- 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-grc6:19.72.1-19.72.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
Agathocles consolidates his power in Sicily and prepares for the impending war with the Carthaginians, while in Italy, the fierce conflict between Rome and the Samnites continues, resulting in the heroic death of the Roman commander Aulius during a defeat and the Roman establishment of a colony at Luceria as a permanent base.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἀγαθοκλῆς ὁρῶν ἔρημον οὖσαν τὴν Σικελίαν στρατοπέδων πολεμίων ἀδεῶς προσήγετο τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὰ χωρία. ταχὺ δὲ πολλῶν ἐγκρατὴς γενόμενος ἰσχυρὰν κατεσκευάσατο τὴν δυναστείαν· καὶ γὰρ συμμάχων πλῆθος καὶ προσόδους ἁδρὰς καὶ στρατόπεδον ἀξιόλογον περιεποιήσατο.
After this, Agathocles, seeing that Sicily was empty of enemy armies, without fear brought the cities and strongholds over to his side. Quickly getting many under his control, he established a strong hegemony; for indeed, he acquired a great number of allies, abundant revenues, and a noteworthy army.
χωρὶς γὰρ τῶν συμμάχων καὶ τῶν ἐκ Συρακουσσῶν καταγραφέντων εἰς τὴν στρατείαν μισθοφόρους ἐπιλέκτους εἶχε πεζοὺς μὲν μυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τρισχιλίους πεντήκοντα. ἐποιήσατο δὲ καὶ παρασκευὴν ὅπλων καὶ βελῶν παντοδαπῶν, εἰδὼς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἐπιτετιμηκότας τῷ Ἀμίλκᾳ περὶ τῶν συνθηκῶν, συντόμως δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὸν πόλεμον ἐξοίσοντας.1 καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ Σικελίαν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς χρόνοις τοιαύτην ἔσχε τὴν κατάστασιν.
For apart from the allies and those enrolled for the campaign from Syracuse, he had select mercenaries consisting of ten thousand infantry and three thousand and fifty cavalry. He also made preparation of weapons and missiles of all kinds, knowing that the Carthaginians had censured Hamilcar concerning the treaty and would shortly bring war against him. And such was the state of affairs in Sicily at this time.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Σαμνῖται διαπολεμοῦντες Ῥωμαίοις ἔτη πλείονα περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Πληστικὴν μὲν φρουρὰν ἔχουσαν Ῥωμαϊκὴν ἐξεπολιόρκησαν, Σωρανοὺς δʼ ἔπεισαν κατασφάξαι μὲν τοὺς παρʼ αὐτοῖς Ῥωμαίους, συμμαχίαν δὲ πρὸς Σαμνίτας συνθέσθαι.
Meanwhile in Italy, the Samnites, who had been warring against the Romans for several years over the hegemony, besieged and took Plestica, which had a Roman garrison, and persuaded the Sorans to slaughter the Romans who were among them and to conclude an alliance with the Samnites.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ῥωμαίων Σατικόλαν πολιορκούντων ἐπεφάνησαν μετὰ δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς, σπεύδοντες λῦσαι τὴν πολιορκίαν· γενομένης οὖν μάχης ἰσχυρᾶς πολλοὶ μὲν παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἀνῃρέθησαν, τέλος δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ προτερήματος ἐγένοντο Ῥωμαῖοι. μετὰ δὲ τὴν μάχην ἐκπολιορκήσαντες τὴν πόλιν ἐπῄεσαν ἀδεῶς τὰ πλησίον πολίσματα καὶ χωρία προσαγόμενοι.
After this, while the Romans were besieging Saticula, they appeared with a large force, eager to raise the siege; and a fierce battle having taken place, many were slain on both sides, but finally the Romans got the upper hand. After the battle, having taken the city by siege, they advanced without fear, bringing the neighboring towns and strongholds over to their side.
τοῦ δὲ πολέμου περὶ τὰς ἐν Ἀπουλίᾳ πόλεις συνεστῶτος οἱ μὲν Σαμνῖται πάντας τοὺς ἐν ἡλικίᾳ στρατείας ὄντας καταγράψαντες ἐστρατοπέδευσαν πλησίον τῶν πολεμίων, ὡς περὶ τῶν ὅλων κριθησόμενοι.2
While the war was raging around the cities in Apulia, the Samnites, having enrolled all those of military age, encamped near the enemy, as if to decide the whole issue.
