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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.33.1-12.33.4

Athenian Alliance and the Battle of Sybota

Passage 127 of 723 · Greek

Summary

After Athens voted to ally with Corcyra and sent military aid, a fierce sea battle erupted between Corinth and Corcyra, resulting in a Corcyraean victory due to additional Athenian reinforcements.

§12.33.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Λυσιμάχου Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν ὑπάτους κατέστησαν Τίτον Κοΐντιον καὶ Μάρκον Γεγάνιον Μακερῖνον, Ἠλεῖοι δʼ ἤγαγον Ὀλυμπιάδα ἕκτην πρὸς ταῖς ὀγδοήκοντα, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Θεόπομπος Θετταλός.
When Lysimachus was archon in Athens, the Romans established Titus Quinctius and Marcus Geganius Macerinus as consuls, and the Eleans celebrated the eighty-sixth Olympiad, in which Theopompus of Thessaly won the stadion race.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Κερκυραῖοι μὲν πυνθανόμενοι τῶν παρασκευαζομένων ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς δυνάμεων τὸ πλῆθος, ἀπέστειλαν πρὸς Ἀθηναίους πρέσβεις ἀξιοῦντες αὐτοῖς βοηθῆσαι.
During their term of office, the Corcyraeans, having learned of the multitude of the forces being prepared against them, dispatched ambassadors to the Athenians, requesting them to come to their aid.
§12.33.2τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ Κορινθίων ποιησάντων, καὶ συναχθείσης ἐκκλησίας, διήκουσε τῶν πρέσβεων ὁ δῆμος, καὶ ἐψηφίσατο συμμαχεῖν Κερκυραίοις.
Since the Corinthians did the same, and an assembly was convened, the people heard the ambassadors and voted to make an alliance with the Corcyraeans.
διὸ καὶ παραχρῆμα μὲν ἐξέπεμψαν τριήρεις κατηρτισμένας δέκα, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πλείους ἐπηγγείλαντο πέμψειν, ἐὰν ᾖ χρεία.
Therefore, they immediately dispatched ten fully equipped triremes, and promised to send more after these if there should be need.
§12.33.3οἱ δὲ Κορίνθιοι τῆς τῶν Ἀθηναίων συμμαχίας ἀποτυχόντες, ἐνενήκοντα μὲν αὐτοὶ τριήρεις ἐπλήρωσαν, παρὰ δὲ τῶν συμμάχων ἑξήκοντα προσελάβοντο.
The Corinthians, having failed to obtain the alliance of the Athenians, themselves manned ninety triremes and received sixty more from their allies.
ἔχοντες οὖν ναῦς κατηρτισμένας ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα, καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἑλόμενοι τοὺς χαριεστάτους, ἀνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὴν Κέρκυραν, κεκρικότες διὰ τάχους ναυμαχῆσαι.
Having, therefore, one hundred and fifty fully equipped ships and having chosen their most capable generals, they put to sea against Corcyra, having decided to fight a sea battle without delay.
§12.33.4οἱ δὲ Κερκυραῖοι πυνθανόμενοι τὸν τῶν πολεμίων στόλον μὴ μακρὰν ἀπέχειν, ἀντανήχθησαν τριήρεσιν ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι σὺν ταῖς τῶν Ἀθηναίων.
The Corcyraeans, learning that the fleet of the enemy was not far off, put to sea against them with one hundred and twenty triremes, including those of the Athenians.
γενομένης δὲ ναυμαχίας ἰσχυρᾶς, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπεκράτουν οἱ Κορίνθιοι, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐπιφανέντων ἄλλαις εἴκοσι ναυσίν, ἃς ἀπεστάλκεσαν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ συμμαχίᾳ, συνέβη νικῆσαι τοὺς Κερκυραίους.
A fierce sea battle took place, and at first the Corinthians were prevailing, but after this, when the Athenians appeared with another twenty ships which they had dispatched in the second alliance, it happened that the Corcyraeans won.
τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ πάντων τῶν Κερκυραίων ἐπιπλευσάντων οὐκ ἀνήχθησαν οἱ Κορίνθιοι.
On the following day, although all the Corcyraeans sailed out against them, the Corinthians did not put to sea.

Notes

  1. 12.33.1τῶν παρασκευαζομένων ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς δυνάμεων τὸ πλῆθος — Syntax of the object of πυνθανόμενοι (having learned of). The accusative τὸ πλῆθος (the multitude) functions as the direct object, with the genitive phrase τῶν παρασκευαζομένων ... δυνάμεων (of the forces being prepared) modifying it. Alternatively, the genitive phrase could be taken as directly governed by πυνθάνομαι, with τὸ πλῆθος acting as an accusative of respect, but the former interpretation is more natural.
  2. 12.33.2τὸ δʼ αὐτὸ καὶ Κορινθίων ποιησάντων — A genitive absolute construction with Κορινθίων as the subject and ποιησάντων as the participle. It indicates that the Corinthians performed the same action (τὸ αὐτό) described in the previous sentence, namely sending ambassadors to Athens to seek aid.
  3. 12.33.3τῆς τῶν Ἀθηναίων συμμαχίας ἀποτυχόντες — The verb ἀποτυγχάνω (to fail to obtain, miss) governs the genitive case (τῆς ... συμμαχίας). Here it means failing to secure the alliance with the Athenians.
  4. 12.33.4συνέβη νικῆσαι τοὺς Κερκυραίους — The impersonal verb συνέβη (it happened, resulted) is followed by an accusative and infinitive clause (νικῆσαι as the infinitive, and τοὺς Κερκυραίους as its subject) serving as the subject of the impersonal verb. Literally, 'it happened that the Corcyraeans won'.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.33.1-12.33.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.33.1-12.33.4

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