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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.23.1-12.23.2

The 84th Olympiad and the Decemvirs in Rome

Passage 117 of 723 · Greek

Summary

This chunk describes the celebration of the 84th Olympiad during the archonship of Praxiteles in Athens, the establishment of the Decemvirate and their legislative work in Rome, and the ongoing conflict between Thurium and Tarentum.

§12.23.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Πραξιτέλους Ὀλυμπιὰς μὲν ἤχθη τετάρτη πρὸς ταῖς ὀγδοήκοντα, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Κρίσων Ἱμεραῖος, ἐν δὲ τῇ Ῥώμῃ δέκα ἄνδρες κατεστάθησαν νομογράφοι, Πόπλιος Κλώδιος Ῥηγιλλανός, Τίτος Μινύκιος, Σπόριος Οὐετούριος, Γάιος Ἰούλιος, Σουλπίκιος, Πόπλιος Σήστιος, Ῥωμύλος, Σπόριος Ποστούμιος Καλβίνιος.
When Praxiteles was archon in Athens, the eighty-fourth Olympiad was celebrated, in which Crison of Himera won the stadium race; and in Rome, ten men were appointed as lawmakers: Publius Clodius Regillanus, Titus Minucius, Spurius Veturius, Gaius Iulius, Sulpicius, Publius Sestius, Romulus, and Spurius Postumius Calvinus.
§12.23.2οὗτοι τοὺς νόμους συνετέλεσαν.
These men completed the laws.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Θούριοι μὲν διαπολεμοῦντες πρὸς Ταραντίνους τὰς ἀλλήλων χώρας ἐπόρθουν καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν, καὶ πολλὰς μὲν μικρὰς μάχας καὶ ἀκροβολισμοὺς ἐποιήσαντο, ἀξιόλογον δὲ πρᾶξιν οὐδεμίαν συνετέλεσαν.
During their term of office, the Thurians, carrying on war against the Tarentines, ravaged each other's territory both by land and by sea, and although they engaged in many small battles and skirmishes, they achieved no noteworthy action.

Notes

  1. 12.23.1δέκα ἄνδρες κατεστάθησαν νομογράφοι — Meaning "ten men were appointed as lawmakers," referring to the establishment of the Decemvirate (decemviri) in Roman history. Although ten names are expected, only eight names are preserved in the transmitted manuscript text.
  2. 12.23.2διαπολεμοῦντες πρὸς Ταραντίνους — The present participle διαπολεμοῦντες ("carrying on war") expresses the attendant circumstance or time relative to the main imperfect verb ἐπόρθουν. The prefix διά adds an intensive force of "carrying through to the end" or "continually fighting."
  3. 12.23.2τὰς ἀλλήλων χώρας — The genitive of the reciprocal pronoun ἀλλήλων ("each other's"). It indicates that the Thurians and the Tarentines mutually ravaged the territories of one another.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.23.1-12.23.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.23.1-12.23.2

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