- 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-grc6:20.47.1-20.47.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Demetrius invades Cyprus, captures Urania and Carpasia, and defeats Menelaus in the battle of Salamis, preparing for a siege, while Antigonus builds the city of Antigonia in Syria.
ὁ δὲ Δημήτριος παραπλεύσας εἰς Κιλικίαν κἀκεῖθεν ναῦς καὶ στρατιώτας προσλαβόμενος διέπλευσεν εἰς τὴν Κύπρον ἔχων πεζοὺς μὲν μυρίους πεντακισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τετρακοσίους, ναῦς δὲ ταχυναυτούσας μὲν τριήρεις πλείους τῶν ἑκατὸν δέκα,1 τῶν δὲ βαρυτέρων στρατιωτίδων πεντήκοντα καὶ τρεῖς καὶ πόρια τῶν παντοδαπῶν ἱκανὰ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἱππέων τε καὶ πεζῶν.
Demetrius, having sailed along the coast to Cilicia and having taken on additional ships and soldiers from there, sailed across to Cyprus, having fifteen thousand infantry, four hundred cavalry, more than one hundred and ten fast-sailing triremes, fifty-three of the heavier troop-transports, and sufficient transport vessels of all kinds for the multitude of both cavalry and infantry.
καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον κατεστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν τῇ παραλίᾳ τῆς Καρπασίας καὶ νεωλκήσας τὰ σκάφη χάρακι καὶ τάφρῳ βαθείᾳ τὴν παρεμβολὴν ὠχύρωσεν· ἔπειτα τοῖς πλησιοχώροις προσβολὰς ποιησάμενος εἷλε κατὰ κράτος Οὐρανίαν καὶ Καρπασίαν, τῶν δὲ νεῶν τὴν ἱκανὴν φυλακὴν ἀπολιπὼν ἀνέζευξε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπὶ τὴν Σαλαμῖνα.
And at first he encamped on the coast of Carpasia and, having hauled up his vessels, fortified his camp with a palisade and a deep ditch; then, having made attacks on the neighboring areas, he took Urania and Carpasia by force, and having left a sufficient guard for the ships, he set out with his force toward Salamis.
ὁ δὲ τεταγμένος ὑπὸ Πτολεμαίου τῆς νήσου στρατηγὸς Μενέλαος συναγαγὼν τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκ τῶν φρουρίων διέτριβεν ἐν Σαλαμῖνι, ἀπεχόντων δὲ τεσσαράκοντα σταδίους τῶν πολεμίων2 ἐξῆλθεν ἔχων πεζοὺς μὲν μυρίους καὶ δισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ περὶ ὀκτακοσίους. γενομένης δὲ μάχης ἐπʼ ὀλίγον χρόνον οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν Μενέλαον ἐκβιασθέντες ἐτράπησαν, ὁ δὲ Δημήτριος συνδιώξας τοὺς πολεμίους εἰς τὴν πόλιν αἰχμαλώτους μὲν ἔλαβεν οὐ πολὺ ἐλάττους τρισχιλίων, ἀνεῖλε δὲ περὶ χιλίους.
Meanwhile Menelaus, the general of the island appointed by Ptolemy, having gathered his soldiers from the garrisons, was staying in Salamis, but when the enemy were forty stades away, he went out with twelve thousand infantry and about eight hundred cavalry. When a battle had taken place for a short time, those around Menelaus, being overpowered, were routed, and Demetrius, having pursued the enemy to the city, took not many fewer than three thousand prisoners and killed about a thousand.
τοὺς δʼ ἁλόντας τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπολύσας τῶν ἐγκλημάτων καταδιεῖλεν εἰς τὰς τῶν ἰδίων στρατιωτῶν τάξεις· ἀποδιδρασκόντων δʼ αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς περὶ τὸν Μενέλαον διὰ τὸ τὰς ἀποσκευὰς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καταλελοιπέναι3 παρὰ Πτολεμαίῳ, γνοὺς ἀμεταθέτους ὄντας ἐνεβίβασεν εἰς τὰς ναῦς καὶ πρὸς Ἀντίγονον εἰς Συρίαν ἀπέστειλεν.
At first, having released the captives from charges, he distributed them into the ranks of his own soldiers; but since they kept running away to those around Menelaus because they had left their baggage behind in Egypt with Ptolemy, knowing that they were unalterable, he embarked them onto the ships and sent them to Antigonus in Syria.
