- 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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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:20.56.1-20.56.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
Xenodocus, the general of the Acragantines, is defeated by Agathocles' generals, shattering hopes for Sicilian freedom. Meanwhile, Agathocles returns to Sicily and successfully subdues or attacks several cities.
ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Ξενόδοκος ὁ τῶν Ἀκραγαντίνων στρατηγὸς πολλὰς μὲν τῶν πόλεων ἠλευθερωκώς, ἐλπίδας δὲ μεγάλας παρεσχηκὼς τοῖς Σικελιώταις τῆς καθʼ ὅλην τὴν νῆσον αὐτονομίας ἐξήγαγε τὴν δύναμιν ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀγαθοκλέους στρατηγούς, οὖσαν πεζῶν μὲν πλειόνων ἢ μυρίων, ἱππέων δὲ σχεδὸν χιλίων.1
While these things were being done, Xenodocus, the general of the Acragantines, having freed many of the cities and having offered great hopes to the Siceliots for autonomy throughout the whole island, led out his force against the generals of Agathocles, which consisted of more than ten thousand infantry and nearly one thousand cavalry.
οἱ δὲ περὶ Λεπτίνην καὶ Δημόφιλον ἐκ τῶν Συρακουσσῶν καὶ τῶν φρουρίων ἐπιλέξαντες ὅσους ἠδύναντο πλείστους ἀντεστρατοπέδευσαν πεζοῖς μὲν ὀκτακισχιλίοις καὶ διακοσίοις, ἱππεῦσι δὲ χιλίοις καὶ διακοσίοις. γενομένης οὖν παρατάξεως ἰσχυρᾶς ἡττηθεὶς ὁ Ξενόδοκος ἔφυγεν εἰς τὸν Ἀκράγαντα καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπέβαλεν οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν χιλίων καὶ πεντακοσίων.
But those around Leptines and Demophilus, having selected as many as they could from Syracuse and the fortresses, encamped against them with eight thousand two hundred infantry and one thousand two hundred cavalry. When, therefore, a fierce battle took place, Xenodocus, being defeated, fled to Acragas and lost no fewer than one thousand five hundred of his soldiers.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἀκραγαντῖνοι ταύτῃ τῇ συμφορᾷ περιπεσόντες διέλυσαν ἑαυτῶν μὲν τὴν καλλίστην ἐπιβολήν, τῶν δὲ συμμάχων τὰς τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐλπίδας· Ἀγαθοκλῆς δὲ τῆς μάχης ἄρτι γεγενημένης καταπλεύσας τῆς Σικελίας εἰς Σελινοῦντα2 Ἡρακλεώτας μὲν ἠλευθερωκότας τὴν πόλιν ἠνάγκασε πάλιν ὑποτάττεσθαι, παρελθὼν δὲ ἐπὶ θάτερον μέρος τῆς νήσου Θερμίτας μὲν προσαγαγόμενος ὑποσπόνδους ἀφῆκε3 τῶν Καρχηδονίων φρουρούντων ταύτην τὴν πόλιν, Κεφαλοίδιον δὲ ἐκπολιορκήσας Λεπτίνην μὲν ταύτης ἐπιμελητὴν ἀπέλιπεν, αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ τῆς μεσογείου ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν ἐπεβάλετο μὲν νυκτὸς εἰς τὰ Κεντόριπα παρεισπεσεῖν εἰσδεχομένων αὐτόν τινων πολιτικῶν ἀνδρῶν, καταφανοῦς δὲ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς γενομένης καὶ τῶν φρουρῶν παραβοηθησάντων ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ἀποβαλὼν τῶν στρατιωτῶν πλείους πεντακοσίων.
Thus the Acragantines, having fallen into this disaster, ruined their own most noble enterprise, and for their allies their hopes of freedom. But Agathocles, when the battle had just occurred, having sailed down to Selinus in Sicily, forced the Heracleots, who had freed their city, to submit again. And passing over to the other part of the island, having won over the Thermites, he let the Carthaginians who were garrisoning this city depart under a treaty. Having taken Cephaloedium by storm, he left Leptines as its overseer; and he himself, making his march through the interior, attempted to slip into Centuripa by night, as certain citizens were ready to receive him. But when the plot became manifest and the garrison came to help, he was driven out of the city, losing more than five hundred of his soldiers.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτά τινων ἐκ τῆς Ἀπολλωνίας μεταπεμπομένων αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν πατρίδα προδώσειν ἐπαγγελλομένων ἧκε πρὸς τὴν πόλιν· τῶν δὲ προδοτῶν καταφανῶν γενομένων καὶ κολασθέντων κατὰ μὲν πρώτην ἡμέραν πολιορκήσας ἄπρακτος ἐγένετο, τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ πολλὰ κακοπαθήσας καὶ συχνοὺς ἀποβαλὼν μόλις εἷλε τὴν πόλιν καὶ τῶν Ἀπολλωνιατῶν τοὺς πλείστους ἀποσφάξας διήρπασε τὰς κτήσεις.
After these things, when some from Apollonia sent for him and promised to betray their native city, he came to the city. But when the traitors became manifest and were punished, though on the first day he besieged it and accomplished nothing, on the next day, after suffering many hardships and losing many men, he took the city with difficulty, and having slaughtered most of the Apolloniates, he plundered their possessions.
- 20.56.1οὖσαν πεζῶν μὲν πλειόνων ἢ μυρίων, ἱππέων δὲ σχεδὸν χιλίων
The participle οὖσαν is feminine accusative singular, agreeing with the preceding τὴν δύναμιν ('the force'). The subsequent genitives πεζῶν and ἱππέων function as genitives of material or content, indicating what the force consisted of ('consisting of...').
- 20.56.3καταπλεύσας τῆς Σικελίας εἰς Σελινοῦντα
The genitive τῆς Σικελίας is most naturally taken as modifying the prepositional phrase εἰς Σελινοῦντα ('to Selinus in Sicily'). Alternatively, it could be construed with καταπλεύσας as a partitive genitive of place ('having sailed to a part of Sicily, namely to Selinus').
- 20.56.3ὑποσπόνδους ἀφῆκε
The predicative adjective ὑποσπόνδους ('under a treaty / truce') modifies the unexpressed direct object of ἀφῆκε ('he let go'). Although the object is omitted, it refers to the Carthaginian garrison, which is introduced in the immediately following genitive absolute construction τῶν Καρχηδονίων φρουρούντων ('the Carthaginians garrisoning').