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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.10.1-12.10.7

Resettlement of Sybaris and the Founding of Thurii

Passage 104 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Describes the thorough destruction of Sybaris by the Crotoniates, the subsequent resettlement of the Sybarite exiles with the help of Athens, and the founding and urban planning of the new city, Thurium.

§12.10.1τῶν δὲ Κροτωνιατῶν διὰ τὴν ὀργὴν ζωγρεῖν μὲν μηδένα βουληθέντων, πάντας δὲ κατὰ τὴν φυγὴν τοὺς ὑποπεσόντας ἀποκτεινόντων, οἱ πλείους κατεκόπησαν· τὴν δὲ πόλιν διήρπασαν καὶ παντελῶς ἔρημον ἐποίησαν.
Since the Crotoniates, out of anger, did not wish to take anyone alive, but killed all who fell into their hands during the flight, the majority were cut to pieces; and they plundered the city and made it completely desolate.
§12.10.2ὕστερον δὲ ἔτεσιν ὀκτὼ πρὸς τοῖς πεντήκοντα Θετταλοὶ συνῴκισαν, καὶ μετʼ ὀλίγον ὑπὸ Κροτωνιατῶν ἐξέπεσον κατὰ τοὺς ὑποκειμένους καιρούς.
Fifty-eight years later, Thessalians settled it, and after a short time they were expelled by the Crotoniates at the periods in question.
§12.10.3καὶ μετὰ βραχὺ μετασταθεῖσα εἰς ἕτερον τόπον προσηγορίας ἑτέρας ἔτυχε, κτιστῶν γενομένων Λάμπωνος καὶ Ξενοκρίτου τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον.
And shortly afterward, having been moved to another site, it obtained another name, when Lampon and Xenocritus became its founders in the following manner.
οἱ γὰρ τὸ δεύτερον ἐκπεσόντες ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος Συβαρῖται πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους καὶ Ἀθηναίους, ἀξιοῦντες συνεπιλαβέσθαι τῆς καθόδου καὶ κοινωνῆσαι τῆς ἀποικίας.
For the Sybarites who had been expelled from their homeland for the second time sent ambassadors to Greece to the Lacedaemonians and Athenians, requesting them to assist in their return and to share in the colony.
§12.10.4Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν οὖν οὐ προσέσχον αὐτοῖς, Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ συμπράξειν ἐπαγγειλάμενοι, δέκα ναῦς πληρώσαντες ἀπέστειλαν τοῖς Συβαρίταις, ὧν ἡγεῖτο Λάμπων τε καὶ Ξενόκριτος· ἐκήρυξαν δὲ κατὰ τὰς ἐν Πελοποννήσῳ πόλεις κοινοποιούμενοι τὴν ἀποικίαν τῷ βουλομένῳ μετέχειν τῆς ἀποικίας.
The Lacedaemonians, then, paid no attention to them, but the Athenians, having promised to co-operate, equipped ten ships and dispatched them to the Sybarites, under the command of Lampon and Xenocritus; and they made a proclamation throughout the cities in the Peloponnese, offering a share in the colony to anyone who wished to participate.
§12.10.5ὑπακουσάντων δὲ πολλῶν καὶ λαβόντων χρησμὸν παρὰ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος, ὅτι δεῖ κτίσαι πόλιν αὐτοὺς ἐν τούτῳ τῷ τόπῳ, ὅπου μέλλουσιν οἰκεῖν " μέτρῳ ὕδωρ πίνοντες, ἀμετρὶ δὲ μᾶζαν ἔδοντες, " κατέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν, καὶ καταντήσαντες εἰς τὴν Σύβαριν ἐζήτουν τὸν τόπον, ὃν ὁ θεὸς ἦν προστεταχὼς κατοικεῖν.
When many responded and received an oracle from Apollo that they must found a city in this place where they were to dwell, "drinking water by measure, but eating barley-cake without measure," they sailed to Italy, and having arrived at Sybaris, they sought the place which the god had commanded them to inhabit.
§12.10.6εὑρόντες δὲ οὐκ ἄπωθεν τῆς Συβάρεως κρήνην ὀνομαζομένην Θουρίαν, ἔχουσαν αὐλὸν χάλκεον, ὃν ἐκάλουν οἱ ἐγχώριοι μέδιμνον, νομίσαντες εἶναι τοῦτον τὸν τόπον τὸν δηλούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ περιέβαλον τεῖχος, καὶ κτίσαντες πόλιν ὠνόμασαν ἀπὸ τῆς κρήνης Θούριον.
And having found not far from Sybaris a spring named Thuria, which had a bronze pipe that the locals called medimnos, and believing this to be the place indicated by the god, they threw a wall around it, and having founded a city, they named it Thurium after the spring.
§12.10.7τὴν δὲ πόλιν διελόμενοι κατὰ μὲν μῆκος εἰς τέτταρας πλατείας, ὧν καλοῦσι τὴν μὲν μίαν Ἡράκλειαν, τὴν δὲ Ἀφροδισίαν, τὴν δὲ Ὀλυμπιάδα, τὴν δὲ Διονυσιάδα, κατὰ δὲ τὸ πλάτος διεῖλον εἰς τρεῖς πλατείας, ὧν ἡ μὲν ὠνομάσθη Ἡρῴα, ἡ δὲ Θουρία, ἡ δὲ Θουρῖνα.
And dividing the city lengthwise into four broad streets, of which they called one Heracleia, another Aphrodisia, another Olympias, and another Dionysias, and widthwise they divided it into three broad streets, of which one was named Heroa, another Thuria, and another Thurina.
τούτων δὲ τῶν στενωπῶν πεπληρωμένων ταῖς οἰκίαις ἡ πόλις ἐφαίνετο καλῶς κατεσκευάσθαι.
And when the narrow lanes between these were filled with houses, the city appeared to be beautifully laid out.

Notes

  1. §12.10.1ζωγρεῖν μὲν μηδένα βουληθέντων — Internal structure of the genitive absolute. The negative accusative μηδένα is the direct object of the infinitive ζωγρεῖν, and the semantic subject of the participle βουληθέντων is τῶν Κροτωνιατῶν. It means 'since they did not wish to take anyone alive'.
  2. §12.10.3κτιστῶν γενομένων Λάμπωνος καὶ Ξενοκρίτου τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον — The genitive absolute κτιστῶν γενομένων Λάμπωνος καὶ Ξενοκρίτου ('when Lampon and Xenocritus became founders') is joined with the adverbial accusative of manner, τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ('in this manner').
  3. §12.10.5ὅτι δεῖ κτίσαι πόλιν αὐτοὺς — The impersonal verb δεῖ inside the ὅτι-clause introducing the content of the oracle. The accusative αὐτοὺς acts as the subject of the infinitive κτίσαι, meaning 'that they must found a city'.
  4. §12.10.7τῶν στενωπῶν πεπληρωμένων ταῖς οἰκίαις — Genitive absolute. The dative ταῖς οἰκίαις used with the perfect passive participle πεπληρωμένων ('having been filled') expresses the means or cause of filling ('with houses'), standing in place of the more common genitive.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.10.1-12.10.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.10.1-12.10.7

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