Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.1.1-13.1.3

Reasons for a Short Preface and Scope of Book 13

Passage 180 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that due to his method of encompassing a vast historical span in a few books, he must omit lengthy prefaces, and outlines the scope of Book 13, starting from the Athenian expedition against Syracuse to the outbreak of the second war between the Carthaginians and the tyrant Dionysius.

§13.1.1εἰ μὲν ὅμοια τοῖς ἄλλοις ἱστορίαν ἐπραγματευόμεθα, σχεδὸν ἦν ἐν τῷ προοιμίῳ περί τινων διαλεχθέντας ἐφʼ ὅσον ἦν εὔκαιρον, οὕτως ἐπὶ τὰς συνεχεῖς πράξεις μεταβιβάζειν τὸν λόγον· ὀλίγον γὰρ χρόνον ἀπολαβόντες τῇ γραφῇ, τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ἂν εἴχομεν τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν προοιμίων καρπὸν προσλαμβάνεσθαι·

If we were treating history in a manner similar to others, it would have been appropriate, almost, to move the narrative on to the continuous events only after having discussed certain matters in the preface as far as was suitable; for if we had taken a short period of time for our writing, we would have had the leisure to receive additionally the fruit derived from prefaces.

§13.1.2ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐν ὀλίγαις βίβλοις ἐπηγγειλάμεθα μὴ μόνον τὰς πράξεις ἐφʼ ὅσον ἂν δυνώμεθα γράψειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ περιλήψεσθαι χρόνον πλείονα τῶν χιλίων καὶ ἑκατὸν ἐτῶν, ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι τὸν πολὺν λόγον τῶν προοιμίων παραπέμψαντας ἐπʼ αὐτὰς ἔρχεσθαι τὰς πράξεις, τοῦτο μόνον προειπόντας, ὅτι κατὰ μὲν τὰς προηγουμένας ἓξ βίβλους ἀνεγράψαμεν τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν Τρωικῶν πράξεις ἕως εἰς τὸν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ψηφισθέντα πόλεμον ἐπὶ Συρακοσίους, εἰς ὃν ἀπὸ Τροίας ἁλώσεως ἐστὶν ἔτη ἑπτακόσια ἑξήκοντα ὀκτώ·

But since we promised in a few books not only to write of the events as far as we should be able, but also to encompass a period of more than one thousand one hundred years, it is necessary to pass over the long discourse of prefaces and come to the events themselves, saying only this beforehand: that in the preceding six books we recorded the events from the Trojan times down to the war voted by the Athenians against the Syracusans, to which war from the capture of Troy is seven hundred and sixty-eight years.

§13.1.3ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ προσαναπληροῦντες τὸν συνεχῆ χρόνον, ἀρξόμεθα μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπὶ Συρακοσίους στρατείας, καταλήξομεν δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ δευτέρου πολέμου Καρχηδονίοις πρὸς Διονύσιον τὸν Συρακοσίων τύραννον.

And in this book, filling up the continuous time, we shall begin with the expedition against the Syracusans, and we shall end at the beginning of the second war of the Carthaginians against Dionysius, the tyrant of the Syracusans.

Notes

13.1.1σχεδὸν ἦν — The imperfect indicative ἦν is used here without the particle ἄν to form a counterfactual apodosis, meaning 'it would almost have been [fitting/appropriate].' This is a standard idiom with verbs and expressions of obligation, possibility, or propriety.
13.1.1διαλεχθέντας — An accusative masculine plural participle. It agrees in case with the implied subject of the subsequent infinitive μεταβιβάζειν (referring to 'us' as the author or general writers). The participles παραπέμψαντας and προειπόντας in §13.1.2 share the same grammatical structure.
13.1.1τὴν ἀναστροφὴν ἂν εἴχομεν — A counterfactual apodosis with the imperfect indicative εἴχομεν and the particle ἄν. The noun ἀναστροφή, which normally denotes 'turning back' or 'return,' is used metaphorically here to mean 'the opportunity to turn aside' or 'leisure,' governing the subsequent complementary infinitive προσλαμβάνεσθαι.
13.1.3Καρχηδονίοις — Dative of relation or disadvantage qualifying the noun πόλεμος ('war'), indicating 'the war for the Carthaginians (against Dionysius),' effectively meaning 'the war between the Carthaginians and Dionysius.'

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.1.1-13.1.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.1.1-13.1.3

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