- 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-grc6:20.40.1-20.40.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Agathocles sends an ambassador to Ophellas of Cyrene to propose an alliance against Carthage, and Ophellas gladly accepts, recruiting many Athenians and other Greeks for the expedition.
ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς μάχης ταύτης γενόμενος1 καὶ πάντα τῇ διανοίᾳ σκοπούμενος πρὸς τὸ λαβεῖν τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ὑποχειρίους ἐξέπεμψε πρεσβευτὴν Ὄρθωνα τὸν Συρακόσιον πρὸς Ὀφέλλαν εἰς Κυρήνην. οὗτος δʼ ἦν μὲν τῶν φίλων τῶν συνεστρατευμένων Ἀλεξάνδρῳ, κυριεύων δὲ τῶν περὶ Κυρήνην πόλεων καὶ δυνάμεως ἁδρᾶς περιεβάλετο ταῖς ἐλπίσι μείζονα δυναστείαν.
Having finished with this battle and considering everything in his mind with a view to getting the Carthaginians into his power, he sent Orthon the Syracusan as an ambassador to Ophellas in Cyrene. This man was one of the friends who had campaigned with Alexander, and as ruler of the cities around Cyrene and of a large force, he was embracing hopes of a greater dominion.
τοιαύτην οὖν αὐτοῦ διάνοιαν ἔχοντος ἧκεν ὁ παρʼ Ἀγαθοκλέους πρεσβευτής, ἀξιῶν συγκαταπολεμῆσαι Καρχηδονίους· ἀντὶ δὲ ταύτης τῆς χρείας ἐπηγγέλλετο τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα συγχωρήσειν2 αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν Λιβύῃ πραγμάτων κυριεύειν.
Since he was of such a mind, the ambassador from Agathocles arrived, requesting him to join in the war against the Carthaginians; and in return for this service, he promised that Agathocles would concede to him the dominion over affairs in Libya.
εἶναι γὰρ ἱκανὴν αὐτῷ τὴν Σικελίαν,3 ἵνʼ ἐξῇ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς Καρχηδόνος κινδύνων ἀπαλλαχθέντα μετʼ ἀδείας κρατεῖν ἁπάσης τῆς νήσου· παρακεῖσθαι δὲ καὶ τὴν Ἰταλίαν αὐτῷ πρὸς ἐπαύξησιν τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἐὰν κρίνῃ μειζόνων ὀρέγεσθαι.
For he said that Sicily was sufficient for Agathocles, so that, being rid of the dangers from Carthage, he might rule the whole island without fear; and that Italy also lay adjacent to him for the expansion of his empire, if he should decide to reach out for greater things.
τὴν μὲν γὰρ Λιβύην διεζευγμένην μεγάλῳ καὶ χαλεπῷ πελάγει μηδαμῶς ἁρμόζειν αὐτῷ, εἰς ἣν καὶ νῦν οὐ κατʼ ἐπιθυμίαν, ἀλλὰ κατʼ ἀνάγκην ἀφῖχθαι.
For Libya, being separated by a large and difficult sea, did not suit him at all, and he had come to it even now not from desire, but from necessity.
ὁ δὲ Ὀφέλλας τῇ πάλαι βεβουλευμένῃ κρίσει προστεθείσης τῆς γενομένης ἐλπίδος ἀσμένως ὑπήκουσε καὶ πρὸς μὲν Ἀθηναίους περὶ συμμαχίας διεπέμπετο, γεγαμηκὼς Εὐθυδίκην τὴν Μιλτιάδου θυγατέρα τοῦ τὴν προσηγορίαν φέροντος εἰς τὸν στρατηγήσαντα τῶν ἐν Μαραθῶνι νικησάντων.4
Ophellas, with this newly arisen hope added to his long-matured decision, gladly acceded and sent envoys to the Athenians concerning an alliance, having married Euthydice, the daughter of Miltiades, who bore the name of him who had commanded as general those who conquered at Marathon.
διὰ δὴ ταύτην τὴν ἐπιγαμίαν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην σπουδήν, ἣν ὑπῆρχεν ἀποδεδειγμένος εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων προθύμως ὑπήκουσαν εἰς τὴν στρατείαν. οὐκ ὀλίγοι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων ἔσπευδον κοινωνῆσαι τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, ἐλπίζοντες τήν τε κρατίστην τῆς Λιβύης κατακληρουχήσειν καὶ τὸν ἐν Καρχηδόνι διαρπάσειν πλοῦτον.
Because of this marriage alliance and the other goodwill which he had shown to the city, many of the Athenians also eagerly responded to the campaign. Not a few of the other Greeks also hastened to share in the enterprise, hoping both to receive allotments of the best part of Libya and to plunder the wealth in Carthage.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα διὰ τοὺς συνεχεῖς πολέμους καὶ τὰς τῶν δυναστῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλοτιμίας ἀσθενῆ καὶ ταπεινὰ καθειστήκει· ὥσθʼ ὑπελάμβανον μὴ μόνον ἐγκρατεῖς ἔσεσθαι πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παρόντων κακῶν ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι.
For the state of affairs in Greece had become weak and miserable because of the continuous wars and the rivalries of the rulers with one another; so that they supposed they would not only gain possession of many goods but also be delivered from their present evils.
- 20.40.1ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς μάχης ταύτης γενόμενος
The combination of the preposition ἀπό and the verb γίγνομαι here denotes a temporal and situational transition away from the event of the battle, meaning 'after this battle' or 'having finished with this battle.' It indicates the conclusion of a specific state of affairs rather than merely a physical movement.
- 20.40.2ἐπηγγέλλετο τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα συγχωρήσειν
The subject of the verb ἐπηγγέλλετο (promised) is the ambassador (ὁ... πρεσβευτής) mentioned just before. Within the following infinitive clause, τὸν Ἀγαθοκλέα functions as the subject accusative of the future infinitive συγχωρήσειν, indicating that the ambassador promised on behalf of his master that 'Agathocles would concede.'
- 20.40.3εἶναι γὰρ ἱκανὴν αὐτῷ τὴν Σικελίαν
The series of infinitives starting with εἶναι, followed by παρακεῖσθαι, ἁρμόζειν, and ἀφῖχθαι (§20.40.4), forms an indirect speech (oratio obliqua) construction reporting the ambassador's message. Governed by the implied verb of saying derived from the preceding ἐπηγγέλλετο, they present the arguments and reasons offered by the envoy.
- 20.40.5τοῦ τὴν προσηγορίαν φέροντος εἰς τὸν στρατηγήσαντα τῶν ἐν Μαραθῶνι νικησάντων
The genitive article τοῦ introduces a participial attributive phrase modifying the preceding Μιλτιάδου. The expression φέρειν τὴν προσηγορίαν εἰς... means 'to bear a name derived from' or 'to be named after.' In this context, it indicates that Ophellas' father-in-law Miltiades, a member of the famous Athenian house, was named after the celebrated general Miltiades who commanded the victors at Marathon.