- 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-grc6:20.44.1-20.44.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Bormilcas proclaims himself tyrant in Carthage but is forced to surrender after a fierce urban battle and is executed. Meanwhile, in Italy, Roman consuls aid the Marsi and secure truces with Etruscan cities.
ὁ δʼ οὖν Βορμίλκας ἐξετασμὸν τῶν στρατιωτῶν ποιησάμενος ἐν τῇ καλουμένῃ Νέᾳ πόλει, μικρὸν ἔξω τῆς ἀρχαίας Καρχηδόνος οὔσῃ, τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους διαφῆκε, τοὺς δὲ συνειδότας περὶ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως, ὄντας πολίτας μὲν πεντακοσίους, μισθοφόρους δὲ περὶ χιλίους, ἀνέδειξεν ἑαυτὸν τύραννον.1
Bormilcas, then, having held a review of the soldiers in the so-called New City, which was a little outside of ancient Carthage, dismissed the others, but with those who were privy to the plot, being five hundred citizens and about a thousand mercenaries, he proclaimed himself tyrant.
εἰς πέντε δὲ μέρη τοὺς στρατιώτας διελόμενος ἐπῄει πάντας τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἀπαντῶντας ἀποσφάττων. γενομένης δὲ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ταραχῆς ἐξαισίου τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι τοὺς πολεμίους ὑπέλαβον παρεισπεπτωκέναι προδιδομένης τῆς πόλεως· ὡς δʼ ἐπεγνώσθη τἀληθές, συνέτρεχον οἱ νέοι καὶ εἰς τάξεις καταστάντες ὥρμησαν ἐπὶ τὸν τύραννον.
And dividing his soldiers into five divisions, he advanced, slaughtering all who met him in the streets. When an extraordinary confusion arose throughout the city, at first the Carthaginians supposed that the enemy had broken in, the city having been betrayed; but when the truth was recognized, the young men ran together and, having formed into ranks, rushed against the tyrant.
ὁ δὲ Βορμίλκας τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς ἀναιρῶν ὥρμησεν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν πολιτῶν ἀνόπλους καταλαβὼν ἀπέκτεινε.
Bormilcas, killing those in the streets, rushed into the market-place, and catching many of the citizens unarmed, killed them.
τῶν δὲ Καρχηδονίων καταλαβομένων τὰς περὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν οἰκίας ὑψηλὰς οὔσας καὶ τοῖς βέλεσι πυκνοῖς χρωμένων οἱ μετέχοντες τῆς ἐπιθέσεως κατετραυματίζοντο, τοῦ τόπου παντὸς ἐμβελοῦς ὄντος.2
But when the Carthaginians occupied the high houses around the market-place and used frequent missiles, those who participated in the attack were continually wounded, since the whole place was within range of missiles.
διόπερ κακοπαθοῦντες συνέφραξαν ἑαυτοὺς καὶ διὰ τῶν στενωπῶν συνεξέπεσαν εἰς τὴν Νέαν πόλιν, βαλλόμενοι συνεχῶς ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκιῶν καθʼ ἃς τυγχάνοιεν αἰεὶ γινόμενοι.3 καταλαβομένων δʼ αὐτῶν ὑπερδέξιόν τινα τόπον οἱ Καρχηδόνιοι τῶν πολιτῶν πάντων συνδραμόντων ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἀντεστρατοπέδευσαν τοῖς ἀφεστηκόσι.
Therefore, suffering severely, they locked their shields together and fell back together through the narrow alleys into the New City, being constantly pelted from the houses past which they happened to be going. And when they occupied a commanding height, the Carthaginians, all the citizens having run together in arms, encamped opposite the rebels.
τέλος δὲ πρέσβεις πέμψαντες τῶν πρεσβυτάτων τοὺς εὐθέτους καὶ τῶν ἐγκλημάτων δόντες ἄφεσιν διελύθησαν· καὶ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις οὐδὲν ἐμνησικάκησαν διὰ τοὺς περιεστῶτας τὴν πόλιν κινδύνους, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν Βορμίλκαν αἰκισάμενοι δεινῶς τοῦ ζῆν ἐστέρησαν, οὐδὲν φροντίσαντες τῶν δεδομένων ὅρκων. Καρχηδόνιοι μὲν οὖν κινδυνεύσαντες τοῖς ὅλοις σφαλῆναι τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐκομίσαντο τὴν πατρῴαν πολιτείαν.
