- 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-grc6:20.14.1-20.14.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Carthaginians, attributing their defeat to divine wrath, send lavish offerings to their mother city Tyre and perform human sacrifices to Cronus. The bronze statue of Cronus used for the sacrifices is described, along with its connection to Greek myths.
διόπερ οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι, νομίσαντες ἐκ θεῶν αὐτοῖς γεγονέναι τὴν συμφοράν, ἐτράπησαν πρὸς παντοίαν ἱκεσίαν τοῦ δαιμονίου καὶ νομίσαντες μάλιστα μηνίειν αὐτοῖς τὸν Ἡρακλέα τὸν παρὰ τοῖς ἀποίκοις,1 χρημάτων πλῆθος καὶ τῶν πολυτελεστάτων ἀναθημάτων ἔπεμψαν εἰς τὴν Τύρον οὐκ ὀλίγα.
Therefore the Carthaginians, believing that the disaster had come upon them from the gods, turned to every kind of supplication of the deity, and, believing that especially Heracles, who was worshipped among the colonists, was angry with them, they sent to Tyre a great sum of money and not a few of the most costly offerings.
ἀποικισθέντες γὰρ ἐκ ταύτης εἰώθεισαν ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις δεκάτην ἀποστέλλειν τῷ θεῷ πάντων τῶν εἰς πρόσοδον πιπτόντων· ὕστερον δὲ μεγάλους κτησάμενοι πλούτους καὶ προσόδους ἀξιολογωτέρας λαμβάνοντες μικρὰ παντελῶς ἀπέστελλον, ὀλιγωροῦντες τοῦ δαιμονίου. διὰ δὲ τὴν συμφορὰν ταύτην εἰς μεταμέλειαν ἐλθόντες πάντων τῶν ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ θεῶν ἐμνημόνευον.
For having been colonized from this city, they had been accustomed in former times to send to the god a tithe of all that fell into their revenues; but later, having acquired great wealth and receiving more considerable revenues, they sent altogether small amounts, neglecting the deity. But because of this disaster, having come to repentance, they remembered all the gods in Tyre.
ἔπεμψαν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν χρυσοῦς ναοὺς αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἀφιδρύμασι πρὸς τὴν ἱκεσίαν, ἡγούμενοι μᾶλλον ἐξιλάσεσθαι τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ μῆνιν τῶν ἀναθημάτων πεμφθέντων2 ἐπὶ τὴν παραίτησιν.
And they also sent, for the supplication, the golden shrines from the temples together with the images themselves, thinking that they would more effectively appease the anger of the god by these offerings sent for the deprecation.
ᾐτιῶντο δὲ καὶ τὸν Κρόνον αὑτοῖς ἐναντιοῦσθαι, καθʼ ὅσον ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις θύοντες τούτῳ τῷ θεῷ τῶν υἱῶν τοὺς κρατίστους ὕστερον ὠνούμενοι λάθρᾳ παῖδας καὶ θρέψαντες ἔπεμπον ἐπὶ τὴν θυσίαν· καὶ ζητήσεως γενομένης εὑρέθησάν τινες τῶν καθιερουργημένων ὑποβολιμαῖοι γεγονότες.
They also laid the blame on Cronus as being opposed to them, inasmuch as, while in former times they used to sacrifice to this god the noblest of their sons, later, buying children secretly and rearing them, they sent them to the sacrifice; and when an inquiry was made, some of those who had been sacrificed were found to have been supposititious.
τούτων δὲ λαβόντες ἔννοιαν καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους πρὸς τοῖς τείχεσιν ὁρῶντες στρατοπεδεύοντας ἐδεισιδαιμόνουν ὡς καταλελυκότες τὰς πατρίους τῶν θεῶν τιμάς. διορθώσασθαι δὲ τὰς ἀγνοίας σπεύδοντες διακοσίους μὲν τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων παίδων προκρίναντες ἔθυσαν δημοσίᾳ· ἄλλοι δʼ ἐν διαβολαῖς ὄντες3 ἑκουσίως ἑαυτοὺς ἔδοσαν, οὐκ ἐλάττους ὄντες τριακοσίων.
And taking thought of these things and seeing the enemy encamped right by the walls, they were filled with superstitious dread, as having destroyed the ancestral honors of the gods. And hastening to correct their errors, they chose out two hundred of the most illustrious children and sacrificed them publicly; and others who were under accusation voluntarily gave themselves up, being not fewer than three hundred.
ἦν δὲ παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἀνδριὰς Κρόνου χαλκοῦς, ἐκτετακὼς τὰς χεῖρας ὑπτίας ἐγκεκλιμένας ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, ὥστε τὸν ἐπιτεθέντα τῶν παίδων ἀποκυλίεσθαι4 καὶ πίπτειν εἴς τι χάσμα πλῆρες πυρός. εἰκὸς δὲ καὶ τὸν Εὐριπίδην ἐντεῦθεν εἰληφέναι τὰ μυθολογούμενα παρʼ αὐτῷ περὶ τὴν ἐν Ταύροις θυσίαν, ἐν οἷς εἰσάγει τὴν Ἰφιγένειαν ὑπὸ Ὀρέστου διερωτωμένην "τάφος δὲ ποῖος δέξεταί μʼ, ὅταν θάνω; πῦρ ἱερὸν ἔνδον χάσμα τʼ εὐρωπὸν χθονός." καὶ ὁ παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι δὲ μῦθος ἐκ παλαιᾶς φήμης παραδεδομένος ὅτι Κρόνος ἠφάνιζε τοὺς ἰδίους παῖδας, παρὰ Καρχηδονίοις φαίνεται διὰ τούτου τοῦ νομίμου τετηρημένος.
There was among them a bronze statue of Cronus, having its hands stretched out, palms upward, and sloping toward the ground, so that the child placed upon them would roll off and fall into a certain chasm full of fire. And it is probable that Euripides also took from this source the myths related by him concerning the sacrifice in Tauris, in which he introduces Iphigenia being questioned by Orestes: “And what manner of tomb will receive me when I die? - A holy fire within, and a broad chasm of the earth.” And the myth among the Greeks handed down from ancient tradition, namely that Cronus made away with his own children, appears to have been preserved among the Carthaginians through this custom.
- 20.14.1τὸν Ἡρακλέα τὸν παρὰ τοῖς ἀποίκοις
ἀποίκοις refers to "colonists," namely the Carthaginians themselves who colonized from Tyre. Thus, it means "the Heracles worshipped among the colonists."
- 20.14.3τῶν ἀναθημάτων πεμφθέντων
Although it is commonly interpreted as a genitive absolute (cause/means) meaning "by the offerings being sent," it can also be construed as a genitive of comparison after the comparative adverb μᾶλλον, meaning "more than the [other ordinary] offerings that were sent." Here, the former interpretation is adopted.
- 20.14.5ἐν διαβολαῖς ὄντες
This refers to the state of being under suspicion or accusation, specifically regarding involvement in sacrificing substitute children or neglecting the gods as mentioned previously.
- 20.14.6ὥστε τὸν ἐπιτεθέντα τῶν παίδων ἀποκυλίεσθαι
The construction ὥστε with an accusative subject and infinitive, expressing result: "so that the child placed upon them would roll off."