- 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-grc6:20.4.1-20.4.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
In preparation for the Libyan expedition, Agathocles separated Syracuse family members to hold them as hostages and raised funds by seizing the property of orphans and temple offerings. He then lured his wealthy opponents into leaving the city, massacred them to confiscate their wealth, and enlisted freed slaves into his army.
τὴν γὰρ ἐπίνοιαν ταύτην οὐδενὶ τῶν φίλων δηλώσας τῆς μὲν πόλεως ἐπιμελητὴν Ἄντανδρον τὸν ἀδελφὸν κατέστησε μετὰ τῆς ἱκανῆς φυλακῆς, αὐτὸς δὲ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἐπιλέγων τοὺς εὐθέτους κατέγραφε, τοῖς μὲν πεζοῖς παραγγέλλων ἑτοίμους εἶναι μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων, τοῖς δʼ ἱππεῦσι διακελευόμενος ἔχειν μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν χωρὶς τῆς πανοπλίας ὑπηρέσιον καὶ χαλινόν, ὅπως, ὅταν ἵππων κυριεύσῃ, τοὺς ἀναβησομένους ἑτοίμους ἔχειν,1 τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐξηρτυμένους·
For, without disclosing this plan to any of his friends, he appointed his brother Antander as guardian of the city along with a sufficient garrison, while he himself selected the fit men from the soldiers and enrolled them, ordering the infantry to be ready with their arms, and commanding the cavalry to have with them, besides their full armor, a saddle-pad and a bridle, so that, when he should obtain horses, he might have those who were to mount them ready, equipped for what was needed.
κατὰ γὰρ τὴν προγεγενημένην ἧτταν τῶν μὲν πεζῶν ἀπωλώλεισαν οἱ πλείους, οἱ δʼ ἱππεῖς ὑπῆρχον διασεσωσμένοι σχεδὸν ἅπαντες, ὧν τοὺς ἵππους οὐκ ἠδύνατο διακομίζειν εἰς τὴν Λιβύην.
For in the previous defeat the majority of the infantry had perished, but the cavalry had survived almost to a man, whose horses he was unable to transport to Libya.
ἵνα δὲ χωρισθέντος αὐτοῦ μὴ νεωτερίζωσιν οἱ Συρακόσιοι, διεζεύγνυε τὰς συγγενείας ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων καὶ μάλιστα ἀδελφοὺς ἀπʼ ἀδελφῶν καὶ πατέρας ἀπὸ παίδων, τοὺς μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς πόλεως ἀπολείπων, τοὺς δὲ μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ διακομίζων·
And in order that the Syracusans might not rebel after his departure, he separated relatives from one another, and especially brothers from brothers and fathers from children, leaving some in the city and taking others across with himself.
πρόδηλον γὰρ ἦν ὡς οἱ μένοντες ἐν ταῖς Συρακούσσαις, κἂν ἀλλοτριώτατα τυγχάνωσι πρὸς τὸν δυνάστην διακείμενοι, διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀπογόνους εὔνοιαν2 οὐδὲν ἂν πράξειαν ἄτοπον κατὰ Ἀγαθοκλέους.
For it was quite clear that those remaining in Syracuse, even if they happened to be most hostilely disposed toward the ruler, would do nothing outrageous against Agathocles because of their goodwill toward those who had been taken.
ἀπορούμενος δὲ χρημάτων τά τε τῶν ὀρφανῶν παρὰ τῶν ἐπιτροπευόντων εἰσεπράξατο, φάσκων πολὺ βέλτιον ἐκείνων ἐπιτροπεύσειν καὶ τοῖς παισὶν εἰς ἡλικίαν ἐλθοῦσι πιστότερον ἀποδώσειν, ἐδανείσατο δὲ καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἐμπόρων καί τινα τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀναθημάτων ἔλαβεν καὶ τῶν γυναικῶν τὸν κόσμον περιείλετο.