Finally, sending suitable envoys from among the oldest men and granting amnesty for the offenses, they came to terms; and to the others they bore no malice because of the dangers surrounding the city, but Bormilcas himself they tortured terribly and deprived of life, paying no regard to the oaths that had been given. The Carthaginians, then, having run the risk of total ruin, in this manner recovered their ancestral constitution.
Ἀγαθοκλῆς δὲ πλοῖα φορτηγὰ γεμίσας τῶν λαφύρων καὶ τοὺς ἀχρήστους εἰς πόλεμον τῶν ἐκ Κυρήνης παραγενομένων ἐμβιβάσας ἀπέστειλεν εἰς Συρακούσσας. χειμώνων δʼ ἐπιγενομένων ἃ μὲν διεφθάρη τῶν πλοίων, ἃ δʼ ἐξέπεσε πρὸς τὰς κατʼ Ἰταλίαν Πιθηκούσσας νήσους, ὀλίγα δʼ εἰς τὰς Συρακούσσας διεσώθη.
And Agathocles, having filled merchant vessels with the booty and having embarked those of the people who had come from Cyrene who were useless for war, sent them to Syracuse. But when storms came upon them, some of the ships were destroyed, others were cast away near the islands of Pithecussae off Italy, and only a few were saved to Syracuse.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν οἱ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὕπατοι, Μαρσοῖς πολεμουμένοις ὑπὸ Σαμνιτῶν βοηθήσαντες, τῇ τε μάχῃ προετέρησαν καὶ συχνοὺς τῶν πολεμίων ἀνεῖλον.
In Italy, the consuls of the Romans, having come to the aid of the Marsi who were being attacked by the Samnites, gained the upper hand in the battle and slew many of the enemy.
εἶτα διὰ τῆς Ὀμβρίκων χώρας διελθόντες ἐνέβαλον εἰς τὴν Τυρρηνίαν πολεμίαν οὖσαν καὶ τὸ καλούμενον Κάιριον φρούριον ἐξεπολιόρκησαν. διαπρεσβευομένων δὲ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ὑπὲρ ἀνοχῶν πρὸς μὲν Ταρκυνιήτας εἰς ἔτη τεσσαράκοντα, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους Τυρρηνοὺς ἅπαντας εἰς ἐνιαυτὸν ἀνοχὰς ἐποιήσαντο.
Then, passing through the country of the Ombrici, they invaded Etruria, which was hostile, and took by siege the stronghold called Cairium. And when the inhabitants sent envoys to treat for a truce, they made a truce with the Tarquinienses for forty years, and with all the other Etruscans for one year.
- 20.44.1τοὺς δὲ συνειδότας περὶ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως, ὄντας πολίτας μὲν πεντακοσίους, μισθοφόρους δὲ περὶ χιλίους, ἀνέδειξεν ἑαυτὸν τύραννον.
The accusative phrase τοὺς δὲ συνειδότας... is contrasted with τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους διαφῆκε in the first half, but since the main verb ἀνέδειξεν takes ἑαυτόν as its direct object and τύραννον as its predicate, an anacoluthon is created. We must supply an omitted participle such as ἔχων (having) or παραλαβών (taking along) to complete the sense ('keeping those who were privy to the plot...').
- 20.44.4τοῦ τόπου παντὸς ἐμβελοῦς ὄντος
A genitive absolute construction expressing cause. The adjective ἐμβελής (within range of missiles) explains the cause of the continuous wounding of those taking part in the attack.
- 20.44.5καθʼ ἃς τυγχάνοιεν αἰεῖ γινόμενοι
The verb τυγχάνω with the present participle γινόμενοι expresses the idea of 'happening to pass by'. The optative τυγχάνοιεν is used in a past general relative clause to indicate a repeated action ('past whichever houses they happened to be going at any time').