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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.29.1-12.29.4

Death of Ducetius and Syracusan Destruction of Trinacie

Passage 123 of 723 · Greek

Summary

During the archonship of Myrichides, the narrative relates Ducetius' foundation of Calacte in Sicily and his subsequent death from illness, followed by the Syracusan campaign against Trinacie, which resulted in the heroic last stand of its citizens and the city's complete destruction.

§12.29.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Μυριχίδου Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν κατέστησαν ὑπάτους Λεύκιον Ἰούλιον καὶ Μάρκον Γεγάνιον, Ἠλεῖοι δʼ ἤγαγον Ὀλυμπιάδα πέμπτην πρὸς ταῖς ὀγδοήκοντα, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα Κρίσων Ἱμεραῖος τὸ δεύτερον.
At Athens, when Myrichides was archon, the Romans established Lucius Julius and Marcus Geganius as consuls, and the Eleans celebrated the eighty-fifth Olympiad, in which Crison of Himera won the stadium for the second time.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν Δουκέτιος μὲν ὁ γεγονὼς τῶν Σικελικῶν πόλεων ἡγεμὼν τὴν τῶν Καλακτίνων πατρίδα κατέστησε, καὶ πολλοὺς εἰς αὐτὴν οἰκίζων οἰκήτορας ἀντεποιήσατο μὲν τῆς τῶν Σικελῶν ἡγεμονίας, μεσολαβηθεὶς δὲ νόσῳ τὸν βίον κατέστρεψε.
During their term of office, in Sicily, Ducetius, who had been the leader of the Sicel cities, founded the homeland of the Calactians, and colonizing many settlers in it, he laid claim to the hegemony over the Sicels, but being interrupted by illness, he ended his life.
§12.29.2Συρακόσιοι δὲ πάσας τὰς τῶν Σικελῶν πόλεις ὑπηκόους ποιησάμενοι πλὴν τῆς ὀνομαζομένης Τρινακίης, ἔγνωσαν ἐπὶ ταύτην στρατεύειν· σφόδρα γὰρ ὑπώπτευον τοὺς Τρινακίους ἀντιλήψεσθαι τῆς τῶν ὁμοεθνῶν Σικελῶν ἡγεμονίας.
The Syracusans, having made all the cities of the Sicels subject to them except the one called Trinacie, resolved to campaign against it; for they strongly suspected that the Trinacians would lay claim to the hegemony of their fellow Sicels.
ἡ δὲ πόλις αὕτη πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους ἄνδρας εἶχεν, ἀεὶ τὸ πρωτεῖον ἐσχηκυῖα τῶν Σικελικῶν πόλεων· ἦν γὰρ ἡγεμόνων ἡ πόλις αὕτη πλήρης μέγα φρονούντων ἐπʼ ἀνδρείᾳ.
Now this city had many great men, having always held the first place among the Sicel cities; for this city was full of leaders who were high-spirited in bravery.
§12.29.3διὸ καὶ πάσας τὰς δυνάμεις ἀθροίσαντες ἐκ τῶν Συρακουσῶν καὶ τῶν συμμάχων πόλεων ἐστράτευσαν ἐπʼ αὐτήν.
Therefore, having gathered all their forces from Syracuse and the allied cities, they campaigned against it.
οἱ δὲ Τρινάκιοι συμμάχων μὲν ἦσαν ἔρημοι διὰ τὸ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις ὑπακούειν Συρακοσίοις, μέγαν δʼ ἀγῶνα συνεστήσαντο.
The Trinacians, on their part, were destitute of allies because the other cities were subject to the Syracusans, but they put up a great struggle.
ἐκθύμως γὰρ ἐγκαρτεροῦντες τοῖς δεινοῖς καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνελόντες, ἡρωικῶς μαχόμενοι πάντες κατέστρεψαν τὸν βίον.
For, enduring the dangers with high spirit and slaying many of the enemy, they all ended their lives fighting heroically.
§12.29.4ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων οἱ πλείους ἑαυτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ ζῆν μετέστησαν, οὐχ ὑπομείναντες τὰς ἐκ τῆς ἁλώσεως ὕβρεις.
In like manner, most of the older men also removed themselves from life, not enduring the outrages resulting from the capture of the city.
οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι τοὺς πρότερον ἀηττήτους γεγονότας νικήσαντες ἐπιφανῶς, τὴν μὲν πόλιν ἐξανδραποδισάμενοι κατέσκαψαν, τῶν δὲ λαφύρων τὰ κράτιστα ἀπέστειλαν εἰς Δελφοὺς χαριστήρια τῷ θεῷ.
The Syracusans, having won an illustrious victory over those who had previously been undefeated, enslaved the city and razed it to the ground, and of the spoils they sent the best part to Delphi as thank-offerings to the god.

Notes

  1. 12.29.1μεσολαβηθεὶς δὲ νόσῳ — "having been interrupted by illness." The passive participle of the verb μεσολαβέω (to intercept, cut off in the middle, interrupt). It dramatically describes that Ducetius' efforts to reclaim the hegemony over the Sicels were cut short by his sudden disease.
  2. 12.29.2ἀντιλήψεσθαι — "would lay claim to." The future infinitive of the verb ἀντιλαμβάνομαι (to claim, attempt to seize). It forms an accusative with infinitive construction as the object of ὑπώπτευον, with τοὺς Τρινακίους acting as its subject. It governs the genitive τῆς ... ἡγεμονίας in its middle/passive form.
  3. 12.29.3διὰ τὸ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις ὑπακούειν — "because the other cities were subject." The preposition διά governs the articular infinitive in the accusative (τὸ ... ὑπακούειν) to express cause. The subject of the infinitive is expressed by the accusative τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις, which is the standard construction for the subject of an articular infinitive.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.29.1-12.29.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.29.1-12.29.4

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