- 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-grc6:20.51.1-20.51.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Demetrius raises the battle signal to initiate the naval conflict, which escalates into violent collisions, boarding actions, and unpredictable chaos characteristic of sea-fights.
οἱ δὲ δυνάσται, ὡς ἂν περὶ τοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν ὅλων μέλλοντες διακινδυνεύειν,1 ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ πολλῇ καθειστήκεισαν. Δημήτριος μὲν οὖν τῶν ἐναντίων ἀποσχὼν ὡς ἂν τρεῖς σταδίους ἦρεν τὸ συγκείμενον πρὸς μάχην σύσσημον, ἀσπίδα κεχρυσωμένην, φανερὰν πᾶσιν ἐκ διαδοχῆς·2
The dynasts, being about to hazard their lives and their entire fortunes, were in a state of great anxiety. Demetrius, then, when he was about three stades distant from the enemy, raised the signal that had been agreed upon for battle—a gilded shield, visible to all in succession.
τὸ παραπλήσιον δὲ καὶ τῶν περὶ Πτολεμαῖον ποιησάντων3 ταχὺ τὸ διεῖργον διάστημα συνῃρέθη. ὡς δʼ αἵ τε σάλπιγγες τὸ πολεμικὸν ἐσήμαινον καὶ συνηλάλαξαν αἱ δυνάμεις ἀμφότεραι, φερομένων ἁπασῶν τῶν νεῶν εἰς ἐμβολὴν καταπληκτικῶς τὸ μὲν πρῶτον τοῖς τόξοις καὶ τοῖς πετροβόλοις, ἔτι δὲ τοῖς ἀκοντίσμασι πυκνοῖς χρώμενοι κατετραυμάτιζον τοὺς ὑποπίπτοντας· εἶτα συνεγγισάντων τῶν σκαφῶν καὶ μελλούσης γίνεσθαι τῆς ἐμβολῆς βιαίου οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν καταστρωμάτων συγκαθῆκαν, οἱ δʼ ἐρέται παρακληθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν κελευστῶν ἐκθυμότερον ἐνέκειντο.
And since Ptolemy’s men did the same, the intervening distance was quickly closed. As the trumpets sounded the charge and both forces raised their battle-cry, all the ships rushed to the collision with terrifying force; at first they wounded those who came within range by using bows and stone-throwers, and also thick showers of javelins. Then, when the vessels came close and a violent collision was about to take place, the men on the decks crouched down, while the rowers, urged on by the boatswains, bent to their work with greater passion.
ἀπὸ κράτους δὲ καὶ βίας ἐλαθεισῶν τῶν νεῶν αἱ μὲν παρέσυρον ἀλλήλων τοὺς ταρσούς, ὥστε πρὸς φυγὴν καὶ διωγμὸν ἀχρήστους γίνεσθαι4 καὶ τοὺς ἐπιβεβηκότας ἄνδρας ὡρμηκότας πρὸς ἀλκὴν κωλύεσθαι τῆς πρὸς τὸν κίνδυνον ὁρμῆς· αἱ δὲ κατὰ πρῷραν τοῖς ἐμβόλοις συρράττουσαι πρύμναν ἀνεκρούοντο πρὸς ἄλλην ἐμβολὴν καὶ κατετραυμάτιζον ἀλλήλους οἱ ταύταις ἐφεστῶτες, ἅτε τοῦ σκοποῦ σύνεγγυς ἑκάστοις κειμένου. τινὲς δὲ τῶν τριηραρχῶν ἐκ πλαγίας ἔτυπτον καὶ τῶν ἐμβόλων δυσαποσπάστως ἐχόντων ἐπεπήδων ἐπὶ τὰς τῶν πολεμίων ναῦς, πολλὰ καὶ πάσχοντες δεινὰ καὶ διατιθέντες·5
As the ships were driven with full force and violence, some sheared off each other’s banks of oars, so that they became useless for flight or pursuit, and the men who had boarded them, though eager for combat, were prevented from their rush into danger. Other ships, crashing bow to bow with their rams, backed water for another blow, and those stationed on them wounded one another, since the mark lay close to each of them. Some of the captains struck from the side, and when the rams became difficult to disengage, they leaped onto the enemy’s ships, both suffering and inflicting many terrible blows.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἐγγιζόντων τοίχων ἐφαψάμενοι καὶ σφαλέντες τῆς βάσεως περιέπιπτον εἰς θάλασσαν καὶ παραχρῆμα τοῖς δόρασιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐφεστώτων ἐφονεύοντο, οἱ δὲ κρατήσαντες τῆς ἐπιβολῆς τοὺς μὲν ἀνῄρουν, τοὺς δὲ κατὰ τὴν στενοχωρίαν ἐκβιαζόμενοι περιέτρεπον εἰς τὸ πέλαγος. ὅλως δὲ ποικίλαι καὶ παράλογοι συνίσταντο μάχαι, πολλάκις τῶν μὲν ἡττόνων ἐπικρατούντων διὰ τὴν τῶν σκαφῶν ὑπεροχήν, τῶν δὲ κρειττόνων θλιβομένων διὰ τὸ περὶ τὴν στάσιν ἐλάττωμα καὶ τὴν ἀνωμαλίαν τῶν συμβαινόντων ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις κινδύνοις.
