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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.34.1-12.34.5

Revolt of Potidaea and the Athenian Siege

Passage 128 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Following the Athenian-assisted victory of Corcyra, the Corinthians cause Potidaea to revolt, while the Macedonian king persuades the Chalcidians to resettle. The Athenians launch a siege against Potidaea, while also founding Astacus and seeing Roman colonization in Ardea.

§12.34.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησιν Ἀντιοχίδου Ῥωμαῖοι κατέστησαν ὑπάτους Μάρκον Φάβιον καὶ Πόστουμον Αἰβούτιον Οὔλεκον.
When Antiochides was archon in Athens, the Romans established Marcus Fabius and Postumus Aebutius Ulecus as consuls.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων, Ἀθηναίων μὲν συνηγωνισμένων τοῖς Κερκυραίοις καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ναυμαχίαν νίκης αἰτίων γενομένων, χαλεπῶς εἶχον πρὸς αὐτοὺς οἱ Κορίνθιοι.
During their term of office, because the Athenians had fought on the side of the Corcyraeans and had been the cause of the victory in the sea battle, the Corinthians were hostilely disposed toward them.
§12.34.2διόπερ ἀμύνεσθαι σπεύδοντες τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, ἀπέστησαν ἀπʼ αὐτῶν πόλιν Ποτίδαιαν, οὖσαν ἑαυτῶν ἄποικον.
Therefore, being eager to avenge themselves on the Athenians, they revolted from them the city of Potidaea, which was their own colony.
ὁμοίως δὲ τούτοις καὶ Περδίκκας ὁ τῶν Μακεδόνων βασιλεύς, ἀλλοτρίως διακείμενος πρὸς Ἀθηναίους, ἔπεισε τοὺς Χαλκιδεῖς ἀποστάντας Ἀθηναίων τὰς μὲν ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ πόλεις ἐκλιπεῖν, εἰς μίαν δὲ συνοικισθῆναι τὴν ὀνομαζομένην Ὄλυνθον.
Likewise, Perdiccas, the king of the Macedonians, being hostilely disposed toward the Athenians, persuaded the Chalcidians to revolt from the Athenians, to abandon their cities on the sea, and to settle together in one city called Olynthus.
§12.34.3οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν ἀπόστασιν τῶν Ποτιδαιατῶν ἀκούσαντες ἐξέπεμψαν τριάκοντα ναῦς καὶ προσέταξαν τήν τε χώραν τῶν ἀφεστηκότων λεηλατῆσαι καὶ τὴν πόλιν πορθῆσαι.
The Athenians, hearing of the revolt of the Potidaeans, dispatched thirty ships and commanded them to plunder the territory of those who had revolted and to destroy the city.
οἱ δὲ πεμφθέντες καταπλεύσαντες εἰς τὴν Μακεδονίαν κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ δήμου, συνεστήσαντο πολιορκίαν τῆς Ποτιδαίας.
Those who had been sent, having sailed to Macedonia in accordance with the commands of the people, began the siege of Potidaea.
§12.34.4ἔνθα δὴ τῶν Κορινθίων βοηθησάντων τοῖς πολιορκουμένοις δισχιλίοις στρατιώταις, δισχιλίους καὶ ὁ δῆμος τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐξέπεμψε.
Hereupon, when the Corinthians came to the aid of the besieged with two thousand soldiers, the Athenian people also dispatched two thousand.
γενομένης δὲ μάχης περὶ τὸν ἰσθμὸν τὸν πλησίον τῆς Παλληνίων, καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων νικησάντων καὶ πλείους τῶν τριακοσίων ἀνελόντων, οἱ Ποτιδαιᾶται συνεκλείσθησαν εἰς πολιορκίαν.
A battle having taken place near the isthmus close to Pallene, and the Athenians having won and slain more than three hundred, the Potidaeans were shut up inside the siege.
§12.34.5ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις ἔκτισαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι πόλιν ἐν τῇ Προποντίδι τὴν ὀνομαζομένην Ἀστακόν.
At the same time that these things were being done, the Athenians founded a city in the Propontis called Astacus.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Ῥωμαῖοι πέμψαντες ἀποίκους εἰς Ἄρδεα τὴν χώραν κατεκληρούχησαν.
In Italy, the Romans, having sent colonists to Ardea, distributed the territory by lot.

Notes

  1. 12.34.2ἀπέστησαν — ἀπέστησαν is the 3rd person plural of the first aorist active of ἀφίστημι, functioning transitively ('caused to revolt'). Although identical in form to the intransitive second aorist ('revolted'), it is transitive here due to the presence of the direct object πόλιν Ποτίδαιαν.
  2. 12.34.4τῆς Παλληνίων — The feminine genitive singular article τῆς agrees with an omitted feminine noun χερσονήσου ('peninsula'), meaning 'the [peninsula] of the Pallenians,' referring to the Pallene peninsula.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.34.1-12.34.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.34.1-12.34.5

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