- 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-grc6:19.80.1-19.80.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Demetrius makes a forced march to Cilicia to counter Ptolemy but arrives too late, losing most of his horses. Prompted by Seleucus, Ptolemy decides to campaign in Coele Syria, leading both armies to confront each other near Old Gaza.
Δημήτριος δὲ ὁ Ἀντιγόνου διέτριβεν ἀεὶ περὶ Κοίλην Συρίαν, ἐφεδρεύων1 ταῖς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων δυνάμεσιν. ὡς δʼ ἤκουσε τὰς τῶν πόλεων ἁλώσεις Πίθωνα μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν τόπων κατέλιπε στρατηγόν, δοὺς αὐτῷ τοὺς ἐλέφαντας καὶ τὰ βαρέα τῶν ταγμάτων, αὐτὸς δʼ ἀναλαβὼν τούς τε ἱππεῖς καὶ τὰ ψιλικὰ τάγματα προῆγεν ἐπὶ Κιλικίας συντόμως, βοηθήσων τοῖς κινδυνεύουσιν.
Demetrius, the son of Antigonus, was constantly lingering about Coele Syria, keeping watch on the forces of the Egyptians. But when he heard of the capture of the cities, he left Pithon there as general, giving him the elephants and the heavy-armed troops, while he himself, taking the cavalry and the light-armed units, advanced rapidly toward Cilicia to bring aid to those in danger.
ὑστερήσας δὲ τῶν καιρῶν καὶ καταλαβὼν ἀποπεπλευκότας τοὺς πολεμίους ἐπανῆλθε συντόμως ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον, ἀποβεβληκὼς τῶν ἵππων τοὺς πλείους κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν· διέτεινε2 γὰρ ἓξ ἡμέραις ἀπὸ Μάλου σταθμοὺς εἴκοσι καὶ τέσσαρας, ὥστε διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς κακοπαθίας μήτε σκευοφόρον ἀκολουθῆσαι μηδένα μήτε τοὺς ἱπποκόμους.
However, having missed the opportunity and finding that the enemy had already sailed away, he returned quickly to his camp, having lost most of his horses during the march; for in six days he covered twenty-four stages from Mallus, so that because of the excessive hardship, not one of the baggage-carriers or the grooms could keep up with him.
ὁ δὲ Πτολεμαῖος, κατὰ νοῦν αὐτῷ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπηντηκότων, τότε μὲν ἀπῆρεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, μετʼ ὀλίγον δὲ χρόνον παροξυνόμενος ὑπὸ Σελεύκου διὰ τὴν πρὸς Ἀντίγονον ἀλλοτριότητα διέγνω στρατεύειν ἐπὶ Κοίλην Συρίαν καὶ παρατάττεσθαι τοῖς περὶ τὸν Δημήτριον.
Ptolemy, since his affairs had turned out according to his mind, withdrew for the time being to Egypt; but after a short time, being urged by Seleucus because of his hostility toward Antigonus, he decided to campaign against Coele Syria and to draw up his forces against Demetrius and his men.
συναγαγὼν οὖν πανταχόθεν τὰς δυνάμεις ἀνέζευξεν ἀπὸ Ἀλεξανδρείας εἰς Πηλούσιον, ἔχων πεζοὺς μὲν μυρίους ὀκτακισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τετρακισχιλίους, ὧν ἦσαν οἱ μὲν Μακεδόνες, οἱ δὲ μισθοφόροι, Αἰγυπτίων δὲ πλῆθος, τὸ μὲν κομίζον3 βέλη καὶ τὴν ἄλλην παρασκευήν, τὸ δὲ καθωπλισμένον καὶ πρὸς μάχην χρήσιμον.
Accordingly, having gathered his forces from all sides, he set out from Alexandria for Pelusium, having eighteen thousand infantry and four thousand cavalry, of whom some were Macedonians, others mercenaries, and a multitude of Egyptians, of whom some carried missiles and the other equipment, while others were fully armed and useful for battle.
ἀπὸ δὲ Πηλουσίου διὰ τῆς ἐρήμου διελθὼν κατεστρατοπέδευσε πλησίον τῶν πολεμίων περὶ τὴν παλαιὰν Γάζαν τῆς Συρίας. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Δημήτριος μεταπεμψάμενος πανταχόθεν τοὺς ἐκ τῆς χειμασίας στρατιώτας εἰς τὴν παλαιὰν Γάζαν ὑπέμεινε τὴν τῶν ἐναντίων ἔφοδον.
Passing from Pelusium through the desert, he encamped near the enemy about Old Gaza in Syria. Likewise, Demetrius also, having summoned his soldiers from their winter quarters from all sides to Old Gaza, awaited the attack of his opponents.
- 19.80.1ἐφεδρεύων
The participle ἐφεδρεύων (present active, masculine singular nominative) takes the dative (ταῖς ... δυνάμεσιν) and means 'lying in wait for' or 'watching for an opportunity against', functioning as a circumstantial participle that explains Demetrius' purpose in staying in Coele Syria.
- 19.80.2διέτεινε
The verb διατείνω is used here intransitively (or with the journey implied as object) in the sense of 'covering a distance rapidly' or 'making a forced march'. ἓξ ἡμέραις is a dative of time (within six days), and σταθμοὺς εἴκοσι καὶ τέσσαρας is an accusative of extent (twenty-four stages).
- 19.80.4τὸ μὲν κομίζον
The neuter singular participles τὸ μὲν κομίζον and τὸ δὲ καθωπλισμένον agree in gender and number with the collective neuter singular noun πλῆθος ('multitude'), functioning as a partitive apposition.