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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.4.1-12.4.6

The Peace of Callias and the Death of Cimon

Passage 98 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian general Cimon besieges Salamis in Cyprus, prompting the Persian King Artaxerxes to resolve on peace negotiations. Consequently, a peace treaty securing the autonomy of Greek cities in Asia is concluded, and Cimon dies of illness in Cyprus.

§12.4.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Πεδιέως Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν κατέστησαν ὑπάτους Μάρκον Οὐαλέριον Λακτοῦκαν καὶ Σπόριον Οὐεργίνιον Τρίκοστον.
When Pedieus was archon in Athens, the Romans established Marcus Valerius Lactuca and Spurius Virginius Tricostus as consuls.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Κίμων ὁ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγὸς θαλαττοκρατῶν ἐχειροῦτο τὰς κατὰ τὴν Κύπρον πόλεις.
During their term, Cimon, the general of the Athenians, holding the mastery of the sea, was subduing the cities in Cyprus.
ἐν δὲ τῇ Σαλαμῖνι Περσικῆς φρουρᾶς οὔσης ἀξιολόγου, καὶ βελῶν καὶ ὅπλων παντοδαπῶν, ἔτι δὲ σίτου καὶ τῆς ἄλλης παρασκευῆς γεμούσης τῆς πόλεως, ἔκρινε συμφέρειν ταύτην ἐκπολιορκῆσαι.
But since there was a notable Persian garrison in Salamis, and the city was full of missiles and weapons of all kinds, and furthermore of food and other supplies, he judged it advantageous to besiege and take this city.
§12.4.2οὕτω γὰρ ὑπελάμβανε μάλιστα τῆς τε Κύπρου πάσης ῥᾳδίως κυριεύσειν καὶ τοὺς Πέρσας καταπλήξεσθαι, βοηθεῖν μὲν τοῖς Σαλαμινίοις μὴ δυναμένους διὰ τὸ θαλαττοκρατεῖν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, ἐγκαταλιπόντας δὲ τοὺς συμμάχους καταφρονηθήσεσθαι, καθόλου δὲ τὸν ὅλον πόλεμον κριθήσεσθαι τῆς Κύπρου πάσης βίᾳ χειρωθείσης· ὅπερ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι.
For he assumed that in this way he would most easily gain control of all Cyprus and strike terror into the Persians, who, being unable to help the Salaminians because the Athenians held the mastery of the sea, would be despised for abandoning their allies, and that in general the whole war would be decided if all Cyprus were subdued by force; which indeed came to pass.
§12.4.3οἱ μὲν γὰρ Ἀθηναῖοι συστησάμενοι πολιορκίαν πρὸς τῇ Σαλαμῖνι καθʼ ἡμέραν προσβολὰς ἐποιοῦντο, οἱ δʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει στρατιῶται, ἔχοντες βέλη καὶ παρασκευήν, ῥᾳδίως ἀπὸ τῶν τειχῶν ἠμύνοντο τοὺς πολιορκοῦντας.
For the Athenians, having established a siege against Salamis, made daily assaults, while the soldiers in the city, having missiles and supplies, easily defended themselves against the besiegers from the walls.
§12.4.4Ἀρταξέρξης δὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς πυθόμενος τὰ περὶ τὴν Κύπρον ἐλαττώματα, καὶ βουλευσάμενος μετὰ τῶν φίλων περὶ τοῦ πολέμου, ἔκρινε συμφέρειν εἰρήνην συνθέσθαι πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
But King Artaxerxes, having learned of the setbacks in Cyprus, and having consulted with his friends about the war, judged it advantageous to conclude a peace with the Greeks.
ἔγραψε τοίνυν τοῖς περὶ Κύπρον ἡγεμόσι καὶ σατράπαις, ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν δύνωνται συλλύσασθαι πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
He therefore wrote to the commanders and satraps around Cyprus, to settle with the Greeks on whatever terms they could.
§12.4.5διόπερ οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀρτάβαζον καὶ Μεγάβυζον ἔπεμψαν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας πρεσβευτὰς τοὺς διαλεξομένους περὶ συλλύσεως.
For this reason, Artabazus and Megabyzus and their associates sent ambassadors to Athens to negotiate for a settlement.
ὑπακουσάντων δὲ τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ πεμψάντων πρέσβεις αὐτοκράτορας, ὧν ἡγεῖτο Καλλίας ὁ Ἱππονίκου, ἐγένοντο συνθῆκαι περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ τοῖς συμμάχοις πρὸς τοὺς Πέρσας, ὧν ἐστι τὰ κεφάλαια ταῦτα· αὐτονόμους εἶναι τὰς κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν Ἑλληνίδας πόλεις ἁπάσας, τοὺς δὲ τῶν Περσῶν σατράπας μὴ καταβαίνειν ἐπὶ θάλατταν κατωτέρω τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδόν, μηδὲ ναῦν μακρὰν πλεῖν ἐντὸς Φασήλιδος καὶ Κυανέων· ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐπιτελούντων, μὴ στρατεύειν Ἀθηναίους εἰς τὴν χώραν, ἧς βασιλεὺς ἄρχει.
When the Athenians agreed and sent plenipotentiary ambassadors, led by Callias the son of Hipponicus, a treaty concerning peace was made between the Athenians and their allies and the Persians, the main points of which are these: that all the Greek cities in Asia should be autonomous, that the satraps of the Persians should not come down to the sea closer than a three days' journey, and that no long ship should sail within Phaselis and the Cyanean Rocks; and that, while the king and his generals fulfilled these terms, the Athenians should not campaign against the territory which the king ruled.
§12.4.6συντελεσθεισῶν δὲ τῶν σπονδῶν Ἀθηναῖοι τὰς δυνάμεις ἀπήγαγον ἐκ τῆς Κύπρου, λαμπρὰν μὲν νίκην νενικηκότες, ἐπιφανεστάτας δὲ συνθήκας πεποιημένοι.
When the treaty was concluded, the Athenians withdrew their forces from Cyprus, having won a brilliant victory and made a most glorious treaty.
συνέβη δὲ καὶ τὸν Κίμωνα περὶ τὴν Κύπρον διατρίβοντα νόσῳ τελευτῆσαι.
And it also happened that Cimon, while staying around Cyprus, died of disease.

