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The Histories

§33.19.1

Excessive Drinking Habits of King Demetrius of Syria

The description of Demetrius, who escaped from hostage-ship in Rome to become king of Syria, as a heavy drinker who was drunk for most of the day.

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§33.19.1

καὶ Δημήτριον δέ φησι, τὸν ἐκ τῆς Ῥώμης ὁμηρείαν1 διαφυγόντα, ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ τριακοστῇ2 βασιλεύσαντα Σύρων πολυπότην ὄντα τὸ πλεῖστον τῆς ἡμέρας μεθύσκεσθαι.

​And he says in the thirty-third book that Demetrius, who had escaped from his hostage-ship in Rome and became king of the Syrians, was a heavy drinker and remained drunk for the greater part of the day.

Syntax notes2 items
  1. 33.19.1ὁμηρείαν

    An abstract noun meaning 'hostage-ship' or 'the state of being a hostage.' Here used in the context of escaping from his condition or status as a hostage.

  2. 33.19.1ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ καὶ τριακοστῇ

    Ellipsis of the feminine noun βίβλῳ (book). It means 'in the thirty-third book' of Diodorus' Library of History. Although positioned right before βασιλεύσαντα (having ruled), it does not refer to the length of Demetrius' reign or his sequence as king, but is a bibliographical insert by the epitomator identifying the location of the source text.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-10-09)
  • 2026-10-09 Collated with the printed edition — source 1
  • 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0543.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:33.19.1