- 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-grc6:19.91.1-19.91.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Seleucus advanced through Mesopotamia, recruiting troops, and entered Babylonia where he was welcomed by the inhabitants and joined by the officer Polyarchus. After capturing the citadel held by the partisans of Antigonus and recovering his detained friends, he organized his forces and regained control of Babylonia.
ἐπεὶ δὲ προάγων κατήντησεν εἰς Μεσοποταμίαν, τῶν ἐν Κάραις κατῳκισμένων Μακεδόνων1 οὓς μὲν ἔπεισεν, οὓς δʼ ἐβιάσατο συστρατεύειν αὐτῷ. ὡς δʼ εἰς τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν ἐνέβαλεν, οἱ πλείους τῶν ἐγχωρίων ἀπήντων καὶ προστιθέμενοι πᾶν ἔφασαν αὐτῷ τὸ δοκοῦν συμπράξειν·2
When he in his advance arrived in Mesopotamia, of the Macedonians who had settled in Carrhae, some he persuaded and others he compelled to campaign with him. And when he invaded Babylonia, most of the inhabitants met him and, joining his side, declared that they would cooperate with him in everything that seemed good to him.
τετραετῆ γὰρ χρόνον γεγονὼς σατράπης τῆς χώρας ταύτης πᾶσι προσενήνεκτο καλῶς, ἐκκαλούμενος τὴν εὔνοιαν τοῦ πλήθους καὶ πόρρωθεν προπαρασκευαζόμενος τοὺς συμπράξοντας,3 ἐὰν αὐτῷ δοθῇ καιρὸς ἀμφισβητεῖν ἡγεμονίας.
For, having been satrap of this region for a period of four years, he had behaved kindly toward all, eliciting the goodwill of the multitude and preparing far in advance those who would cooperate with him, if an opportunity should be given to him to dispute the hegemony.
προσεχώρησε δʼ αὐτῷ καὶ Πολύαρχος, τεταγμένος ἐπί τινος διοικήσεως, μετὰ στρατιωτῶν πλειόνων ἢ χιλίων. οἱ δὲ διαφυλάττοντες τὴν πρὸς Ἀντίγονον φιλίαν, ὁρῶντες ἀκατάσχετον οὖσαν τὴν τοῦ πλήθους ὁρμήν, συνέφευγον εἰς τὴν ἄκραν, ἧς φύλαξ ἀπεδέδεικτο Δίφιλος.
Polyarchus also, who had been stationed in charge of a certain administration, came over to him with more than a thousand soldiers. But those who maintained their friendship toward Antigonus, seeing that the enthusiasm of the multitude was irresistible, fled together into the citadel, of which Diphilus had been appointed commander.
ὁ δὲ Σέλευκος συστησάμενος πολιορκίαν καὶ κατὰ κράτος ἑλὼν τὴν ἄκραν ἐκομίσατο τὰ φυλαττόμενα σώματα τῶν φίλων καὶ τῶν παίδων, ὅσοι παρεδόθησαν εἰς φυλακὴν παρʼ Ἀντιγόνου μετὰ τὴν ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἀποχώρησιν.
And Seleucus, having organized a siege and taken the citadel by storm, recovered the detained persons of his friends and servants, as many as had been delivered into custody by Antigonus after his retreat from Babylon into Egypt.
ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων γενόμενος4 στρατιώτας συνήγαγεν καὶ συναγοράσας ἵππους ἀνεδίδου τοῖς δυναμένοις χρᾶσθαι. πᾶσι δὲ φιλανθρώπως ὁμιλῶν καὶ καθιστὰς εἰς ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας ἑτοίμους εἶχε καὶ προθύμους5 ἐν πάσῃ περιστάσει τοὺς συγκινδυνεύοντας. Σέλευκος μὲν οὖν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀνεκτήσατο τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν.
Having finished these matters, he gathered soldiers and, purchasing horses, distributed them to those who were able to use them. By speaking affably to all and inspiring them with good hopes, he kept those who shared his dangers ready and eager in every circumstance. In this manner, then, Seleucus recovered Babylonia.
- 19.91.1τῶν ἐν Κάραις κατῳκισμένων Μακεδόνων
The preceding genitive phrase τῶν ἐν Κάραις κατῳκισμένων Μακεδόνων is a partitive genitive, representing the whole group from which the accusatives οὓς μὲν... οὓς δʼ ("some... others...") are drawn. These relative pronouns act as demonstratives and serve as the direct objects of the verbs ἔπεισεν and ἐβιάσατο.
- 19.91.1πᾶν ἔφασαν αὐτῷ τὸ δοκοῦν συμπράξειν
The future infinitive συμπράξειν depends on ἔφασαν ("they said"). πᾶν τὸ δοκοῦν ("everything that seemed good [to him]") is the object of this infinitive, and αὐτῷ can be interpreted either as the dative with δοκοῦν ("seeming good to him") or with συμπράξειν ("to cooperate with him"), forming the overall meaning of cooperating in whatever he wished.
- 19.91.2προπαρασκευαζόμενος τοὺς συμπράξοντας
The future participle τοὺς συμπράξοντας ("those who would cooperate") combined with the verb προπαρασκευαζόμενος, which carries the prefix προ- ("beforehand"), indicates preparation in advance for a future contingency. The following ἐὰν clause introduces the condition ("if an opportunity should be given") under which this preparation is expected to be realized.
- 19.91.5ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων γενόμενος
The idiomatic expression ἀπό τινος γίνομαι means "to have done with something" or "to get away from something." Here, it refers to finishing the handling of the preceding matters, namely the siege of the citadel and the recovery of the hostages.
- 19.91.5ἑτοίμους εἶχε καὶ προθύμους
The adjectives ἑτοίμους and προθύμους serve as predicative adjectives to the object τοὺς συγκινδυνεύοντας ("those who shared his dangers"), used with the verb εἶχε to form a structure of maintaining or keeping them in a certain state ("he kept them ready and eager").