ἃ δὴ πυθόμενος ὁ δῆμος τῶν Ῥωμαίων καὶ διαγωνιάσας περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος δύναμιν προέπεμψε πολλήν. εἰωθότες δʼ ἐν τοῖς ἐπικινδύνοις καιροῖς αὐτοκράτορα τοῦ πολέμου καθιστᾶν τινὰ τῶν ἀξιολόγων ἀνδρῶν προεχειρίσαντο τότε Κόιντον Φάβιον καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ Κόιντον Αὔλιον ἵππαρχον.
On learning this, the Roman people, being in great anxiety about the future, sent forward a large force. Being accustomed in times of danger to appoint one of the notable men as dictator of the war, they chose at that time Quintus Fabius, and with him Quintus Aulius as master of the horse.
οὗτοι δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις παραλαβόντες παρετάξαντο πρὸς τοὺς Σαμνίτας περὶ τὰς καλουμένας Λαυστόλας καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπέβαλον. τροπῆς δὲ γενομένης καθʼ ἅπαν τὸ στρατόπεδον ὁ μὲν Αὔλιος καταισχυνθεὶς ἐπὶ τῇ φυγῇ μόνος ὑπέστη τῷ πλήθει τῶν πολεμίων, οὐ κρατήσειν ἐλπίζων, ἀλλʼ ἀήττητον τὴν πατρίδα τὸ καθʼ αὑτὸν μέρος3 ἀποδεικνύων.
These men, having taken over the forces, drew up in battle array against the Samnites near the place called Lautulae, and lost many of their soldiers. When a rout occurred throughout the whole army, Aulius, ashamed of the flight, alone withstood the multitude of the enemy, not hoping to prevail, but showing his country to be undefeated so far as lay in his power.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν οὐ μετασχὼν τοῖς πολίταις τῆς κατὰ τὴν φυγὴν αἰσχύνης ἰδίᾳ περιεποιήσατο θάνατον ἔνδοξον· οἱ δὲ Ῥωμαῖοι φοβηθέντες μὴ τὰ κατὰ τὴν Απουλίαν πράγματα τελέως ἀποβάλωσιν, ἀποικίαν ἐξέπεμψαν εἰς Λουκερίαν πόλιν ἐπιφανεστάτην τῶν ἐν τοῖς τόποις. ἐκ ταύτης δὲ ὁρμώμενοι διεπολέμουν τοῖς Σαμνίταις, οὐ κακῶς τῆς ἀσφαλείας προνοησάμενοι·
Thus, not sharing with his fellow citizens the shame of flight, he won for himself an honorable death; but the Romans, fearing lest they should completely lose their position in Apulia, sent a colony to Luceria, the most famous of the cities in those regions. Starting from this as a base, they continued the war against the Samnites, having made no poor provision for their safety;
διὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν πόλιν οὐ μόνον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ πολέμῳ προετέρησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τοὺς μετὰ ταῦτα γενομένους ἕως τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς χρόνων διετέλεσαν ὁρμητηρίῳ χρώμενοι κατὰ τῶν πλησίον ἐθνῶν.
for because of this city, they not only got the upper hand in this war, but also during those which occurred after this, down to our own times, they continued to use it as a base of operations against the neighboring nations.
- 19.72.2εἰδὼς τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἐπιτετιμηκότας … ἐξοίσοντας
An indirect discourse introduced by the perfect participle εἰδώς (from οἶδα, 'to know'). The accusative subject τοὺς Καρχηδονίους is accompanied by the coordinates ἐπιτετιμηκότας (perfect active participle) and ἐξοίσοντας (future active participle representing future intention or expectation), both functioning as supplementary participles.
- 19.72.5ὡς περὶ τῶν ὅλων κριθησόμενοι
The particle ὡς combined with the future passive participle κριθησόμενοι expresses the subjective intention or attitude of the main subject (the Samnites). The phrase περὶ τῶν ὅλων is an idiomatic expression meaning 'concerning the whole matter' or 'for a decisive stake' (i.e., a war determining their entire fate).
- 19.72.7τὸ καθʼ αὑτὸν μέρος
Accusative of specification (adverbial accusative). Meaning 'as far as lay in his own power' or 'with respect to his own part,' it qualifies the participle ἀποδεικνύων, showing that while the rest of the army fled, he individually maintained undefeated courage.