- 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
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:20.17.1-20.17.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Agathocles subdues the regions around Carthage and marches toward the coastal cities, leaving a guard near Tunis. Through a stratagem using campfires, he deceives both the Carthaginian besiegers and the citizens of Adrumetum, achieving bloodless victories and expanding his territory.
ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις ὁ μὲν Ἀγαθοκλῆς κρατῶν τῶν ὑπαίθρων τὰ περὶ τὴν Καρχηδόνα χωρία κατὰ κράτος ᾔρει καὶ τῶν πόλεων1 ἃς μὲν διὰ φόβον, ἃς δὲ διὰ τὸ πρὸς Καρχηδονίους μίσος προσηγάγετο. παρεμβολὴν δὲ πλησίον τοῦ Τύνητος ὀχυρωσάμενος καὶ τὴν ἱκανὴν ἀπολιπὼν φυλακὴν ἀνέζευξε πρὸς τὰς ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ κειμένας πόλεις. καὶ πρώτην μὲν ἑλὼν Νέαν πόλιν κατὰ κράτος φιλανθρώπως ἐχρήσατο τοῖς χειρωθεῖσιν· εἶτα παρελθὼν ἐπʼ Ἀδρύμητα πρὸς μὲν ταύτην πολιορκίαν συνεστήσατο, Αἰλύμαν δὲ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Λιβύων εἰς συμμαχίαν προσελάβετο.
At the same time as these events, Agathocles, master of the open country, was capturing by force the regions around Carthage, and of the cities, some he won over through fear, others through hatred toward the Carthaginians. Having fortified a camp near Tunis and left a sufficient guard, he set out toward the cities situated on the sea. And having first taken Neapolis by force, he treated the conquered people humanely; then, having passed on to Adrumetum, against this he began a siege, and he won over Ailymas, the king of the Libyans, into alliance.
ἃ δὴ πυθόμενοι οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν προήγαγον ἐπὶ τὸν Τύνητα καὶ τῆς μὲν Ἀγαθοκλέους στρατοπεδείας ἐκυρίευσαν, τῇ πόλει δὲ μηχανὰς προσαγαγόντες συνεχεῖς προσβολὰς ἐποιοῦντο.
Having learned of these things, the Carthaginians led their entire force against Tunis and became masters of Agathocles’ camp, and bringing engines against the city, they made continuous assaults.
ὁ δʼ Ἀγαθοκλῆς, ἀπαγγειλάντων τινῶν αὐτῷ τὰ περὶ τοὺς ἰδίους ἐλαττώματα, τὸ μὲν πολὺ τῆς δυνάμεως κατέλιπεν ἐπὶ τῆς πολιορκίας, τὴν δὲ θεραπείαν καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ὀλίγους ἀναλαβὼν λάθρᾳ προσῆλθεν ἐπί τινα τόπον ὀρεινόν, ὅθεν ὁρᾶσθαι δυνατὸν ἦν αὐτὸν2 ὑπό τε τῶν Ἀδρυμητινῶν καὶ τῶν Καρχηδονίων τῶν τὸν Τύνητα πολιορκούντων.
But Agathocles, when some reported to him the reverses of his own men, left the greater part of his force at the siege, and taking his personal retinue and a few of the soldiers, secretly approached a certain mountainous place, from where it was possible for him to be seen both by the Adrumetines and by the Carthaginians who were besieging Tunis.
νυκτὸς δὲ συντάξας τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐπὶ πολὺν τόπον πυρὰ κάειν, δόξαν ἐνεποίησε τοῖς μὲν Καρχηδονίοις ὡς μετὰ μεγάλης δυνάμεως ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς πορευόμενος,3 τοῖς δὲ πολιορκουμένοις ὡς ἄλλης δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς τοῖς πολεμίοις εἰς συμμαχίαν παραγεγενημένης.
And by night, having ordered his soldiers to burn campfires over a wide area, he created the impression in the Carthaginians that he was marching against them with a large force, and in those being besieged that another strong force had arrived as an alliance for the enemy.
ἀμφότεροι δὲ τῷ ψεύδει τοῦ στρατηγήματος παραλογισθέντες παραλόγως ἠλαττώθησαν, οἱ μὲν τὸν Τύνητα πολιορκοῦντες φυγόντες εἰς Καρχηδόνα καὶ τὰς μηχανὰς ἀπολιπόντες, οἱ δʼ Ἀδρυμητινοὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον παραδόντες τὴν πατρίδα.
And both, having been deceived by the falsehood of the stratagem, were unexpectedly brought to grief: those besieging Tunis fled to Carthage, leaving behind their engines, while the Adrumetines surrendered their fatherland out of fear.
Ἀγαθοκλῆς δὲ ταύτην διʼ ὁμολογίας παραλαβὼν Θάψον εἷλε κατὰ κράτος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ταύτῃ πόλεων ἃς μὲν ἐξεπολιόρκησεν, ἃς δὲ προσηγάγετο· τὰς ἁπάσας δὲ πόλεις πλείους τῶν διακοσίων κεχειρωμένος εἰς τοὺς ἄνω τόπους τῆς Λιβύης διενοεῖτο στρατεύειν.
And Agathocles, having received this city by agreement, took Thapsus by force, and of the other cities in this region, some he reduced by siege, and others he won over; and having subdued in all more than two hundred cities, he intended to march into the upper regions of Libya.
- 20.17.1τῶν πόλεων
Partitive genitive. It designates the whole from which the relative pronouns in the accusative, ἃς μὲν ... ἃς δὲ ("some ... others"), are drawn, defining the scope of the objects of the verb προσηγάγετο.
- 20.17.3ὅθεν ὁρᾶσθαι δυνατὸν ἦν αὐτὸν
The impersonal expression δυνατὸν ἦν ("it was possible") governs the passive infinitive ὁρᾶσθαι ("to be seen") with αὐτόν (him, referring to Agathocles) as its subject accusative. The agents of the seeing are indicated by ὑπό with the genitive.
- 20.17.4ὡς μετὰ μεγάλης δυνάμεως ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς πορευόμενος
The conjunction ὡς combined with the nominative participle πορευόμενος ("marching") expresses a subjective appearance or pretense intended by the subject (Agathocles). Similarly, the subsequent construction of ὡς with the genitive absolute (ὡς... παραγεγενημένης) represents the subjective impression assumed by the besieged.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1