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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §11.18.1-11.18.6

Outbreak of the Battle of Salamis and Persian Rout

Passage 19 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Greek and Persian forces draw up their formations, and the naval battle of Salamis begins. The Persians fall into confusion in the narrow strait and flee under the heavy attack of the Athenians.

§11.18.1τέλος δὲ τῶν περὶ τὸν Εὐρυβιάδην καὶ Θεμιστοκλέα διαταξάντων τὰς δυνάμεις, τὸ μὲν εὐώνυμον μέρος ἐπεῖχον Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, πρὸς τὸ τῶν Φοινίκων ναυτικὸν ἀντιταχθησόμενοι· μεγάλην γὰρ οἱ Φοίνικες ὑπεροχὴν εἶχον διά τε τὸ πλῆθος καὶ διὰ τὴν ἐκ προγόνων ἐν τοῖς ναυτικοῖς ἔργοις ἐμπειρίαν·
Finally, when Eurybiades and Themistocles and their men had drawn up their forces, the Athenians and Lacedaemonians held the left wing, being arrayed against the Phoenician fleet; for the Phoenicians had a great superiority both in their numbers and in their ancestral experience in naval affairs.
§11.18.2Αἰγινῆται δὲ καὶ Μεγαρεῖς τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας ἀνεπλήρουν· οὗτοι γὰρ ἐδόκουν εἶναι ναυτικώτατοι μετὰ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους καὶ μάλιστα φιλοτιμήσεσθαι διὰ τὸ μόνους τῶν Ἑλλήνων μηδεμίαν ἔχειν καταφυγήν, εἴ τι συμβαίη πταῖσμα κατὰ τὴν ναυμαχίαν·
But the Aeginetans and Megarians made up the right wing; for these were thought to be the most skilled in naval matters after the Athenians, and it was believed that they would fight with the greatest rivalry because they alone of the Greeks had no place of refuge if any disaster should occur in the sea-battle.
τὴν δὲ μέσην τάξιν ἐπεῖχε τὸ λοιπὸν τῶν Ἑλλήνων πλῆθος.
The middle position was held by the rest of the multitude of the Greeks.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον συνταχθέντες ἐξέπλευσαν, καὶ τὸν πόρον μεταξὺ Σαλαμῖνος καὶ Ἡρακλείου κατεῖχον·
Having been drawn up in this manner, they sailed out and occupied the strait between Salamis and Heracleium.
§11.18.3ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς τῷ μὲν ναυάρχῳ προσέταξεν ἐπιπλεῖν τοῖς πολεμίοις, αὐτὸς δʼ εἰς τὸν ἐναντίον τόπον τῆς Σαλαμῖνος παρῆλθεν, ἐξ οὗ θεωρεῖν ἦν τὴν ναυμαχίαν γινομένην.
And the king ordered the commander of the fleet to sail against the enemy, while he himself went to the place opposite Salamis, from which it was possible to watch the sea-battle taking place.
§11.18.4οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πλέοντες διετήρουν τὴν τάξιν, ἔχοντες πολλὴν εὐρυχωρίαν· ὡς δʼ εἰς τὸ στενὸν ἦλθον, ἠναγκάζοντο τῶν νεῶν τινας ἀπὸ τῆς τάξεως ἀποσπᾶν, καὶ πολὺν ἐποίουν θόρυβον.
At first, the Persians, as they sailed, maintained their formation, having plenty of open space; but when they came into the narrow strait, they were forced to draw some of the ships away from the formation, and they created a great tumult.
§11.18.5ὁ δὲ ναύαρχος προηγούμενος τῆς τάξεως καὶ πρῶτος συνάψας μάχην διεφθάρη λαμπρῶς ἀγωνισάμενος.
The commander of the fleet, leading the formation and being the first to join battle, was killed after fighting brilliantly.
τῆς δὲ νεὼς βυθισθείσης, ταραχὴ κατέσχε τὸ ναυτικὸν τῶν βαρβάρων· πολλοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ προστάττοντες, οὐ ταὐτὰ δʼ ἕκαστος παρήγγελλε.
When his ship was sunk, confusion seized the fleet of the barbarians; for those who gave orders were many, and each did not command the same things.
διὸ καὶ τοῦ πλεῖν εἰς τοὔμπροσθεν ἐπέσχον, ἀνακωχεύοντες δʼ ἀνεχώρουν εἰς τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν.
For this reason, they stopped sailing forward, and backing water, they retreated into the open space.
§11.18.6οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι θεωροῦντες τὴν ταραχὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ἐπέπλεον τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ τὰς μὲν τοῖς ἐμβόλοις ἔτυπτον, ὧν δὲ τοὺς ταρσοὺς παρέσυρον· τῆς δʼ εἰρεσίας οὐχ ὑπηρετούσης, πολλαὶ τῶν Περσῶν τριήρεις πλάγιαι γινόμεναι ταῖς ἐμβολαῖς πυκνῶς κατετιτρώσκοντο.
But the Athenians, seeing the confusion of the barbarians, sailed against the enemy, and some of the ships they struck with their rams, while from others they sheared off the banks of oars; and since the rowing was no longer functioning, many of the Persian triremes, turning broadside, were repeatedly damaged by the rams.
διὸ καὶ πρύμναν μὲν ἀνακρούεσθαι κατέπαυσαν, εἰς τοὐπίσω δὲ πλέουσαι προτροπάδην ἔφευγον.
Therefore, they ceased backing water and, sailing backward, fled headlong.

Notes

  1. 11.18.1τῶν περὶ τὸν Εὐρυβιάδην καὶ Θεμιστοκλέα — The idiomatic expression οἱ περί + accusative, meaning 'Eurybiades, Themistocles, and their associates,' is used here in the genitive as the subject of the genitive absolute construction.
  2. 11.18.2διὰ τὸ μόνους τῶν Ἑλλήνων μηδεμίαν ἔχειν καταφυγήν — The preposition διὰ with the articular infinitive τὸ ... ἔχειν (meaning 'because of having...'). μόνους serves as the accusative subject (or subject complement) of the infinitive.
  3. 11.18.3θεωρεῖν ἦν — The impersonal use of ἔστιν / ἦν with the infinitive, meaning 'it is/was possible to watch.'
  4. 11.18.6τὰς μὲν ... ὧν δὲ — While μὲν ... δὲ establishes a contrast, τὰς μὲν is the accusative direct object of ἔτυπτον ('some of them they struck'), whereas ὧν δὲ is a genitive relative pronoun depending on τοὺς ταρσοὺς ('of others [they sheared off] the oars'), showing an asymmetrical syntax for stylistic variation.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §11.18.1-11.18.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:11.18.1-11.18.6

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