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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §11.54.1-11.54.5

Synoecism of Elis and Spartan Charges Against Themistocles

Passage 55 of 723 · Greek

Summary

This chunk describes the synoecism of the Eleans under the archonship of Praxiergos, and the Lacedaemonians' accusation of Themistocles as an accomplice of Pausanias, which initially resulted in his acquittal but later led to a shift in Athenian sentiment against him.

§11.54.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Πραξιέργου Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν ὑπάτους κατέστησαν Αὖλον Οὐεργίνιον Τρίκοστον καὶ Γάιον Σερουίλιον Στροῦκτον.
Under the archonship of Praxiergos in Athens, the Romans established Aulus Verginius Tricostus and Gaius Servilius Structus as consuls.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Ἠλεῖοι μὲν πλείους καὶ μικρὰς πόλεις οἰκοῦντες εἰς μίαν συνῳκίσθησαν τὴν ὀνομαζομένην Ἦλιν.
During their term of office, the Eleans, who inhabited many small cities, were synoecized into a single one called Elis.
§11.54.2Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ὁρῶντες τὴν μὲν Σπάρτην διὰ τὴν Παυσανίου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ προδοσίαν ταπεινῶς πράττουσαν, τοὺς δὲ Ἀθηναίους εὐδοκιμοῦντας διὰ τὸ μηδένα παρʼ αὐτοῖς πολίτην ἐπὶ προδοσίᾳ κατεγνῶσθαι, ἔσπευδον τὰς Ἀθήνας ταῖς ὁμοίαις περιβαλεῖν διαβολαῖς.
The Lacedaemonians, seeing that Sparta was in a humbled state because of the treason of their general Pausanias, while the Athenians were in high repute because no citizen among them had been condemned for treason, strove to envelop Athens in similar slanders.
§11.54.3διόπερ εὐδοκιμοῦντος παρʼ αὐτοῖς Θεμιστοκλέους καὶ μεγάλην δόξαν ἔχοντος ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ, κατηγόρησαν προδοσίαν αὐτοῦ, φάσκοντες φίλον γενέσθαι τοῦ Παυσανίου μέγιστον, καὶ μετὰ τούτου συντεθεῖσθαι κοινῇ προδοῦναι τὴν Ἑλλάδα τῷ Ξέρξῃ.
Therefore, while Themistocles was in high repute among them and held a great reputation for excellence, they accused him of treason, claiming that he had been a most intimate friend of Pausanias, and had agreed with him to betray Greece in common to Xerxes.
§11.54.4διελέγοντο δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς τοῦ Θεμιστοκλέους, παροξύνοντες αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν κατηγορίαν, καὶ χρήματα ἔδοσαν, διδάσκοντες ὅτι Παυσανίας μὲν κρίνας προδιδόναι τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐδήλωσε τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιβολὴν Θεμιστοκλεῖ καὶ παρεκάλεσε κοινωνεῖν τῆς προθέσεως, ὁ δὲ Θεμιστοκλῆς οὔτε προσεδέξατο τὴν ἔντευξιν οὔτε διαβάλλειν ἔκρινε δεῖν ἄνδρα φίλον.
They also conferred with the enemies of Themistocles, egging them on to the accusation, and gave them money, instructing them that Pausanias, when he decided to betray the Greeks, had revealed his own plan to Themistocles and exhorted him to share in his purpose, but that Themistocles had neither accepted the proposal nor decided that he ought to denounce a man who was his friend.
§11.54.5οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ κατηγορηθεὶς ὁ Θεμιστοκλῆς τότε μὲν ἀπέφυγε τὴν τῆς προδοσίας κρίσιν.
Nevertheless, although he was accused, Themistocles on that occasion escaped the trial for treason.
διὸ καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον μετὰ τὴν ἀπόλυσιν μέγας ἦν παρὰ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις· ἠγάπων γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς πεπραγμένοις διαφερόντως οἱ πολῖται·
Therefore, at first after his acquittal, he was great among the Athenians; for the citizens loved him exceedingly for what he had accomplished.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα οἱ μὲν φοβηθέντες αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπεροχήν, οἱ δὲ φθονήσαντες τῇ δόξῃ, τῶν μὲν εὐεργεσιῶν ἐπελάθοντο, τὴν δʼ ἰσχὺν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ φρόνημα ταπεινοῦν ἔσπευδον.
But after this, some fearing his superiority, and others envying his reputation, forgot his benefactions and strove to humble his power and pride.

Notes

  1. §11.54.1πλείους — The comparative adjective πλείους (contracted accusative plural feminine of πλείων) is used as an absolute comparative, meaning 'many' or 'numerous' rather than 'more'. It is connected by καί to μικρὰς and modifies πόλεις, which functions as the object of the participle οἰκοῦντες.
  2. §11.54.3εὐδοκιμοῦντος παρʼ αὐτοῖς Θεμιστοκλέους — A genitive absolute construction introducing a subject different from that of the main clause (the Lacedaemonians). It presents the time or circumstance in which Themistocles enjoyed a high reputation among the Athenians, implying the motivation for the Spartan targeting of him.
  3. §11.54.5οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ — An idiomatic adversative formula meaning 'nevertheless' or 'however'. It introduces the fact that despite the detailed conspiracy to trap him described in the previous sentence, Themistocles managed to escape conviction on that occasion.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §11.54.1-11.54.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:11.54.1-11.54.5

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