Being in want of funds, he exacted the property of orphans from their guardians, claiming that he would guard it much better than they and would restore it more faithfully to the children when they came of age; he also borrowed from the merchants, took some of the votive offerings in the temples, and stripped the women of their ornaments.
ἔπειθʼ ὁρῶν τῶν εὐπορωτάτων τοὺς πλείστους δυσχεραίνοντας τοῖς πραττομένοις καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀλλοτριώτατα διακειμένους συνήγαγεν ἐκκλησίαν, ἐν ᾗ περί τε τῆς προγεγενημένης συμφορᾶς καὶ τῶν προσδοκωμένων δεινῶν κατοδυρόμενος αὐτὸς μὲν ῥᾳδίως ὑπομένειν ἔφησε τὴν πολιορκίαν, συνήθης ὢν πάσῃ κακοπαθείᾳ, ἐλεεῖν δὲ τοὺς πολίτας, εἰ συγκλεισθέντες ἀναγκασθήσονται πολιορκίαν ὑπομένειν.
Then, seeing that most of the wealthiest men were displeased with what was being done and were most hostilely disposed toward him, he called an assembly, in which, lamenting both the past disaster and the expected terrors, he said that he himself could easily endure the siege, being accustomed to every hardship, but that he pitied the citizens if they, shut up inside, should be forced to endure a siege.
διεκελεύετο οὖν σώζειν ἑαυτοὺς μετὰ τῶν ἰδίων κτήσεων τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ὑπομένειν ὅ,τι ποτʼ ἂν δοκῇ τῇ τύχῃ πάσχειν.3 ἐξορμησάντων δʼ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τῶν μάλιστʼ εὐπόρων καὶ μισούντων τὸν δυνάστην τούτους μὲν ἐπαποστείλας τινὰς τῶν μισθοφόρων ἀνεῖλε καὶ τὰς οὐσίας εἰς αὑτὸν ἀνέλαβε, διὰ δὲ μιᾶς ἀνοσίου πράξεως χρημάτων εὐπορήσας καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίως διακειμένων πρὸς καθαρὰν ποιήσας τὴν πόλιν ἠλευθέρωσε τῶν οἰκετῶν τοὺς εὐθέτους εἰς στρατείαν.
Therefore, he urged those who did not wish to endure whatever fortune might decide for them to suffer, to save themselves along with their own possessions. But when the wealthiest men, who hated the ruler, had set out from the city, he sent some of his mercenaries after them, put them to death, and confiscated their property. And having obtained an abundance of money through a single unholy deed, and having purged the city of those hostilely disposed, he set free those of the slaves who were fit for military service.
- 20.4.1ὅπως ... ἔχειν
The infinitive ἔχειν is used after the conjunction ὅπως introducing a purpose clause, instead of the expected subjunctive or future indicative. This is due to attraction from the hortatory force of the preceding participle διακελευόμενος, or as an irregular usage of ὅπως with the infinitive to express purpose, which is occasionally found in late Greek (Koine) authors like Diodorus.
- 20.4.4διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀπογόνους εὔνοιαν
The word ἀπογόνους (typically 'descendants') here refers to the 'children' or more broadly 'relatives' who were taken away by Agathocles as virtual hostages in the preceding section (§20.4.3). Their affection (εὔνοιαν) for them, felt by the fathers and relatives left behind, serves as a deterrent against rebellion.
- 20.4.7τοὺς μὴ βουλομένους ὑπομένειν ὅ,τι ποτʼ ἂν δοκῇ τῇ τύχῃ πάσχειν
The clause ὅ,τι ποτʼ ἂν δοκῇ τῇ τύχῃ is a relative clause with the subjunctive δοκῇ and particle ἄν, expressing indefiniteness in the future. The infinitive πάσχειν depends on δοκῇ ('whatever fortune may decide [them] to suffer'). The whole phrase refers to 'those who do not wish to endure to suffer whatever fortune might decide'.