Antigonus Captures the Baggage and Eumenes Withdraws — Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica Book 19 (19.42.1–19.42.7), Greek & English

§19.42.1

συνῆψε δὲ μάχην πρῶτον μὲν τὰ θηρία, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ τὸ τῶν ἱππέων πλῆθος. τοῦ δὲ πεδίου πολλὴν εὐρυχωρίαν ἔχοντος καὶ παντὸς ὑπάρχοντος ἀργοῦ¹ διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ διήκουσαν ἁλμυρίδα τοσοῦτον συνέβη ὑπὸ τῶν ἱππέων ἐξαίρεσθαι κονιορτὸν ὥστε μηδένα δύνασθαι ῥᾳδίως συνορᾶν ἐξ ὀλίγου διαστήματος τὸ γινόμενον.

First the beasts joined battle, and after this the multitude of the cavalry also. Since the plain was very spacious and entirely uncultivated because of the salt-crust running through it, it happened that such a cloud of dust was raised by the cavalry that no one could easily see what was happening even from a short distance.

§19.42.2

ὃ δὴ κατανοήσας Ἀντίγονος ἀπέστειλε τοὺς ἐκ Μηδίας ἱππεῖς καὶ τῶν Ταραντίνων τοὺς ἱκανοὺς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀποσκευὴν τῶν πολεμίων· ἤλπιζε γάρ, ὅπερ ἦν ἀληθές, διὰ μὲν τὸν κονιορτὸν λήσεσθαι,² διὰ δὲ τὴν ἅλωσιν τῆς ἀποσκευῆς ἀκονητὶ κρατῆσαι τῶν πολεμίων.

Antigonus, perceiving this, sent the cavalry from Media and a sufficient number of the Tarentines against the baggage of the enemy; for he hoped, which indeed was true, that because of the dust they would escape notice, and that by capturing the baggage they would defeat the enemy without a struggle.

§19.42.3

οἱ δὲ πεμφθέντες περιιππεύσαντες τὸ κέρας τῶν ἐναντίων καὶ λαθόντες ἐπέθεντο τοῖς σκευοφόροις, ἀπέχουσι³ τῆς μάχης ὡς πέντε σταδίους· εὑρόντες δʼ αὐτὴν πλήρη μὲν ὄχλου πρὸς μάχην ἀχρήστου, τοὺς δʼ ἀμυνομένους ὀλίγους ταχὺ τοὺς ἀντιστάντας τρεψάμενοι τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων ἐκυρίευσαν.

Those who were sent, having ridden around the flank of the enemy and escaped notice, fell upon the baggage train, which was about five stades away from the battle. Finding it full of a crowd useless for fighting, and those defending it few, they quickly routed those who resisted and made themselves masters of all the rest.

§19.42.4

ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Ἀντίγονος μὲν συνάψας μάχην τοῖς ἀντιτεταγμένοις καὶ μετὰ πλήθους ἱππέων ἐπιφανεὶς κατεπλήξατο Πευκέστην τὸν τῆς Περσίδος σατράπην, ὃς μετὰ τῶν περὶ ἑαυτὸν ἱππέων ἔξω τοῦ κονιορτοῦ διδοὺς ἑαυτὸν⁴ συνεπεσπάσατο καὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰς χιλίους πεντακοσίους.

While these things were being done, Antigonus joined battle with those opposed to him and, appearing with a great number of cavalry, struck terror into Peucestas, the satrap of Persis, who withdrew himself outside the dust with the cavalry around him, and dragged along with him about fifteen hundred of the others.

§19.42.5

Εὐμενὴς δὲ μετʼ ὀλίγων ἀπολειφθεὶς ἐπʼ ἄκρου τοῦ κέρατος τὸ μὲν εἶξαι τῇ τύχῃ καὶ φυγεῖν αἰσχρὸν διέλαβεν, τὸ δὲ τηροῦντα τὴν δεδομένην ὑπὸ τῶν βασιλέων πίστιν γενναίᾳ προαιρέσει συναποθανεῖν προκρίνας⁵ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἐώσατο τὸν Ἀντίγονον.

