- 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-grc6:20.96.1-20.96.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
Having received abundant supplies from Ptolemy, Cassander, and Lysimachus, the besieged Rhodians regained their courage and launched a fierce night attack, forcing Demetrius to withdraw his Helepolis out of range.
ἐν δὲ ταῖς αὐταῖς ἡμέραις Πτολεμαῖος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἀπέστειλε τοῖς Ῥοδίοις πλοίων πλῆθος τῶν τὴν ἀγορὰν κομιζόντων, ἐν οἷς ἦσαν σίτου τριάκοντα μυριάδες ἀρταβῶν σὺν τοῖς ὀσπρίοις.
During the same days, King Ptolemy dispatched to the Rhodians a multitude of vessels carrying provisions, among which were three hundred thousand artabae of wheat along with pulse.
προσφερομένων δʼ αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἐπεχείρησε Δημήτριος ἀποστέλλειν σκάφη τὰ κατάξοντα1 πρὸς τὴν αὐτοῦ στρατοπεδείαν. φοροῦ δὲ πνεύματος αὐτοῖς ἐπιγενομένου2 ταῦτα μὲν πλήρεσι τοῖς ἱστίοις φερόμενα κατηνέχθη πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους λιμένας, οἱ δʼ ὑπὸ Δημητρίου πεμφθέντες ἐπανῆλθον ἄπρακτοι.
As they were approaching the city, Demetrius attempted to send vessels to bring them down to his own camp. But since a favorable wind came upon them, these vessels, carried along with full sails, were brought down into their own harbors, while those sent by Demetrius returned without success.
ἔπεμψε δὲ τοῖς Ῥοδίοις καὶ Κάσανδρος κριθῶν μεδίμνους μυρίους καὶ Λυσίμαχος πυρῶν μεδίμνους τετρακισμυρίους καὶ κριθῶν τοὺς ἴσους. τηλικαύτης οὖν χορηγίας τοῖς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν γενομένης ἤδη κάμνοντες ταῖς ψυχαῖς οἱ πολιορκούμενοι πάλιν ἀνεθάρρησαν καὶ κρίναντες συμφέρειν ἐπιθέσθαι ταῖς μηχαναῖς τῶν πολεμίων πυρφόρων τε πλῆθος παρεσκευάσαντο καὶ τοὺς πετροβόλους καὶ τοὺς ὀξυβελεῖς ἔστησαν ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τοῦ τείχους.
Cassander also sent to the Rhodians ten thousand medimni of barley, and Lysimachus forty thousand medimni of wheat and an equal amount of barley. Since such a great supply had come to those in the city, the besieged, who were already losing heart, recovered their courage again, and deciding that it was advantageous to attack the engines of the enemy, they prepared a multitude of fire-carriers, and placed all the stone-throwers and bolt-projectors upon the wall.
νυκτὸς δʼ ἐπιγενομένης περὶ δευτέραν φυλακὴν ἄφνω τοῖς μὲν πυρφόροις συνεχῶς τὴν ἑλέπολιν ἔβαλλον, τοῖς δʼ ἄλλοις βέλεσι παντοίοις χρώμενοι τοὺς ἐκεῖ συντρέχοντας κατετίτρωσκον.
When night came on, about the second watch, they suddenly began to strike the Helepolis continuously with the fire-carriers, and using all other kinds of missiles, they wounded those who ran together there.
οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Δημήτριον3 ἀνελπίστου τῆς ἐπιθέσεως γενομένης ἀγωνιάσαντες περὶ τῶν κατασκευασθέντων ἔργων συνέτρεχον ἐπὶ τὴν βοήθειαν.
Those about Demetrius, as the attack was unexpected, became anxious for the constructed works and ran together to assist.
ἀσελήνου δὲ τῆς νυκτὸς οὔσης οἱ μὲν πυρφόροι διέλαμπον φερόμενοι βιαίως, οἱ δʼ ὀξυβελεῖς καὶ πετροβόλοι τὴν φορὰν ἀπροόρατον ἔχοντες πολλοὺς διέφθειρον τῶν μὴ δυναμένων συνιδεῖν τὴν ἐπιφερομένην πληγήν.
Since the night was moonless, the fire-carriers shone brightly as they were violently hurled, but the bolt-projectors and stone-throwers, having their flight unseen, destroyed many of those who were unable to see the incoming blow.
ἔτυχον δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς μηχανῆς λεπίδων τινὲς ἀποπεσοῦσαι,4 καταψιλωθέντος δὲ τοῦ τόπου προσέπιπτον οἱ πυρφόροι τῷ ξυλοφανεῖ τοῦ κατασκευάσματος. διόπερ ἀγωνιάσας ὁ Δημήτριος μήποτε τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπινεμηθέντος ἅπασαν συμβῇ τὴν μηχανὴν λυμανθῆναι,5 κατὰ τάχος ἐβοήθει καὶ τῷ παρασκευασθέντι ὕδατι ἐν ταῖς στεγαις ἐπειρᾶτο σβεννύναι τὴν ἐπιφερομένην φλόγα. τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον ἀθροίσας τῇ σάλπιγγι τοὺς τεταγμένους ἐπὶ τῆς κινήσεως τῶν ἔργων διὰ τούτων ἀπήγαγε τὰς μηχανὰς ἐκτὸς βέλους.
It also happened that some of the metal plates fell off from the engine, and when the place was laid bare, the fire-carriers fell upon the wooden part of the structure. Therefore Demetrius, fearing lest the fire should spread and the whole engine should be destroyed, hastened to bring help and tried to extinguish the incoming flame with the water that had been prepared in the stories. Finally, assembling by trumpet those appointed for the movement of the works, he withdrew the engines out of missile range by their means.
- 20.96.2τὰ κατάξοντα
The future active participle κατάξοντα (from κατάγω) is used as an adjective expressing purpose, modifying σκάφη. It means 'vessels that would bring (the other ships) down to his own camp.'
- 20.96.2φοροῦ δὲ πνεύματος αὐτοῖς ἐπιγενομένου
Genitive absolute construction. αὐτοῖς is a dative referring to Ptolemy's ships, dependent on ἐπιγενομένου, meaning 'since a favorable wind came upon them.'
- 20.96.5οἱ δὲ περί τὸν Δημήτριον
The idiomatic expression 'preposition περί + accusative' with a proper noun refers to the group consisting of Demetrius and those around him, i.e., his followers or men.
- 20.96.7ἔτυχον δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς μηχανῆς λεπίδων τινὲς ἀποπεσοῦσαι
The construction of τυγχάνω (ἔτυχον) with the nominative participle ἀποπεσοῦσαι expresses a coincidental occurrence: 'it happened that some of the plates fell off.'
- 20.96.7μήποτε τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπινεμηθέντος ἅπασαν συμβῇ τὴν μηχανὴν λυμανθῆναι
A clause introduced by μήποτε after the verb of fearing ἀγωνιάσας ('fearing lest...'). Within this clause, the genitive absolute τοῦ πυρὸς ἐπινεμηθέντος ('the fire having spread') is inserted, and the subject of the subjunctive συμβῇ ('should happen') is the accusative and infinitive construction ἅπασαν ... τὴν μηχανὴν λυμανθῆναι ('that the entire engine be destroyed').