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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.64.1-12.64.3

Death of Artaxerxes and the Victory of Postumius

Passage 158 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The death of the Persian King Artaxerxes and the succession of Xerxes are recorded, as well as the Roman appointment of Postumius and Julius to fight the rebelling Aequi. Postumius defeats them and celebrates a triumph, but reportedly executes his own son for leaving his assigned post during the battle.

§12.64.1Ἀρταξέρξης δʼ ὁ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεὺς ἐτελεύτησεν ἄρξας ἔτη τετταράκοντα, τὴν δʼ ἀρχὴν διαδεξάμενος Ξέρξης ἐβασίλευσεν ἐνιαυτόν.
Artaxerxes, the king of the Persians, died after having ruled for forty years, and Xerxes, having succeeded to the rule, reigned for a year.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Αἴκλων ἀποστάντων ἀπὸ Ῥωμαίων κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον αὐτοκράτορα μὲν Αὖλον Ποστούμιον, ἵππαρχον δὲ Λεύκιον Ἰούλιον ἐποίησαν.
In Italy, when the Aequi revolted from the Romans, they appointed Aulus Postumius as dictator and Lucius Julius as master of the horse for the war.
§12.64.2οὗτοι δὲ μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως ἀξιολόγου στρατεύσαντες εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀφεστηκότων χώραν τὸ μὲν πρῶτον τὰς κτήσεις ἐπόρθησαν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Αἴκλων ἀντιταχθέντων ἐγένετο μάχη, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκησαν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν τῶν πολεμίων ἀνεῖλον, οὐκ ὀλίγους δʼ ἐζώγρησαν, λαφύρων δὲ πολλῶν ἐκυρίευσαν.
These men, having marched with a large and noteworthy force into the territory of the rebels, at first ravaged their properties, but after this, when the Aequi drew up against them, a battle took place in which the Romans were victorious, and they slew many of the enemy, captured not a few alive, and took possession of much booty.
§12.64.3μετὰ δὲ τὴν μάχην οἱ μὲν ἀφεστηκότες διὰ τὴν ἧτταν καταπεπληγμένοι τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ὑπετάγησαν, ὁ δὲ Ποστούμιος δόξας καλῶς διῳκηκέναι τὰ κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον, κατήγαγε τὸν εἰωθότα θρίαμβον.
After the battle, the rebels, terrified because of the defeat, submitted to the Romans, and Postumius, having been judged to have managed the affairs of the war well, celebrated the customary triumph.
ἴδιον δέ τι καὶ παντελῶς ἄπιστόν φασι πρᾶξαι τὸν Ποστούμιον· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν μάχην τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν προθυμίαν προεκπηδῆσαι τῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς δεδομένης τάξεως· τὸν δὲ πατέρα τηροῦντα τὸ πάτριον ἔθος τὸν υἱὸν ὡς λελοιπότα τὴν τάξιν ἀποκτεῖναι.
But they say that Postumius did something peculiar and altogether unbelievable; for during the battle, his son, because of his eagerness, leapt forward from the post assigned to him by his father, and the father, observing the ancestral custom, put his son to death on the ground that he had left his post.

Notes

  1. §12.64.1αὐτοκράτορα — The Greek word αὐτοκράτωρ (absolute ruler) is used here as a translation for the Roman office of 'dictator.'
  2. §12.64.1ἵππαρχον — The Greek word ἵππαρχος (cavalry commander) is used here to translate the Roman office of 'magister equitum' (master of the horse), who was typically appointed by the dictator.
  3. §12.64.3προεκπηδῆσαι ... ἀποκτεῖναι — Dependent on the main verb φασί (they say), both the son's action (προεκπηδῆσαι) and the father's execution (ἀποκτεῖναι) are expressed in the accusative and infinitive construction, with τὸν υἱόν and τὸν πατέρα as their respective subjects.
  4. §12.64.3ὡς λελοιπότα — The combination of the particle ὡς with the perfect participle λελοιπότα (from λείπω) expresses the subjective reason or allegation of the agent (the father), meaning 'on the grounds that he had abandoned his post.'

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.64.1-12.64.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.64.1-12.64.3

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