οὗτος δὲ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον διέτριβε περὶ τὴν ἄνω Συρίαν, πόλιν κτίζων περὶ τὸν Ὀρόντην ποταμὸν τὴν ὠνομασμένην Ἀντιγονίαν ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ. κατεσκεύαζε δὲ πολυτελῶς, τὴν περίμετρον ὑποστησάμενος σταδίων ἑβδομήκοντα· εὐφυὴς γὰρ ἦν ὁ τόπος ἐφεδρεῦσαι4 τῇ τε Βαβυλῶνι καὶ ταῖς ἄνω σατραπείαις καὶ πάλιν τῇ κάτω Συρίᾳ καὶ ταῖς ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου σατραπείαις.
Antigonus at this time was staying around Upper Syria, founding a city near the Orontes river, which was named Antigonia after himself. He was building it sumptuously, having established its perimeter at seventy stades; for the place was well situated to watch over Babylon and the upper satrapies, and again Lower Syria and the satrapies from Egypt.
οὐ μὴν πολύν γε χρόνον συνέβη μεῖναι τὴν πόλιν, Σελεύκου καθελόντος αὐτὴν καὶ μεταγαγόντος ἐπὶ τὴν κτισθεῖσαν μὲν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, ἀπʼ ἐκείνου δὲ κληθεῖσαν Σελεύκειαν. ἀλλὰ περὶ μὲν τούτων ἀκριβῶς ἕκαστα δηλώσομεν ἐπὶ τοὺς οἰκείους χρόνους παραγενηθέντες·
However, it happened that the city did not remain for a long time, since Seleucus destroyed it and transferred it to the city founded by himself and named Seleucia after him. But concerning these matters we shall declare each detail accurately when we arrive at the proper times.
τῶν δὲ κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον οἱ περὶ τὸν Μενέλαον ἡττημένοι τῇ μάχῃ τὰ μὲν βέλη καὶ τὰς μηχανὰς παρεκόμισαν ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη καὶ τοῖς στρατιώταις διαλαβόντες τὰς ἐπάλξεις παρεσκευάζοντο πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον, ὁρῶντες καὶ τὸν Δημήτριον πρὸς πολιορκίαν ἑτοιμαζόμενον, πρὸς δὲ Πτολεμαῖον ἀπέστειλαν εἰς Αἴγυπτον τοὺς δηλώσοντας περὶ τῶν ἐλαττωμάτων καὶ ἀξιώσοντας βοηθεῖν, ὡς κινδυνευόντων αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ πραγμάτων.5
As for the events in Cyprus, Menelaus and his men, having been defeated in the battle, carried their missiles and engines to the walls and, having distributed the battlements among the soldiers, prepared themselves for the danger, seeing that Demetrius also was preparing for a siege. And they dispatched to Ptolemy in Egypt those who would report concerning their defeats and ask him to come to their aid, as his affairs in the island were in danger.
- 20.47.1πλείους τῶν ἑκατὸν δέκα
The genitive of comparison τῶν ἑκατὸν δέκα follows the comparative πλείους (contracted from πλείονας), meaning 'more than one hundred and ten.'
- 20.47.3ἀπεχόντων δὲ τεσσαράκοντα σταδίους τῶν πολεμίων
A genitive absolute construction where τῶν πολεμίων acts as the subject of the participle ἀπεχόντων, meaning 'when the enemy were forty stades away.'
- 20.47.4διὰ τὸ τὰς ἀποσκευὰς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ καταλελοιπέναι
The preposition διὰ is followed by the articular infinitive in the accusative case τὸ ... καταλελοιπέναι. The subject of the infinitive is understood to be the prisoners (αὐτῶν from the preceding clause), and τὰς ἀποσκευὰς is its direct object.
- 20.47.5ἐφεδρεῦσαι
An epexegetic infinitive qualifying the adjective εὐφυὴς, expressing purpose or capability: 'well situated to watch over.'
- 20.47.8ὡς κινδυνευόντων αὐτῷ τῶν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ πραγμάτων
A genitive absolute with the particle ὡς, expressing a subjective reason ('on the ground that...'). It indicates that his affairs (τῶν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ πραγμάτων) in the island were in danger for him (dative αὐτῷ).