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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §12.9.1-12.9.6

The Fall of Sybaris and War with Croton

Passage 103 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Describes the prosperity of Sybaris in Italy, the banishment of its wealthy citizens by the demagogue Telys, the outbreak of war with Croton which protected them, and Croton's victory led by the athlete Milo.

§12.9.1καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And the affairs in Sicily were in this state.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν συνέβη κτισθῆναι τὴν τῶν Θουρίων πόλιν διʼ αἰτίας τοιαύτας.
But in Italy, it happened that the city of Thurii was founded for the following reasons.
ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις Ἑλλήνων κτισάντων κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν πόλιν Σύβαριν, συνέβη ταύτην λαβεῖν ταχεῖαν αὔξησιν διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν τῆς χώρας.
In former times, when the Greeks had founded the city of Sybaris in Italy, it happened that this city received a rapid growth because of the fertility of the land.
§12.9.2κειμένης γὰρ ἀνὰ μέσον δυεῖν ποταμῶν, τοῦ τε Κράθιος καὶ τοῦ Συβάριος, ἀφʼ οὗ ταύτης ἔτυχε τῆς προσηγορίας, οἱ κατοικισθέντες νεμόμενοι πολλὴν καὶ καρποφόρον χώραν μεγάλους ἐκτήσαντο πλούτους.
For since it lay between two rivers, the Crathis and the Sybaris (from which it obtained this name), those who settled there, by cultivating a large and fruitful territory, acquired great wealth.
πολλοῖς δὲ μεταδιδόντες τῆς πολιτείας ἐπὶ τοσοῦτο προέβησαν, ὥστε δόξαι πολὺ προέχειν τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν οἰκούντων, πολυανθρωπίᾳ τε τοσοῦτο διήνεγκαν, ὥστε τὴν πόλιν ἔχειν πολιτῶν τριάκοντα μυριάδας.
And by granting citizenship to many, they advanced to such a degree that they seemed to far surpass those who lived in Italy, and they so excelled in population that the city had three hundred thousand citizens.
γενόμενος δὲ παρʼ αὐτοῖς δημαγωγὸς Τῆλυς, καὶ κατηγορῶν τῶν μεγίστων ἀνδρῶν, ἔπεισε τοὺς Συβαρίτας φυγαδεῦσαι τοὺς εὐπορωτάτους τῶν πολιτῶν πεντακοσίους καὶ τὰς οὐσίας αὐτῶν δημεῦσαι.
But when Telys became a demagogue among them and accused the most influential men, he persuaded the Sybarites to banish five hundred of the wealthiest citizens and to confiscate their property.
§12.9.3τῶν δὲ φυγάδων παρελθόντων εἰς Κρότωνα καὶ καταφυγόντων ἐπὶ τοὺς εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν βωμούς, ὁ μὲν Τῆλυς ἐξέπεμψε πρεσβευτὰς πρὸς τοὺς Κροτωνιάτας, οἷς ἦν προστεταγμένον ἢ τοὺς φυγάδας ἐκδοῦναι ἢ πόλεμον προσδέχεσθαι.
When these exiles had come to Croton and fled for refuge to the altars in the marketplace, Telys sent ambassadors to the Crotoniates, who were commanded either to surrender the exiles or to expect war.
§12.9.4συναχθείσης δὲ ἐκκλησίας καὶ προτεθείσης βουλῆς, πότερον χρὴ τοὺς ἱκέτας ἐκδοῦναι τοῖς Συβαρίταις ἢ πόλεμον ὑπομεῖναι πρὸς δυνατωτέρους, ἀπορουμένης τε τῆς συγκλήτου καὶ τοῦ δήμου, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἔρρεπε ταῖς γνώμαις τὸ πλῆθος πρὸς τὴν ἀπόδοσιν τῶν ἱκετῶν διὰ τὸν πόλεμον· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Πυθαγόρου τοῦ φιλοσόφου συμβουλεύσαντος σώζειν τοὺς ἱκέτας, μετέπεσον ταῖς γνώμαις καὶ τὸν πόλεμον ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν ἱκετῶν σωτηρίας ἀνείλοντο.
An assembly having been gathered and a deliberation proposed, as to whether they ought to surrender the suppliants to the Sybarites or endure a war against a more powerful foe, and both the senate and the people being in perplexity, at first the multitude inclined in their opinions toward the surrender of the suppliants because of the war; but after this, when Pythagoras the philosopher advised them to save the suppliants, they changed their minds and undertook the war for the safety of the suppliants.
§12.9.5στρατευσάντων δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς τῶν Συβαριτῶν τριάκοντα μυριάσιν ἀντετάχθησαν οἱ Κροτωνιᾶται δέκα μυριάσι, Μίλωνος τοῦ ἀθλητοῦ ἡγουμένου καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς τοῦ σώματος ῥώμης πρώτου τρεψαμένου τοὺς καθʼ αὑτὸν τεταγμένους.
And when the Sybarites marched against them with three hundred thousand men, the Crotoniates opposed them with one hundred thousand, under the leadership of Milo the athlete, who, because of his extraordinary bodily strength, was the first to turn to flight those stationed opposite him.
§12.9.6ὁ γὰρ ἀνὴρ οὗτος, ἑξάκις Ὀλύμπια νενικηκὼς καὶ τὴν ἀλκὴν ἀκόλουθον ἔχων τῇ κατὰ τὸ σῶμα φύσει, λέγεται πρὸς τὴν μάχην ἀπαντῆσαι κατεστεφανωμένος μὲν τοῖς Ὀλυμπικοῖς στεφάνοις, διεσκευασμένος δὲ εἰς Ἡρακλέους σκευὴν λεοντῇ καὶ ῥοπάλῳ· αἴτιον δὲ γενόμενον τῆς νίκης θαυμασθῆναι παρὰ τοῖς πολίταις.
For this man, who had won six times at the Olympic Games and possessed courage in keeping with his physical nature, is said to have gone to meet the battle crowned with his Olympic wreaths, and equipped in the garb of Heracles with a lion's skin and a club; and having been the cause of the victory, he was admired among his fellow citizens.

Notes

  1. 12.9.2κειμένης — The feminine singular genitive participle κειμένης (from κείμαι, 'to lie/be situated') is used in a genitive absolute construction (or modifying an implied noun), where the subject is the omitted feminine noun referring to the city of Sybaris (Σύβαριν) from the preceding sentence.
  2. 12.9.4ἀνείλοντο — The 3rd person plural aorist middle of the verb ἀναιρέω. The middle voice (ἀναιρέομαι) means 'to take upon oneself' or 'undertake,' here used with τὸν πόλεμον ('the war') to express entering into the war voluntarily.
  3. 12.9.6θαυμασθῆναι — The passive infinitive from θαυμάζω ('to admire'). It is dependent on the main verb λέγεται ('he is said to...') in coordination with the infinitive ἀπαντῆσαι, accompanied by the nominative participle αἴτιον δὲ γενόμενον ('having become the cause'), thus forming the indirect discourse construction: 'he is said ... to have been admired.'

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §12.9.1-12.9.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:12.9.1-12.9.6

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