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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §11.61.1-11.61.7

Cimon's Land Victory at the Eurymedon River

Passage 62 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Cimon and the Athenians disguised themselves with captured Persian ships and equipment to launch a surprise attack on the Persian land camp by the Eurymedon River. This successful assault secured them historic victories by both land and sea on the very same day.

§11.61.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ μὲν Κίμων οὐκ ἀρκεσθεὶς τηλικαύτῃ νίκῃ παραχρῆμα παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ προσκατῆρεν ἐπὶ τὸ πεζὸν τῶν Περσῶν στρατόπεδον, οὔσης τῆς παρεμβολῆς παρὰ τὸν Εὐρυμέδοντα ποταμόν.
After this, Cimon, not being satisfied with so great a victory, immediately sailed down with the whole fleet toward the land camp of the Persians, their encampment being by the Eurymedon River.
βουλόμενος δὲ καταστρατηγῆσαι τοὺς βαρβάρους, ἐνεβίβασεν εἰς τὰς αἰχμαλωτίδας ναῦς τῶν ἰδίων τοὺς ἀρίστους, δοὺς τιάρας καὶ τὴν ἄλλην κατασκευὴν περιθεὶς Περσικήν.
Wishing to outgeneral the barbarians, he embarked the best of his own men into the captured ships, having given them tiaras and having put upon them the rest of the Persian equipment.
§11.61.2οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι προσπλέοντος ἄρτι τοῦ στόλου ταῖς Περσικαῖς ναυσὶ καὶ παρασκευαῖς ψευσθέντες ὑπέλαβον τὰς ἰδίας τριήρεις εἶναι.
The barbarians, being deceived by the Persian ships and equipment of the fleet that was just sailing up, supposed that they were their own triremes.
διόπερ οὗτοι μὲν προσεδέξαντο τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ὡς φίλους ὄντας, ὁ δὲ Κίμων ἤδη νυκτὸς ἐπιγενομένης ἐκβιβάσας τοὺς στρατιώτας, καὶ προσδεχθεὶς ὡς φίλος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, εἰσέπεσεν εἰς τὴν στρατοπεδείαν τῶν βαρβάρων.
Therefore, they received the Athenians as friends; but Cimon, as night had already come on, landed his soldiers, and having been received by them as a friend, rushed into the camp of the barbarians.
§11.61.3ταραχῆς δὲ μεγάλης γενομένης παρὰ τοῖς Πέρσαις, οἱ μὲν περὶ τὸν Κίμωνα πάντας τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας ἔκτειναν, καὶ τὸν μὲν στρατηγὸν τῶν βαρβάρων τὸν ἕτερον Φερενδάτην, ἀδελφιδοῦν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ καταλαβόντες ἐφόνευσαν, τῶν δʼ ἄλλων οὓς μὲν ἔκτεινον, οὓς δὲ κατετραυμάτιζον, πάντας δὲ διὰ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ἐπιθέσεως φεύγειν ἠνάγκασαν, καθόλου δʼ ἔκπληξις ἅμα καὶ ἄγνοια τοιαύτη κατεῖχε τοὺς Πέρσας, ὥσθʼ οἱ πλείους τοὺς ἐπιτιθεμένους αὐτοῖς οἵτινες ἦσαν οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον.
Since a great confusion arose among the Persians, those around Cimon slew everyone they met, and having caught the other general of the barbarians, Pherendates, who was a nephew of the king, in his tent, they killed him; and of the rest, some they slew and others they wounded, and they forced them all to flee because of the unexpected nature of the attack. In general, such consternation and ignorance at the same time possessed the Persians that most of them did not know who those attacking them were.
§11.61.4τοὺς μὲν γὰρ Ἕλληνας οὐχ ὑπελάμβανον ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτοὺς μετὰ δυνάμεως, τὸ σύνολον μηδʼ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς πεζὴν στρατιὰν πεπεισμένοι· τοὺς δὲ Πισίδας, ὄντας ὁμόρους καὶ τὰ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀλλοτρίως ἔχοντας, ὑπελάμβανον ἥκειν μετὰ δυνάμεως.
