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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.63.1-12.63.5

Surrender of the Spartans at Sphacteria

Passage 157 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Faced with prolonged siege and starvation, the Spartans on Sphacteria surrendered and were taken to Athens. The Athenians held them as hostages and entrusted the defense of Pylos to the Messenians who were hostile to Sparta.

§12.63.1χρονιζούσης δὲ τῆς πολιορκίας, καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ταῖς ναυσὶν ἐπικρατησάντων καὶ σῖτον εἰς τὴν γῆν εἰσκομίζειν κωλυόντων, ἐκινδύνευον οἱ κατειλημμένοι ἐν τῇ νήσῳ τῷ λιμῷ διαφθαρῆναι.
As the siege was prolonged, and the Athenians, having gained the upper hand with their ships, prevented food from being brought into the land, those who were cut off on the island were in danger of perishing from hunger.
§12.63.2διόπερ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι φοβηθέντες περὶ τῶν ἀπειλημμένων ἐν τῷ νήσῳ, πρεσβείας ἀπέστειλαν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας περὶ τῆς καταλύσεως τοῦ πολέμου· οὐ συγκατατιθεμένων δʼ αὐτῶν ἠξίουν ἀλλαγὴν ποιήσασθαι τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ λαβεῖν τοὺς ἴσους τῶν Ἀθηναίων τῶν ἑαλωκότων· ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τοῦτο συνεχώρησαν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι.
Therefore the Lacedaemonians, fearing for those who were cut off on the island, sent embassies to Athens concerning the termination of the war; but when they did not agree to this, they proposed to make an exchange of men and to receive an equal number of those Athenians who had been captured; but not even this did the Athenians allow.
διόπερ οἱ πρέσβεις παρρησίαν ἤγαγον ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις ὡς ὁμολογοῦσι Λακεδαιμονίους κρείττους εἶναι, μὴ βουλόμενοι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ποιήσασθαι.
Consequently, the ambassadors spoke out frankly in Athens, saying that they, by not wishing to make the exchange of prisoners, were admitting that the Lacedaemonians were superior.
§12.63.3οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι τῇ σπάνει τῶν ἀναγκαίων καταπονήσαντες τοὺς ἐν τῇ Σφακτηρίᾳ παρέλαβον αὐτοὺς καθʼ ὁμολογίαν.
But the Athenians, having worn down those on Sphacteria through the lack of necessities, received their surrender by agreement.
ἦσαν δʼ οἱ παραδόντες αὑτοὺς Σπαρτιᾶται μὲν ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι, τῶν δὲ συμμάχων ἑκατὸν ὀγδοήκοντα.
And those who surrendered themselves were one hundred and twenty Spartans, and one hundred and eighty of the allies.
§12.63.4οὗτοι μὲν οὖν ὑπὸ Κλέωνος τοῦ δημαγωγοῦ στρατηγοῦντος τότε δεθέντες ἤχθησαν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας· ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἐψηφίσατο αὐτοὺς φυλάττειν, ἐὰν βούλωνται Λακεδαιμόνιοι λῦσαι τὸν πόλεμον, ἐὰν δὲ προκρίνωσι τὸ πολεμεῖν, τότε πάντας τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀποκτεῖναι.
These men, then, having been bound by Cleon the demagogue, who was then general, were brought to Athens; and the assembly voted to keep them under guard if the Lacedaemonians should wish to end the war, but if they should prefer to continue fighting, then to put all the prisoners to death.
§12.63.5μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν ἐν Ναυπάκτῳ κατῳκισμένων Μεσσηνίων μεταπεμψάμενοι τοὺς ἀρίστους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων συμμάχων τοὺς ἱκανοὺς προσθέντες, τούτοις παρέδωκαν τὴν Πύλον φρουρεῖν· ἐνόμιζον γὰρ τοὺς Μεσσηνίους διὰ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς Σπαρτιάτας μῖσος ἐκθυμότατα κακοποιήσειν τὴν Λακωνικήν, ὁρμωμένους ἐξ ὀχυροῦ χωρίου.
After this, having sent for the best among the Messenians who had been settled in Naupactus, and having added a sufficient number from the other allies, they delivered Pylos to them to guard; for they thought that the Messenians, because of their hatred toward the Spartans, would most enthusiastically do harm to Laconia, setting out from a fortified place.
καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Πύλον ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And the affairs concerning Pylos were in this state.

Notes

  1. §12.63.1χρονιζούσης... κωλυόντων — Three participial clauses (χρονιζούσης δὲ τῆς πολιορκίας, καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων... ἐπικρατησάντων, and καὶ... κωλυόντων) are coordinated here as genitives absolute, providing the temporal and causal background for the main verb ἐκινδύνευον.
  2. §12.63.2ὡς ὁμολογοῦσι... μὴ βουλόμενοι — The ὡς clause with the indicative ὁμολογοῦσι expresses a subjective assertion ('on the grounds that they admit'). The subject of ὁμολογοῦσι is the Athenians, and the nominative plural participle μὴ βουλόμενοι agrees with it. The ambassadors charge that the Athenians, by not wishing to make the exchange, are tacitly admitting the Lacedaemonians' superiority (κρείττους).
  3. §12.63.4ἐὰν βούλωνται... ἐὰν δὲ προκρίνωσι — Two conditional clauses are contrasted. The consequence of the former (ἐὰν βούλωνται), expressed by the infinitive φυλάττειν ('to keep under guard'), means keeping them alive as hostages for peace negotiations, in logical contrast to the consequence of the latter (ἐὰν δὲ προκρίνωσι), expressed by the infinitive ἀποκτεῖναι ('to put to death').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.63.1-12.63.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.63.1-12.63.5

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