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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §11.80.1-11.80.6

Battle of Tanagra and the Thessalian Treachery

Passage 81 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian forces attempt to intercept the Lacedaemonians on their return, leading to a clash at Tanagra. Although the allied Thessalians defect and launch a surprise attack on the Athenian supply train, the situation escalates into a general engagement, which ends indecisively with a four-month truce.

§11.80.1Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ πυθόμενοι τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους τὸν μὲν πρὸς Φωκεῖς πόλεμον καταλελυκέναι, αὐτοὺς δὲ μέλλειν τὴν εἰς οἶκον ἐπάνοδον ποιεῖσθαι, ἔγνωσαν ἐπιθέσθαι κατὰ τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις.
When the Athenians learned that the Lacedaemonians had brought the war against the Phocians to an end and were about to make their return journey home, they resolved to attack the Lacedaemonians on their march.
ἐστράτευσαν οὖν ἐπʼ αὐτούς, παραλαβόντες τοὺς Ἀργείους καὶ Θετταλούς· καὶ πεντήκοντα μὲν ναυσί, στρατιώταις δὲ μυρίοις καὶ τετρακισχιλίοις ἐπιβαλοῦντες αὐτοῖς κατελάβοντο τὰς περὶ τὴν Γεράνειαν παρόδους.
They therefore campaigned against them, taking along the Argives and the Thessalians; and setting upon them with fifty ships and fourteen thousand soldiers, they occupied the passes around Geraneia.
§11.80.2Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ πυνθανόμενοι τὰ κατὰ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους παρῆλθον τῆς Βοιωτίας εἰς Τάναγραν.
But the Lacedaemonians, hearing of the movements of the Athenians, proceeded through Boeotia to Tanagra.
τῶν δὲ Ἀθηναίων παραγενομένων εἰς τὴν Βοιωτίαν καὶ παρατάξεως γενομένης, ἰσχυρὰ συνέστη μάχη· καὶ τῶν μὲν Θετταλῶν μεταβαλομένων ἐν τῇ μάχῃ πρὸς τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους, τῶν δὲ Ἀθηναίων καὶ τῶν Ἀργείων οὐδὲν ἧττον διαγωνιζομένων, ἔπεσον μὲν οὐκ ὀλίγοι παρʼ ἀμφοτέροις, νυκτὸς δʼ ἐπιλαβούσης διελύθησαν.
When the Athenians arrived in Boeotia and a battle formation was drawn up, a fierce battle ensued; and though the Thessalians went over to the Lacedaemonians during the battle, while the Athenians and the Argives fought none the less hard, not a few fell on both sides, and they parted only when night came on.
§11.80.3μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις κομιζομένης ἀγορᾶς πολλῆς ἐκ τῆς Ἀττικῆς, οἱ Θετταλοὶ κρίναντες ἐπιθέσθαι ταύτῃ καὶ αὐτῆς ὥρας δειπνοποιησάμενοι νυκτὸς ἀπήντων τοῖς κομίζουσι τὰς ἀγοράς.
After this, when a large supply of provisions was being brought to the Athenians from Attica, the Thessalians decided to attack it, and having taken their supper at that very hour, they went by night to meet those who were bringing the provisions.
§11.80.4τῶν δὲ παραφυλαττόντων Ἀθηναίων ἀγνοούντων καὶ προσδεξαμένων τοὺς Θετταλοὺς ὡς φίλους, συνέβη πολλοὺς καὶ ποικίλους ἀγῶνας γενέσθαι περὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς.
Since the Athenian guards, being ignorant of the defection, received the Thessalians as friends, it happened that many and diverse struggles took place over the provisions.
τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον οἱ Θετταλοί, προσδεχθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν, ἔκτεινον τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, καὶ συντεταγμένοι τοῖς τεθορυβημένοις συμπλεκόμενοι πολλοὺς ἀνῄρουν.
For at first the Thessalians, having been received by the enemy because of their ignorance, slew those they met, and engaging in orderly fashion with those who were thrown into confusion, they killed many.
§11.80.5οἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν στρατοπεδείαν ὄντες Ἀθηναῖοι πυθόμενοι τὴν τῶν Θετταλῶν ἐπίθεσιν, ἧκον κατὰ σπουδήν, καὶ τοὺς Θετταλοὺς ἐξ ἐφόδου τρεψάμενοι πολὺν ἐποίουν φόνον.
But the Athenians who were in the camp, learning of the attack of the Thessalians, came in haste, and having routed the Thessalians at the first onset, they caused a great slaughter.
§11.80.6ἐπιβοηθησάντων δὲ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων τοῖς Θετταλοῖς συντεταγμένῃ τῇ δυνάμει, καὶ τοῖς στρατοπέδοις ὅλοις γενομένης παρατάξεως, συνέβη διὰ τὴν γενομένην φιλοτιμίαν πολλοὺς παρʼ ἀμφοτέροις ἀναιρεθῆναι.
When, however, the Lacedaemonians came to the aid of the Thessalians with their force in battle order, and a general engagement of the entire armies took place, it happened that many on both sides were slain because of the rivalry that arose.
τέλος δὲ τῆς μάχης ἀμφίδοξον λαβούσης τὸ τέλος, συνέβη τούς τε Λακεδαιμονίους ἀμφισβητῆσαι περὶ τῆς νίκης καὶ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους.
At last, the end of the battle proving indecisive, it happened that both the Lacedaemonians and the Athenians claimed the victory.
τότε μὲν οὖν ἐπιλαβούσης νυκτὸς καὶ τῆς νίκης ἀμφιδόξου γενομένης, διεπρεσβεύοντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ τετραμηνιαίους σπονδὰς ἐποιήσαντο.
For the moment, then, since night came on and the victory was left in doubt, they sent envoys to one another and made a four-month truce.

Notes

  1. §11.80.1ἐπιβαλοῦντες — The future active participle (nominative plural masculine) of ἐπιβάλλω, indicating the intention or purpose of the Athenians, who occupied the passes with the aim of "attacking them."
  2. §11.80.3αὐτῆς ὥρας — A genitive of time functioning adverbially to mean "at that very hour" or "immediately."
  3. §11.80.4ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων — Indicates the agent of the passive participle προσδεχθέντες ("having been received"). Here, "the enemy" (πολέμιοι) refers to the Athenians from the perspective of the defecting Thessalians who were accepted as friends.
  4. §11.80.6τέλος δὲ τῆς μάχης ἀμφίδοξον λαβούσης τὸ τέλος — A stylistic redundancy (tautology) or textual corruption where the word τέλος is duplicated at the beginning of the clause and inside the genitive absolute phrase as τὸ τέλος.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §11.80.1-11.80.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:11.80.1-11.80.6

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