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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §11.73.1-11.73.3

Revolt of the Mercenaries at Syracuse and the Blockade

Passage 74 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The foreign mercenaries, excluded from public office, conspired and occupied Achradina and the Island; in response, the Syracusans blocked them off from the countryside, leading to a stalemate where the mercenaries excelled in combat but suffered from a lack of supplies.

§11.73.1οὗτοι τῆς ἐκ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσιῶν τιμῆς ἀπελαυνόμενοι χαλεπῶς ἔφερον, καὶ συμφρονήσαντες ἀπέστησαν τῶν Συρακοσίων, καὶ τῆς πόλεως κατελάβοντο τήν τε Ἀχραδινὴν καὶ τὴν Νῆσον, ἀμφοτέρων τῶν τόπων τούτων ἐχόντων ἴδιον τεῖχος καλῶς κατεσκευασμένον.
These men, being excluded from the honor of public office derived from elections, took it hard, and conspiring together they revolted from the Syracusans and occupied both Achradina and the Island of the city, since both of these places had their own wall beautifully constructed.
§11.73.2οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι πάλιν ἐμπεσόντες εἰς ταραχὴν τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς πόλεως κατεῖχον, καὶ τὸ πρὸς τὰς Ἐπιπολὰς τετραμμένον αὐτῆς ἀπετείχισαν καὶ πολλὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἑαυτοῖς κατεσκεύασαν· εὐθὺς γὰρ τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ἐξόδου τοὺς ἀφεστηκότας εὐχερῶς εἶργον καὶ ταχὺ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἐποίησαν ἀπορεῖν.
The Syracusans, having fallen again into confusion, held the rest of the city, and they walled off the part of it turned toward Epipolae and secured great safety for themselves; for they easily debarred the rebels from exit to the countryside and quickly made them suffer from a lack of provisions.
§11.73.3οἱ δὲ ξένοι τοῖς μὲν πλήθεσιν ἐλείποντο τῶν Συρακοσίων, ταῖς δὲ ἐμπειρίαις ταῖς κατὰ πόλεμον πολὺ προεῖχον· διὸ καὶ γινομένων κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιθέσεων καὶ κατὰ μέρος συμπλοκῶν, ταῖς μὲν μάχαις οἱ ξένοι ἐπροτέρουν, εἰργόμενοι δὲ τῆς χώρας ἐλείποντο ταῖς παρασκευαῖς καὶ τροφῆς ἐσπάνιζον.
The foreigners were inferior to the Syracusans in numbers, but in military experience they were far superior; therefore, while attacks and partial skirmishes were taking place throughout the city, in the battles the foreigners had the upper hand, but because they were shut off from the countryside, they fell behind in supplies and ran short of food.
καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And such was the state of affairs in Sicily.

Notes

  1. 11.73.1τῆς πόλεως — The genitive τῆς πόλεως is a partitive genitive dependent on τήν τε Ἀχραδινὴν καὶ τὴν Νῆσον ('Achradina and the Island of [within] the city').
  2. 11.73.2τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ἐξόδου — This is a genitive of separation governed by the verb εἶργον ('prevented', 'debarred'), indicating that the rebels were prevented from 'exiting into the countryside.'
  3. 11.73.3τοῖς μὲν πλήθεσιν ... ταῖς δὲ ἐμπειρίαις — The datives πλήθεσιν ('numbers') and ἐμπειρίαις ('experiences') are datives of respect (or relation) modifying ἐλείποντο ('were inferior') and προεῖχον ('were superior') respectively, meaning 'in respect to...'.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §11.73.1-11.73.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:11.73.1-11.73.3

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