For some, grasping the sides of the approaching ships and losing their footing, fell into the sea and were immediately slain with spears by those standing above; while others, having mastered the boarding, killed some and, forcing others off in the narrow space, threw them into the sea. On the whole, the combat was diverse and unpredictable, often with the weaker prevailing because of the superiority of their vessels, and the stronger being hard-pressed because of the disadvantage of their footing and the irregularity of what occurs in such dangers.
ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἀγώνων διάδηλος ἡ ἀρετὴ γίνεται, δυναμένη τυγχάνειν τῶν πρωτείων μηδενὸς ἔξωθεν αὐτομάτου παρενοχλοῦντος· κατὰ δὲ τὰς ναυμαχίας πολλὰς καὶ ποικίλας αἰτίας συμβαίνει παραλόγως ἐλαττοῦν6 τοὺς διʼ ἀνδρείαν δικαίως ἂν τυχόντας7 τῆς νίκης.
For in contests on land, valor becomes manifest, being able to win the first prize when no external chance interferes; but in sea-fights, it happens that many diverse causes unreasonably disadvantage those who by their courage would justly have obtained the victory.
- 20.51.1ὡς ἂν περὶ τοῦ βίου καὶ τῶν ὅλων μέλλοντες διακινδυνεύειν
The combination of the conjunction ὡς ἄν with the participle μέλλοντες and the future infinitive. It introduces a subjective reason while emphasizing a hypothetical sense of urgency (as being about to), as if their entire existence depended on the outcome.
- 20.51.1ἐκ διαδοχῆς
The adverbial phrase ἐκ διαδοχῆς means 'in succession' or 'one after another'. It describes how, due to the vast size of the fleet, the signal of the shield was observed and passed along from one ship to another like a relay.
- 20.51.2τὸ παραπλήσιον δὲ καὶ τῶν περὶ Πτολεμαῖον ποιησάντων
A genitive absolute construction. The neuter pronoun τὸ παραπλήσιον (the similar thing) serves as the object of the participle ποιησάντων, indicating the cause: 'since Ptolemy's men also did the same'.
- 20.51.3ὥστε πρὸς φυγὴν καὶ διωγμὸν ἀχρήστους γίνεσθαι
A ὥστε clause expressing result. The subject accusative of the infinitive γίνεσθαι is understood from the feminine accusative plural adjective ἀχρήστους (a two-termination adjective), referring back to the 'ships' (αἱ νῆες) mentioned previously.
- 20.51.3πολλά καὶ πάσχοντες δεινὰ καὶ διατιθέντες
The accusative adjectives πολλά and δεινά (many terrible things) function as the shared object of the two coordinated participles πάσχοντες (suffering) and διατιθέντες (inflicting).
- 20.51.5συμβαίνει παραλόγως ἐλαττοῦν
The impersonal verb συμβαίνει (it happens) followed by the infinitive ἐλαττοῦν (to disadvantage, to impair). The subject of the infinitive is the accusative noun phrase πολλὰς καὶ ποικίλας αἰτίας (many and diverse causes).
- 20.51.5δικαίως ἂν τυχόντας
The participle τυχόντας is accompanied by the particle ἄν, expressing a past contrary-to-fact nuance (those who, under normal circumstances, would have justly obtained the victory).