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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §11.62.1-11.62.3

Cimon's Renown and the Athenian Inscription of Victory

Passage 63 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Due to the victory at the Eurymedon River, Cimon won great fame throughout Greece, and Athens grew powerful with vast spoils. The Athenian assembly dedicated a tenth of the booty to the god, inscribing an epigram that commemorated their dual victory on land and sea.

§11.62.1Κίμων δὲ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας στρατηγίας καὶ ἀρετῆς μεγάλα κατωρθωκώς, περιβόητον ἔσχε τὴν δόξαν οὐ μόνον παρὰ τοῖς πολίταις, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις Ἕλλησιν.
Since Cimon had achieved great successes through his own generalship and virtue, he enjoyed a highly celebrated reputation not only among his fellow-citizens but also among the other Greeks.
αἰχμαλώτους γὰρ εἰλήφει τριακοσίας καὶ τετταράκοντα ναῦς, ἄνδρας δὲ ὑπὲρ τοὺς δισμυρίους, χρημάτων δὲ πλῆθος ἀξιόλογον.
For he had captured three hundred and forty ships, over twenty thousand men, and a remarkable amount of money.
§11.62.2οἱ δὲ Πέρσαι τηλικούτοις ἐλαττώμασι περιπεπτωκότες ἄλλας τριήρεις πλείους κατεσκεύασαν, φοβούμενοι τὴν τῶν Ἀθηναίων αὔξησιν.
The Persians, having met with such great reverses, constructed more triremes, fearing the growth of the Athenians.
ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτων τῶν χρόνων ἡ πόλις τῶν Ἀθηναίων πολλὴν ἐπίδοσιν ἐλάμβανε, χρημάτων τε πλήθει κατασκευασθεῖσα καὶ δόξης μεγάλης ἐν ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ στρατηγίᾳ τυχοῦσα.
For from these times the city of the Athenians began to make great progress, having been equipped with an abundance of money and having obtained a great reputation for courage and generalship.
§11.62.3ὁ δὲ δῆμος τῶν Ἀθηναίων δεκάτην ἐξελόμενος ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων ἀνέθηκε τῷ θεῷ, καὶ τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἐπὶ τὸ κατασκευασθὲν ἀνάθημα ἐνέγραψε τήνδε, " ἐξ οὗ γʼ Εὐρώπην Ἀσίας δίχα πόντος ἔνειμε καὶ πόλιας θνητῶν θοῦρος Ἄρης ἐπέχει, οὐδέν πω τοιοῦτον ἐπιχθονίων γένετʼ ἀνδρῶν ἔργον ἐν ἠπείρῳ καὶ κατὰ πόντον ἅμα.
The people of the Athenians, having set aside a tenth of the spoils, dedicated it to the god, and inscribed upon the constructed offering this inscription: 'Ever since the sea split Europe apart from Asia, and impetuous Ares holds sway over the cities of mortals, no such deed of earthly men has yet occurred on land and at sea at the same time.
οἵδε γὰρ ἐν Κύπρῳ Μήδους πολλοὺς ὀλέσαντες Φοινίκων ἑκατὸν ναῦς ἕλον ἐν πελάγει ἀνδρῶν πληθούσας, μέγα δʼ ἔστενεν Ἀσὶς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν πληγεῖσʼ ἀμφοτέραις χερσὶ κράτει πολέμου. "
For these men, having destroyed many Medes in Cyprus, captured one hundred ships of the Phoenicians on the open sea, full of men; and Asia groaned loudly under them, having been struck with both hands by the power of war.'

Notes

  1. §11.62.1κατωρθωκώς — The perfect participle expresses an action prior to the main verb ἔσχε and is best interpreted causally ('since he had achieved...').
  2. §11.62.2κατασκευασθεῖσα — A feminine singular nominative passive participle modifying the subject ἡ πόλις. Parallel with the subsequent active participle τυχούσα, it explains the reason or manner of Athens' development ('having been equipped with... and having obtained...').
  3. §11.62.3ἐξ οὗ — A temporal conjunctional phrase, using the genitive neuter relative pronoun οὗ (with an omitted antecedent like χρόνου), meaning 'since the time when' or 'ever since.' It governs both the clauses of πόντος ἔνειμε and Ἄρης ἐπέχει.
  4. §11.62.3ἀμφοτέραις χερσὶ — A dative of means or manner. The physical metaphor 'with both hands' poetically represents the simultaneous and double onslaught (victory) by the Athenian forces on both land and sea.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §11.62.1-11.62.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:11.62.1-11.62.3

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