- 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-grc6:20.81.1-20.81.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
As new magistrates take office in Athens and Rome, war breaks out between Antigonus and the Rhodians, highlighting Rhodes' prosperity and its diplomatic position of maintaining separate friendships with all rulers.
τοῦ δʼ ἐνιαυσίου χρόνου διεληλυθότος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦρχεν Εὐξένιππος, ἐν Ῥώμῃ δʼ ὑπῆρχον ὕπατοι Λεύκιος Ποστούμιος καὶ Τιβέριος Μινούκιος. ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Ῥοδίοις ἐνέστη πόλεμος πρὸς Ἀντίγονον διὰ τοιαύτας τινὰς αἰτίας.
When the year had passed, Euxenippos was archon in Athens, and in Rome Lucius Postumius and Tiberius Minucius were consuls. During their term of office, war arose between the Rhodians and Antigonus for some such reasons.
ἡ πόλις ἡ τῶν Ῥοδίων ἰσχύουσα ναυτικαῖς δυνάμεσι καὶ πολιτευομένη κάλλιστα τῶν Ἑλλήνων περιμάχητος τοῖς δυνάσταις καὶ βασιλεῦσιν ἦν, ἑκάστου σπεύδοντος1 εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ φιλίαν προσλαμβάνεσθαι. προορωμένη δὲ πόρρωθεν τὸ συμφέρον καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας κατʼ ἰδίαν συντιθεμένη τὴν φιλίαν τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους τοῖς δυνάσταις πολέμων οὐ μετεῖχεν.
The city of the Rhodians, being strong in naval forces and governed in the best manner among the Greeks, was eagerly sought after by the dynasts and kings, as each hastened to win her over to his own friendship. But, foreseeing her interest from afar and establishing friendship with all of them individually, she took no part in the wars of the dynasts against one another.
διόπερ συνέβαινεν αὐτὴν τιμᾶσθαι μὲν ὑφʼ ἑκάστου βασιλικαῖς δωρεαῖς, ἄγουσαν δὲ πολὺν χρόνον εἰρήνην μεγάλην ἐπίδοσιν λαβεῖν πρὸς αὔξησιν· ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον γὰρ προεληλύθει δυνάμεως ὥσθʼ2 ὑπὲρ μὲν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἰδίᾳ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς πειρατὰς πόλεμον ἐπαναιρεῖσθαι καὶ καθαρὰν παρέχεσθαι τῶν κακούργων τὴν θάλατταν, τὸν δὲ πλεῖστον ἰσχύσαντα τῶν μνημονευομένων Ἀλέξανδρον προτιμήσαντʼ αὐτὴν μάλιστα τῶν πόλεων καὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ ὅλης τῆς βασιλείας διαθήκην ἐκεῖ θέσθαι καὶ τἄλλα θαυμάζειν καὶ προάγειν εἰς ὑπεροχήν.
For this reason it happened that she was honored by each with royal gifts, and, maintaining peace for a long time, made great progress toward growth; for she had advanced to such a degree of power as to undertake on behalf of the Greeks, on her own account, the war against the pirates, and to keep the sea clear of these criminals; and that Alexander, who possessed the greatest power of those recorded in memory, having honored her most among the cities, had even deposited his will concerning his whole kingdom there, and in other respects admired her and advanced her to pre-eminence.
οἱ δʼ οὖν Ῥόδιοι πρὸς πάντας τοὺς δυνάστας συντεθειμένοι τὴν φιλίαν διετήρουν μὲν ἑαυτοὺς ἐκτὸς ἐγκλήματος δικαίου, ταῖς δʼ εὐνοίαις ἔρεπον μάλιστα πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον· συνέβαινε γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῶν τε προσόδων τὰς πλείστας εἶναι3 διὰ τοὺς εἰς Αἴγυπτον πλέοντας ἐμπόρους καὶ τὸ σύνολον τρέφεσθαι τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς βασιλείας.
The Rhodians, therefore, having established friendship with all the dynasts, kept themselves free from any just complaint, but in their sympathies they leaned especially toward Ptolemy; for it happened that the greater part of their revenues came from the merchants sailing to Egypt, and, in general, the city was nourished by this kingdom.
- 20.81.2ἑκάστου σπεύδοντος
A genitive absolute construction where 'ἑκάστου' (each ruler) acts as the subject, forming an adverbial clause that explains the reason or background of the dynasts' rivalry.
- 20.81.3ὥσθʼ
A result clause introduced by ὥστε containing two distinct parallel structures. In the first part (with μὲν), the subject (Rhodes) is omitted and serves as the implied subject of the infinitives 'ἐπαναιρεῖσθαι' and 'παρέχεσθαι'. In the second part (with δὲ), a new accusative subject 'Ἀλέξανδρον' is introduced, modified by the participle 'προτιμήσαντʼ', as the subject of the infinitives 'θέσθαι', 'θαυμάζειν', and 'προάγειν'.
- 20.81.4συνέβαινε γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῶν τε προσόδων τὰς πλείστας εἶναι
The impersonal verb 'συνέβαινε' (it happened, it resulted) is followed by the dative 'αὐτοῖς' (to them), with the infinitive phrase 'τῶν τε προσόδων τὰς πλείστας εἶναι' serving as the real subject. 'τῶν προσόδων' is a partitive genitive modifying 'τὰς πλείστας' (the majority).