Notes

  1. §12.4.1γεμούσης τῆς πόλεως — γεμούσης τῆς πόλεως is a genitive absolute construction, where the participle γεμούσης agrees with τῆς πόλεως. The participle γεμούσης ('being full of') governs the genitive nouns βελῶν καὶ ὅπλων... This clause, together with the preceding genitive absolute Περσικῆς φρουρᾶς οὔσης ἀξιολόγου linked by καί, expresses the reason for Cimon's decision in the main verb ἔκρινε.
  2. §12.4.2δυναμένους — The accusative plural masculine participles δυναμένους and ἐγκαταλιπόντας agree with τοὺς Πέρσας, which serves as the subject of the infinitives in the indirect discourse dependent on ὑπελάμβανε. δυναμένους expresses a causal relation ('since they were unable'), while ἐγκαταλιπόντας functions temporally or circumstantially ('after/by abandoning their allies').
  3. §12.4.4ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν δύνωνται — This is a condensed relative construction equivalent to ἐπὶ τούτοις, ἃ ἂν δύνωνται, where the preposition ἐπί indicates condition ('on terms'). The combination of ἄν with the subjunctive δύνωνται forms a general/conditional relative clause, meaning 'on whatever terms they might be able [to settle]'.
  4. §12.4.5αὐτονόμους εἶναι — The infinitives εἶναι, καταβαίνειν, πλεῖν, and στρατεύειν function as appositives to τὰ κεφάλαια ('the main points'), expressing the specific provisions of the treaty (often called imperative infinitives in treaty styles). The genitive absolute ταῦτα δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐπιτελούντων placed before the last infinitive acts as a conditional clause ('provided that the king and the generals fulfill these terms') for the Athenian obligation not to campaign.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.4.1-12.4.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.4.1-12.4.6

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