For they did not suppose that the Greeks had come against them with a force, being convinced that they had no land army at all; but they supposed that the Pisidians, who were neighbors and hostile to them, had come with a force.
διὸ καὶ νομίσαντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἠπείρου τὴν ἐπιφορὰν εἶναι τῶν πολεμίων, πρὸς τὰς ναῦς ὡς πρὸς φιλίας ἔφευγον.
Therefore, thinking that the onset of the enemy was from the mainland, they fled toward the ships as if toward friendly ones.
§11.61.5τῆς δὲ νυκτὸς οὔσης ἀσελήνου καὶ σκοτεινῆς συνέβαινε τὴν ἄγνοιαν πολὺ μᾶλλον αὔξεσθαι καὶ μηδένα τἀληθὲς δύνασθαι ἰδεῖν.
Since the night was moonless and dark, it happened that the confusion was much more increased and no one was able to see the truth.
§11.61.6διὸ καὶ πολλοῦ φόνου γενομένου διὰ τὴν ἀταξίαν τῶν βαρβάρων, ὁ μὲν Κίμων προειρηκὼς τοῖς στρατιώταις πρὸς τὸν ἀρθησόμενον πυρσὸν συντρέχειν, ἦρε πρὸς ταῖς ναυσὶ σύσσημον, εὐλαβούμενος μὴ διεσπαρμένων τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ πρὸς ἁρπαγὴν ὁρμησάντων γένηταί τι παράλογον.
Therefore, although a great slaughter took place because of the disorder of the barbarians, Cimon, having previously ordered his soldiers to run together toward the torch that would be raised, raised a signal-fire near the ships, fearing lest some unexpected disaster might happen if the soldiers were scattered and rushed for plunder.
§11.61.7πάντων δὲ πρὸς τὸν πυρσὸν ἀθροισθέντων καὶ παυσαμένων τῆς ἁρπαγῆς, τότε μὲν εἰς τὰς ναῦς ἀπεχώρησαν, τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ τρόπαιον στήσαντες ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Κύπρον, νενικηκότες δύο καλλίστας νίκας, τὴν μὲν κατὰ γῆν, τὴν δὲ κατὰ θάλατταν· οὐδέπω γὰρ μνημονεύονται τοιαῦται καὶ τηλικαῦται πράξεις γενέσθαι κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡμέραν καὶ ναυτικῷ καὶ πεζῷ στρατοπέδῳ.
When all had gathered at the torch and had ceased from plundering, they then retreated to the ships, and on the next day, having set up a trophy, they sailed away to Cyprus, having won two most glorious victories, one by land and the other by sea; for it is not yet recorded that such and so great deeds occurred on the same day by both a naval and a land force.

Notes

  1. 11.61.2ταῖς Περσικαῖς ναυσὶ καὶ παρασκευαῖς ψευσθέντες — "Being deceived by the Persian ships and equipment." The passive participle ψευσθέντες (from ψεύδω, "to deceive"; in passive, "to be deceived, mistaken") takes the dative of means or cause ταῖς Περσικαῖς ναυσὶ καὶ παρασκευαῖς.
  2. 11.61.4τὸ σύνολον — An adverbial accusative meaning "at all" or "altogether." Here, used with the negative particle μηδέ, it reinforces the negative statement "that they had no land army at all."
  3. 11.61.7οὐδέπω γὰρ μνημονεύονται τοιαῦται καὶ τηλικαῦται πράξεις γενέσθαι — The verb μνημονεύω (here in the passive, "to be remembered/recorded") is used in a personal construction (nominative with infinitive) rather than an impersonal one with an accusative and infinitive. The nominative subject τοιαῦται καὶ τηλικαῦται πράξεις agrees with the verb.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §11.61.1-11.61.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:11.61.1-11.61.7

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