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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §11.79.1-11.79.6

Athenian Victory in Megaris and Sparta Aiding Doris

Passage 80 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Athens intervenes in the border dispute between Corinth and Megara, defeating the Corinthians under Myronides, while Nicomedes of Sparta campaigns as regent to rescue the Dorians from a Phocian invasion.

§11.79.1τοῦ δʼ ἐνιαυσίου χρόνου διεληλυθότος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦρχε Βίων, ἐν Ῥώμῃ δὲ τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν διεδέξαντο Πούπλιος Σερουίλιος Στροῦκτος καὶ Λεύκιος Αἰβούτιος Ἄλβας.
When the period of a year had elapsed, Bion was archon in Athens, and in Rome Publius Servilius Structus and Lucius Aebutius Albus succeeded to the consular office.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Κορινθίοις καὶ Μεγαρεῦσι περὶ χώρας ὁμόρου γενομένης ἀμφισβητήσεως, εἰς πόλεμον αἱ πόλεις ἐνέπεσον.
During their term, since a dispute had arisen between the Corinthians and Megarians concerning bordering land, the cities fell into war.
§11.79.2τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον τὴν χώραν ἀλλήλων διετέλουν λεηλατοῦντες καὶ κατʼ ὀλίγους συμπλοκὰς ποιούμενοι· αὐξομένης δὲ τῆς διαφορᾶς οἱ Μεγαρεῖς ἀεὶ μᾶλλον ἐλαττούμενοι καὶ τοὺς Κορινθίους φοβούμενοι, συμμάχους ἐποιήσαντο τοὺς Ἀθηναίους.
At first, then, they continued ravaging each other's territory and engaging in small-scale skirmishes; but as the quarrel grew, the Megarians, being continually worse off and fearing the Corinthians, made the Athenians their allies.
§11.79.3διὸ καὶ πάλιν τῶν πόλεων ἐφαμίλλων ταῖς δυνάμεσι γενομένων, καὶ τῶν Κορινθίων μετὰ Πελοποννησίων ἀξιολόγῳ δυνάμει στρατευσάντων εἰς τὴν Μεγαρικήν, Ἀθηναῖοι συμμαχίαν ἔπεμψαν τοῖς Μεγαρεῦσιν, ἧς ἡγεῖτο Μυρωνίδης, ἀνὴρ ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ θαυμαζόμενος·
Therefore, when the cities once more became well-matched in their forces, and the Corinthians with the Peloponnesians campaigned against the Megarid with a noteworthy force, the Athenians dispatched an allied force to the Megarians, which was commanded by Myronides, a man admired for his valor.
γενομένης δὲ παρατάξεως ἰσχυρᾶς ἐπὶ πολὺν χρόνον, καὶ ταῖς ἀνδραγαθίαις ἑκατέρων ἐξισουμένων, τὸ τελευταῖον ἐνίκησαν Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνεῖλον τῶν πολεμίων.
A fierce battle having taken place for a long time, and the brave deeds of both sides being equal, at last the Athenians were victorious and slew many of the enemy.
§11.79.4οἱ Φωκεῖς ἐνεστήσαντο πόλεμον πρὸς Δωριεῖς, τοὺς προγόνους μὲν Λακεδαιμονίων, οἰκοῦντας δὲ πόλεις τρεῖς, Κυτίνιον καὶ Βοιὸν καὶ Ἐρινεόν, κειμένας ὑπὸ τὸν λόφον τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον Παρνασσόν.
The Phocians began a war against the Dorians, the ancestors of the Lacedaemonians, who inhabited three cities, Cytinium, Boeum, and Erineus, lying under the hill called Parnassus.
§11.79.5τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον βίᾳ χειρωσάμενοι τοὺς Δωριεῖς, κατέσχον αὐτῶν τὰς πόλεις· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν Νικομήδην τὸν Κλεομένους ἐξέπεμψαν βοηθήσοντα τοῖς Δωριεῦσι διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν·
At first, then, having subdued the Dorians by force, they held their cities; but after this, the Lacedaemonians dispatched Nicomedes, the son of Cleomenes, to aid the Dorians because of their kinship.
εἶχε δʼ οὗτος Λακεδαιμονίους μὲν χιλίους πεντακοσίους, παρὰ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων Πελοποννησίων μυρίους.
He had fifteen hundred Lacedaemonians, and ten thousand from the other Peloponnesians.
§11.79.6οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἐπίτροπος ὢν Πλειστώνακτος τοῦ βασιλέως παιδὸς ὄντος, μετὰ τοσαύτης δυνάμεως ἐβοήθησε τοῖς Δωριεῦσι, νικήσας δὲ τοὺς Φωκεῖς καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἀνακτησάμενος τούς τε Φωκεῖς καὶ Δωριεῖς διήλλαξεν.
He, therefore, being the guardian of King Pleistoanax, who was still a child, came to the aid of the Dorians with so great a force, and having defeated the Phocians and recovered the cities, he reconciled the Phocians and the Dorians.

Notes

  1. 11.79.2διετέλουν λεηλατοῦντες — The verb `διατελέω` followed by a present participle expresses a continuous or repeated action, meaning 'to continue doing' or 'to keep doing.' Here it indicates that the Megarians and Corinthians kept ravaging each other's territory.
  2. 11.79.6ἐπίτροπος ὢν Πλειστώνακτος τοῦ βασιλέως παιδὸς ὄντος — The circumstantial participle `ὢν` agrees with the subject of the main clause (Nicomedes). Its complement `ἐπίτροπος` governs the genitive `Πλειστώνακτος τοῦ βασιλέως` (guardian of King Pleistoanax), which is further modified by the genitive absolute `παιδὸς ὄντος` ('since the king was still a child'), explaining the circumstances of the guardianship.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §11.79.1-11.79.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:11.79.1-11.79.6

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