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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.32.1-12.32.3

Preparations of Corinth and Corcyra and Colonization of Amphipolis

Passage 126 of 723 · Greek

Summary

After listing the archon and tribunes of Athens and Rome, the text describes the intense military preparations made by both the Corinthians and the Corcyraeans for the ongoing war, alongside the Athenian colonization of Amphipolis.

§12.32.1τοῦ δʼ ἐνιαυσίου χρόνου διελθόντος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦρχεν Εὐθυμένης, ἐν Ῥώμῃ δʼ ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπάτων χιλίαρχοι κατεστάθησαν τρεῖς, Αὖλος Σεμπρώνιος, Λεύκιος Ἀτίλιος, Τίτος Κόιντος.
When the year's time had passed, Euthymenes was archon in Athens, and in Rome, instead of consuls, three military tribunes were established: Aulus Sempronius, Lucius Atilius, and Titus Quinctius.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Κορίνθιοι μὲν ἡττημένοι τῇ ναυμαχίᾳ ναυπηγήσασθαι στόλον ἀξιολογώτερον ἔκριναν.
During their term of office, the Corinthians, having been defeated in the sea battle, decided to build a more considerable fleet.
§12.32.2διόπερ ὕλην πολλὴν παρασκευασάμενοι καὶ ναυπηγοὺς ἐκ τῶν πόλεων μισθούμενοι μετὰ πολλῆς φιλοτιμίας κατεσκεύαζον τριήρεις καὶ ὅπλα καὶ βέλη παντοδαπά, καὶ καθόλου πάσας τὰς εἰς τὸν πόλεμον παρασκευὰς ἡτοίμαζον, καὶ τὰς μὲν ἐκ καταβολῆς τριήρεις ἐναυπηγοῦντο, τὰς δὲ πεπονηκυίας ἐθεράπευον, ἄλλας δὲ παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων μετεπέμποντο.
Therefore, having prepared a large amount of timber and hiring shipwrights from the cities, they constructed with great emulation triremes, weapons, and missiles of all kinds, and in general made ready all preparations for the war; and some triremes they built newly from the keel up, while they repaired those that were damaged, and summoned others from their allies.
§12.32.3τὸ δὲ παραπλήσιον καὶ τῶν Κερκυραίων ποιούντων, καὶ ταῖς φιλοτιμίαις οὐκ ἀπολιμπανομένων, φανερὸς ἦν ὁ πόλεμος αὔξησιν μεγάλην ληψόμενος.
Since the Corcyraeans also did the same and were not left behind in their emulation, it was obvious that the war would take on a great expansion.
ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Ἀθηναῖοι συνῴκισαν Ἀμφίπολιν, καὶ τῶν οἰκητόρων οὓς μὲν ἐκ τῶν πολιτῶν κατέλεξαν, οὓς δʼ ἐκ τῶν σύνεγγυς φρουρίων.
While these things were being done, the Athenians colonized Amphipolis, and of the settlers, they enrolled some from their own citizens, and others from the neighboring garrisons.

Notes

  1. §12.32.1χιλίαρχοι — Though literally meaning "rulers of a thousand," the term here refers to the Roman "military tribunes with consular power" (*tribuni militum consulari potestate*), which is the standard translation used by Greek historians for this Roman magistracy.
  2. §12.32.2ἐκ καταβολῆς — An idiom derived from the noun `καταβολή` (the laying down of a foundation or a ship's keel), meaning to build ships newly from the ground up. This stands in contrast to the subsequent clause about repairing already damaged ships (`πεπονηκυίας ἐθεράπευον`).
  3. §12.32.3φανερὸς ἦν ὁ πόλεμος αὔξησιν μεγάλην ληψόμενος — Meaning "it was clear that the war would take on a great expansion." This is a personal construction characteristic of Greek: instead of using an impersonal construction (such as `φανερὸν ἦν τὸν πόλεμον... λήψεσθαι`), the subject `ὁ πόλεμος` is placed in the nominative as the subject of the copula `ἦν`, with the future participle `ληψόμενος` agreeing with it.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.32.1-12.32.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.32.1-12.32.3

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