγώνων ἀξίους.2
Shortly before the deployment, Antigenes, the general of the Silver Shields, sent one of the Macedonian cavalrymen to the phalanx of the enemy, ordering him to go near and cry out. Having ridden up alone to within hearing distance, at the place where the phalanx of the Macedonians under Antigonus was stationed, he cried out: “Is it against your fathers, you scoundrels, that you march? Against those who with Philip and Alexander accomplished the conquest of the whole world?” whom they would shortly see worthy both of their kings and of their past struggles.
καὶ γὰρ ἐτύγχανον κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν τῶν ἀργυρασπίδων οἱ νεώτατοι μὲν περὶ τὰ ἑξήκοντα ἔτη, τῶν δʼ ἄλλων οἱ πλείους μὲν περὶ τὰ ἑβδομήκοντα, τινὲς δὲ καὶ πρεσβύτεροι, πάντες δὲ ταῖς ἐμπειρίαις καὶ ταῖς ῥώμαις ἀνυπόστατοι· τοσαύτη περὶ αὐτοὺς ἦν εὐχειρία καὶ τόλμα διὰ τὴν συνέχειαν τῶν κινδύνων.
For it happened that at this time the youngest of the Silver Shields were about sixty years old, and most of the others about seventy, while some were even older; yet all of them, in experience and strength, were irresistible, such was the skill and daring they possessed because of the continuity of their dangers.
γενομένου δὲ τοῦ κηρύγματος καθότι προείρηται, παρὰ μὲν τοῖς περὶ Ἀντίγονον ἐγίνοντο φωναὶ δυσχερεῖς, ὅτι συναναγκάζοιντο πρὸς συγγενεῖς καὶ πρεσβυτέρους διαμάχεσθαι, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς μετʼ Εὐμενοῦς παρατασσομένοις παρακελευσμὸς καὶ βοὴ τὴν ταχίστην ἄγειν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους. ὧν3 Εὐμενὴς ὁρῶν τὴν προθυμίαν ἦρεν τὸ σύσσημον, διʼ ὧν παρεστήσατο τοὺς μὲν σαλπιγκτὰς τὸ πολεμικὸν σημαίνειν, τὴν δὲ δύναμιν ἀλαλάξαι πᾶσαν.
When the proclamation had been made as has been said, on the side of Antigonus’s men there arose murmurs of discontent because they were being forced to fight against relatives and elders; but on the side of those drawn up with Eumenes, there was encouragement and a shout to lead them against the enemy as quickly as possible. Eumenes, seeing their eagerness, raised the signal, by which he directed the trumpeters to sound the charge and the entire force to raise the battle cry.
- 19.41.1Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας
The prepositional phrase "Ἐπὶ τοὺς πατέρας" (against your fathers) forms an elliptical sentence with the verb omitted. It is interpreted as a rhetorical question meaning "Are you marching/advancing against your fathers?"
- 19.41.1οὓς μετʼ ὀλίγον ὄψονται ... ἀξίους
The antecedent of the relative pronoun οὓς is the preceding τοὺς πατέρας, and the subject of the third-person plural future verb ὄψονται ('they will see') is the soldiers on Antigonus's side. ἀξίους functions as an accusative complement, constructing the clause: 'whom [the soldiers] will shortly see [to be] worthy of...'.
- 19.41.3ὧν
The relative genitive ὧν at the beginning of the sentence refers back to 'those drawn up with Eumenes' (τοῖς μετʼ Εὐμενοῦς παρατασσομένοις) in the preceding clause, and modifies προθυμίαν in a relative connection.