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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.28.1-12.28.4

Pericles' Siege and Subjugation of Samos

Passage 122 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Taking advantage of Pericles' temporary absence, the Samians win a naval battle, but Pericles returns with massive reinforcements, deploys newly invented siege engines to capture Samos, exacts indemnity, and re-establishes democracy.

§12.28.1οἱ δὲ Σάμιοι διὰ τὴν ἀνάζευξιν τοῦ Περικλέους νομίζοντες ἔχειν καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον εἰς ἐπίθεσιν ταῖς ἀπολελειμμέναις ναυσίν, ἐπέπλευσαν ἐπʼ αὐτάς, καὶ νικήσαντες τῇ ναυμαχίᾳ φρονήματος ἐπληροῦντο.
The Samians, thinking that because of the departure of Pericles they had a favorable opportunity for an attack on the ships that had been left behind, sailed against them, and having won the victory in the naval battle, they were filled with pride.
§12.28.2ὁ δὲ Περικλῆς ἀκούσας τὴν τῶν ἰδίων ἧτταν, εὐθὺς ὑπέστρεψε καὶ στόλον ἀξιόλογον ἤθροισε, βουλόμενος εἰς τέλος συντρῖψαι τὸν τῶν ἐναντίων στόλον.
Pericles, when he heard of the defeat of his own men, immediately turned back and assembled a notable fleet, wishing to crush the fleet of his opponents to the end.
ταχὺ δʼ ἀποστειλάντων Ἀθηναίων μὲν ἑξήκοντα τριήρεις, Χίων δὲ καὶ Μυτιληναίων τριάκοντα, μεγάλην ἔχων δύναμιν συνεστήσατο τὴν πολιορκίαν καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν, συνεχεῖς ποιούμενος προσβολάς.
Since the Athenians quickly dispatched sixty triremes, and the Chians and Mytilenians thirty, he, having a large force, established the siege both by land and by sea, making continuous assaults.
§12.28.3κατεσκεύασε δὲ καὶ μηχανὰς πρῶτος τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ τούς τε ὀνομαζομένους κριοὺς καὶ χελώνας, Ἀρτέμωνος τοῦ Κλαζομενίου κατασκευάσαντος.
He was also the first of those before him to construct engines of war, both the so-called rams and tortoises, which Artemon of Clazomenae had constructed.
ἐνεργῶς δὲ πολιορκήσας τὴν πόλιν καὶ ταῖς μηχαναῖς καταβαλὼν τὰ τείχη κύριος ἐγένετο τῆς Σάμου.
Having vigorously besieged the city and thrown down the walls with his engines, he became master of Samos.
κολάσας δὲ τοὺς αἰτίους ἐπράξατο τοὺς Σαμίους τὰς εἰς τὴν πολιορκίαν γεγενημένας δαπάνας, τιμησάμενος αὐτὰς ταλάντων διακοσίων.
Having punished those responsible, he exacted from the Samians the expenses incurred for the siege, assessing them at two hundred talents.
§12.28.4παρείλετο δὲ καὶ τὰς ναῦς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ τείχη κατέσκαψε, καὶ τὴν δημοκρατίαν καταστήσας ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα.
He also took away their ships and demolished their walls, and having established the democracy, he returned to his native land.
Ἀθηναίοις δὲ καὶ Λακεδαιμονίοις μέχρι τούτων τῶν χρόνων αἱ τριακονταετεῖς σπονδαὶ διέμειναν ἀσάλευτοι.
Between the Athenians and Lacedaemonians, the Thirty Years' Peace remained unshaken down to these times.
καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἐπράχθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
And these things were accomplished during this year.

Notes

  1. §12.28.1ταῖς ἀπολελειμμέναις ναυσίν — This functions as an objective dative modifying the noun ἐπίθεσιν (attack), meaning "an attack on the ships left behind." While it is grammatically possible to take it as the dative object of the subsequent verb ἐπέπλευσαν, the immediately following prepositional phrase ἐπʼ αὐτάς (against them) makes it more appropriate to adopt the former interpretation to avoid redundancy in expressing direction.
  2. §12.28.3πρῶτος τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ — An idiomatic expression containing a sort of logical contradiction ("the first of those before him"), mixing superlative and comparative senses. In effect, it means "earlier than any of his predecessors," emphasizing that Pericles was the first commander in Greek history to employ these siege engines in actual warfare.
  3. §12.28.3ἐπράξατο τοὺς Σαμίους τὰς εἰς τὴν πολιορκίαν γεγενημένας δαπάνας — A double accusative construction where the verb πράττομαι (in the middle voice, meaning "to exact or collect for oneself") takes two accusatives: one of the person (τοὺς Σαμίους) and one of the thing (τὰς ... δαπάνας), expressing the action of exacting the siege expenses from the Samians.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.28.1-12.28.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.28.1-12.28.4

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