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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.48.1-12.48.3

Phormio's Naval Victories at Rhium

Passage 142 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian general Phormio defeats a much larger Lacedaemonian fleet. Although the enemy regroups for another clash, they ultimately retreat to Corinth in fear of Athenian reinforcements.

§12.48.1περὶ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους Φορμίων ὁ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγὸς ἔχων εἴκοσι τριήρεις περιέτυχε ναυσὶ Λακεδαιμονίων ἑπτὰ πρὸς ταῖς τετταράκοντα.
About the same time, Phormio, the general of the Athenians, having twenty triremes, fell in with forty-seven Lacedaemonian ships.
ναυμαχήσας δὲ πρὸς ταύτας τήν τε στρατηγίδα ναῦν τῶν πολεμίων κατέδυσε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πολλὰς ἄπλους ἐποίησε, δώδεκα δὲ αὐτάνδρους εἷλε, τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς μέχρι τῆς γῆς κατεδίωξεν.
Having engaged them in a sea-fight, he sank the flagship of the enemy and rendered many of the others unseaworthy, and captured twelve together with their crews, while he pursued the rest as far as the land.
οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι παρʼ ἐλπίδας ἡττηθέντες ταῖς ὑπολειφθείσαις ναυσὶν ἔφυγον εἰς Πάτρας τῆς Ἀχαΐας.
The Lacedaemonians, having been defeated contrary to expectation, fled with the surviving ships to Patrae of Achaea.
αὕτη μὲν οὖν ἡ ναυμαχία συνέστη περὶ τὸ Ῥίον καλούμενον.
This sea-fight, then, took place near the place called Rhium.
οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι τρόπαιον στήσαντες καὶ τῷ Ποσειδῶνι περὶ τὸν πορθμὸν ναῦν καθιερώσαντες ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς πόλιν συμμαχίδα Ναύπακτον.
And the Athenians, having erected a trophy and dedicated a ship to Poseidon near the strait, sailed away to their allied city, Naupactus.
§12.48.2Λακεδαιμόνιοι δʼ ἑτέρας ναῦς ἐξέπεμψαν εἰς τὰς Πάτρας.
But the Lacedaemonians sent out other ships to Patrae.
αὗται δὲ προσλαβόμεναι τὰς ἐκ τῆς ναυμαχίας περιλελειμμένας τριήρεις ἠθροίσθησαν εἰς τὸ Ῥίον· εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν δὲ τόπον καὶ τὸ πεζὸν στρατόπεδον τῶν Πελοποννησίων κατήντησε καὶ πλησίον τοῦ στόλου κατεστρατοπέδευσε.
These, having joined the triremes which had survived from the sea-fight, assembled at Rhium; and to the same place the land army of the Peloponnesians also arrived and encamped near the fleet.
§12.48.3Φορμίων δὲ τῇ προγεγενημένῃ νίκῃ φρονηματισθεὶς ἐτόλμησεν ἐπιθέσθαι ταῖς πολεμίαις ναυσὶν οὔσαις πολλαπλασίαις· καί τινας αὐτῶν καταδύσας καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἀποβαλὼν ἀμφίδοξον ἔσχε τὴν νίκην.
And Phormio, emboldened by the victory that had already occurred, dared to attack the enemy's ships, which were many times more numerous; and having sunk some of them and lost some of his own, he had a victory of doubtful issue.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἀθηναίων ἀποστειλάντων εἴκοσι τριήρεις, οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι φοβηθέντες ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Κόρινθον, οὐ τολμῶντες ναυμαχεῖν.
After these events, when the Athenians dispatched twenty triremes, the Lacedaemonians, being struck with fear, sailed away to Corinth, not daring to fight a battle at sea.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράχθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
These things, then, were accomplished during this year.

Notes

  1. 12.48.1ἑπτὰ πρὸς ταῖς τετταράκοντα — The preposition πρὸς with the dative case means "in addition to", making the phrase "seven in addition to forty", which is a standard Classical Greek expression for "forty-seven".
  2. 12.48.1αὐτάνδρους — The adjective αὐτάνδρους (accusative plural feminine, agreeing with ναῦς) indicates that the ships were captured "with all hands on board" or "with their crews".
  3. 12.48.3ἀμφίδοξον ἔσχε τὴν νίκην — This construction consists of the predicative adjective ἀμφίδοξον, the verb ἔχω, and the articular noun τὴν νίκην. It literally means "held the victory as doubtful," indicating that the outcome of the battle was indecisive or virtually a draw.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.48.1-12.48.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.48.1-12.48.3

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