- 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-grc6:20.82.1-20.82.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Antigonus attempts to force the Rhodians into an alliance to detach them from Ptolemy, leading to threats of siege upon their refusal. When Demetrius demands excessive hostages and port access, the Rhodians prepare for war, while Demetrius assembles a massive force of forty thousand soldiers and numerous merchant vessels for the expedition.
ὃ δὴ συνορῶν ὁ Ἀντίγονος καὶ σπεύδων αὐτοὺς ἀποσπάσαι τῆς πρὸς ἐκεῖνον ἐπιπλοκῆς τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πρεσβευτὰς ἀπέστειλε καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς Κύπρου διεπολέμει πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον, ἀξιῶν αὐτῷ συμμαχεῖν καὶ ναῦς συναποστεῖλαι τῷ Δημητρίῳ·1
Antigonus, perceiving this and hastening to detach them from their connection with Ptolemy, at first sent ambassadors at the time when he was warring against Ptolemy over Cyprus, demanding that they ally with him and send ships along with Demetrius.
οὐ προσεχόντων δʼ αὐτῶν ἀπέστειλέ τινα τῶν στρατηγῶν μετὰ νεῶν, συντάξας τοὺς πλέοντας εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐκ τῆς Ῥόδου κατάγειν2 καὶ περιαιρεῖσθαι τὰ φορτία. τούτου δʼ ἐκβληθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν Ῥοδίων φήσας αὐτοὺς ἀδίκου κατῆρχθαι πολέμου διηπειλήσατο πολιορκήσειν δυνάμεσιν ἁδραῖς τὴν πόλιν. οἱ δὲ Ῥόδιοι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐψηφίσαντο μεγάλας αὐτῷ τιμὰς καὶ πέμψαντες πρέσβεις ἠξίουν μὴ βιάσασθαι τὴν πόλιν προπεσεῖν παρὰ τὰς συνθήκας εἰς τὸν πόλεμον πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον.
But when they paid no attention to this, he sent one of his generals with ships, ordering him to bring into port those sailing from Rhodes to Egypt and to confiscate their cargoes. When this general was expelled by the Rhodians, Antigonus, asserting that they had initiated an unjust war, threatened to besiege their city with a heavy force. The Rhodians at first voted great honors to him, and, sending ambassadors, begged him not to force their city to plunge into war against Ptolemy contrary to their treaties.
τραχύτερον δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως ἀπαντῶντος καὶ τὸν υἱὸν Δημήτριον ἐκπέμψαντος μετὰ δυνάμεως καὶ πολιορκητικῶν ὀργάνων φοβηθέντες τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ βασιλέως τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἀπέστειλαν πρὸς τὸν Δημήτριον, φήσαντες συμπολεμήσειν Ἀντιγόνῳ πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον· ὡς δʼ ἐκεῖνος ὁμήρους ἑκατὸν ᾔτει τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους καὶ τοῖς λιμέσι δέχεσθαι τὸν στόλον προσέταττεν, ὑπολαβόντες ἐπιβουλεύειν αὐτὸν τῇ πόλει, τὰ πρὸς πόλεμον παρεσκευάζοντο.
But when the king answered more harshly and dispatched his son Demetrius with a force and siege engines, they, fearing the king’s overwhelming power, at first sent messengers to Demetrius, saying that they would fight along with Antigonus against Ptolemy. However, when he demanded one hundred hostages from among the most illustrious citizens and ordered them to receive his fleet into their harbors, they suspected that he was plotting against the city, and began to make preparations for war.
Δημήτριος δὲ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν ἀθροίσας εἰς τὸν ἐν Λωρύμοις λιμένα στόλον ἐξήρτυε πρὸς τὸν ἐπίπλουν τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥόδον. εἶχε δὲ ναῦς μακρὰς μὲν παντοίας μεγέθει διακοσίας, ὑπηρετικὰ δὲ πλείω τῶν ἑκατὸν ἑβδομήκοντα· ἐν δὲ τούτοις ἐκομίζοντο στρατιῶται βραχὺ λειπόμενοι τῶν τετρακισμυρίων σὺν ἱππεῦσι καὶ τοῖς συμμαχοῦσι πειραταῖς. ὑπῆρχε δὲ καὶ βελῶν παντοίων πλῆθος καὶ πάντων τῶν πρὸς πολιορκίαν χρησίμων μεγάλη παρασκευή.
Demetrius, having assembled all his forces in the harbor at Loryma, prepared his fleet for the voyage against Rhodes. He had two hundred warships of every size, and more than one hundred and seventy auxiliary vessels; and on these were carried soldiers lacking a little of forty thousand, along with cavalry and allied pirates. There was also a great quantity of missiles of every kind, and an immense preparation of everything useful for a siege.
χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἰδιωτικὰ πόρια συνηκολούθει τῶν ταῖς ἀγοραῖς χρωμένων3 βραχὺ λειπόμενα τῶν χιλίων· πολλὰ γὰρ ἔτη τῆς χώρας τῆς Ῥοδίων ἀπορθήτου γεγενημένης συνέρρει πανταχόθεν πλῆθος τῶν εἰωθότων ὠφελείας ἰδίας ἡγεῖσθαι τὰ τῶν πολεμουμένων ἀτυχήματα.
Apart from these, private trading vessels belonging to those who made use of the markets followed along, lacking a little of a thousand. For since the territory of the Rhodians had remained unravaged for many years, there flocked from all sides a multitude of those who were accustomed to regard the misfortunes of those at war as their own gain.
- 20.82.1τῷ Δημητρίῳ
Dative governed by the prefix συν- in the verb συναποστεῖλαι. It expresses the meaning "to send ships along with Demetrius" (or to join him), rather than functioning as an indirect object "to Demetrius."
- 20.82.2κατάγειν
A nautical technical term meaning "to bring (ships) to land" or "to force into port." Here it refers to the military action of intercepting and detaining merchant vessels sailing to Egypt.
- 20.82.5των ταῖς ἀγοραῖς χρωμένων
Genitive noun phrase modifying the preceding ἰδιωτικὰ πόρια (private merchant vessels). It indicates that these were vessels belonging to or used by merchants engaged in trade (ἀγορά) at the military markets.