Eumenes, having been left with a few men on the extremity of the wing, considered it disgraceful to yield to fortune and flee, but choosing rather to die together with a noble purpose, keeping the pledge given by the kings, he charged against Antigonus himself.

§19.42.6

γενομένης δʼ ἱππομαχίας καρτερᾶς καὶ τῶν μὲν μετʼ Εὐμενοῦς ταῖς προθυμίαις προεχόντων, τῶν δὲ μετʼ Ἀντιγόνου τῷ πλήθει περιγινομένων πολλοὶ παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἔπιπτον· ὅτε δὴ συνέβη καὶ τῶν ἐλεφάντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀγωνιζομένων πεσεῖν τῶν Εὐμενοῦς τὸν προηγούμενον, συμπλακέντα τῷ κρατίστῳ τῶν ἀντιτεταγμένων.

A fierce cavalry combat ensued, and while those with Eumenes excelled in eagerness, those with Antigonus prevailed in numbers, so that many fell on both sides; and it was then that, while the elephants also fought against one another, the leading elephant of Eumenes fell, having locked together with the strongest of those opposed.

§19.42.7

διόπερ Εὐμενὴς ὁρῶν τοὺς μετʼ αὐτοῦ πανταχόθεν ἐλαττουμένους ἐξῆγεν ἐκ τῆς μάχης τοὺς ὑπολελειμμένους ἱππεῖς καὶ παρελθὼν ἐπὶ θάτερον κέρας ἀνελάμβανε τοὺς μετὰ Φιλίππου τεταγμένους, οἷς ἦν παρηγγελκὼς φυγομαχεῖν. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἱππέων μάχη τοιοῦτον ἔσχε τὸ τέλος.

Therefore Eumenes, seeing his men worsted on all sides, led the remaining cavalry out of the battle and, passing over to the other wing, took up those stationed with Philip, whom he had ordered to avoid battle. Such, then, was the end of the battle of the cavalry.

Syntax notes5 items

19.42.1τοῦ δὲ πεδίου πολλὴν εὐρυχωρίαν ἔχοντος καὶ παντὸς ὑπάρχοντος ἀργοῦ
A genitive absolute construction led by the two present participles ἔχοντος and ὑπάρχοντος, expressing the cause ('since the plain was very spacious... and entirely uncultivated') for the main verb συνέβη.
19.42.2λήσεσθαι
The future deponent infinitive of λανθάνω ('to escape notice'), serving as the object of the main verb ἤλπιζε. Its semantic subject, the Median and Tarentine cavalry (αὐτούς), is omitted.
19.42.3ἀπέχουσι
The dative plural masculine/neuter form of the present participle ἀπέχων ('being distant'), agreeing with and modifying the preceding τοῖς σκευοφόροις. It describes the distance of the baggage train from the battle (about five stades).
19.42.4ἔξω τοῦ κονιορτοῦ διδοὺς ἑαυτὸν
The participle phrase διδοὺς ἑαυτόν (literally 'giving/directing himself') is an idiomatic expression meaning 'retreating' or 'betaking oneself', which, with the prepositional phrase ἔξω τοῦ κονιορτοῦ ('outside the dust'), describes how Peucestas escaped the confusion.
19.42.5τὸ μὲν εἶξαι... τὸ δὲ... συναποθανεῖν προκρίνας
A contrastive structure governed by the participle προκρίνας ('preferring'). The articular infinitives τὸ μὲν εἶξαι... ('to yield') and τὸ δὲ... συναποθανεῖν ('to die together') are contrasted, expressing Eumenes' decision to reject the former and choose the latter. The participle τηροῦντα is in the accusative because it modifies the omitted subject of the second infinitive.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.42.1-19.42.7