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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.52.1-12.52.2

Archidamus' Invasion of Attica and Distress of Athens

Passage 146 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Peloponnesian army under Archidamus invades Attica and destroys the crops, while the Athenians, suffering from plague and food shortage, are unable to offer battle and fear for the future.

§12.52.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν παραλαβόντες τοὺς ἐκ Πελοποννήσου συμμάχους εἰσέβαλον εἰς τὴν Ἀττικήν, ἔχοντος τὴν ἡγεμονίαν Ἀρχιδάμου τοῦ βασιλέως, τὸν δὲ σῖτον ἐν τῇ χλόῃ διέφθειραν, καὶ τὴν χώραν δῃώσαντες ἐπανῆλθον εἰς τὰς πατρίδας.
At the same time that these things were being done, the Lacedaemonians, taking with them their allies from the Peloponnese, invaded Attica under the command of King Archidamus, and destroyed the grain while it was still green, and after ravaging the country, returned to their respective homelands.
§12.52.2οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι παρατάξασθαι μὲν οὐ τολμῶντες, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς νόσου καὶ τῆς σιτοδείας πιεζόμενοι, κακὰς περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐλάμβανον ἐλπίδας.
The Athenians, for their part, not daring to offer battle, and being hard pressed by the plague and the scarcity of food, conceived gloomy expectations for the future.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράχθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
These, then, were the events of this year.

Notes

  1. 12.52.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις — The preposition ἅμα governs the dative (τοῦτοις πραττομένοις), expressing simultaneity: "at the same time that these things were being done." πραττομένοις is a present passive participle.
  2. 12.52.1ἔχοντος τὴν ἡγεμονίαν Ἀρχιδάμου τοῦ βασιλέως — A genitive absolute construction expressing attendant circumstance or time, where the logical subject of the participle is "King Archidamus," distinct from the subject of the main clause (Λακεδαιμόνιοι).
  3. 12.52.1ἐν τῇ χλόῃ — Meaning "in the blade" or "while still green," indicating that they destroyed the grain when it was still green and immature, thereby preventing the Athenians from harvesting it.
  4. 12.52.2κακὰς περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐλάμβανον ἐλπίδας — The noun ἐλπίς can mean "hope" or a neutral "expectation/anticipation." Combined with the adjective κακάς ("bad"), it means "gloomy expectations" or "forebodings" about the future.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.52.1-12.52.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.52.1-12.52.2

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