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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.101.1-13.101.7

Trial and Execution of the Athenian Generals

Passage 280 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Although the victory at Arginusae was celebrated in Athens, the generals were prosecuted due to anger over leaving the dead unburied. Mutual accusations arose between the generals and Theramenes, ultimately resulting in the death sentence for the returning generals.

§13.101.1Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ πυθόμενοι τὴν ἐν ταῖς Ἀργινούσαις εὐημερίαν ἐπὶ μὲν τῇ νίκῃ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς ἐπῄνουν, ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ περιιδεῖν ἀτάφους τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας τετελευτηκότας χαλεπῶς διετέθησαν.
The Athenians, when they learned of the success at Arginusae, praised the generals for the victory, but were angrily disposed because they had allowed those who had died for the sake of the hegemony to remain unburied.
§13.101.2Θηραμένους δὲ καὶ Θρασυβούλου προαπεληλυθότων εἰς Ἀθήνας, ὑπολαβόντες οἱ στρατηγοὶ τούτους εἶναι τοὺς διαβαλόντας πρὸς τὰ πλήθη περὶ τῶν τελευτησάντων, ἀπέστειλαν κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐπιστολὰς πρὸς τὸν δῆμον, διασαφοῦντες ὅτι τούτοις ἐπέταξαν ἀνελέσθαι τοὺς τελευτήσαντας· ὅπερ μάλιστʼ αὐτοῖς αἴτιον ἐγενήθη τῶν κακῶν.
Since Theramenes and Thrasybulus had already returned to Athens before them, the generals, suspecting that these were the ones who had slandered them to the masses regarding the dead, dispatched letters against them to the assembly, making it clear that they had ordered these men to pick up the dead; this very action was the chief cause of their misfortunes.
§13.101.3δυνάμενοι γὰρ ἔχειν συναγωνιστὰς εἰς τὴν κρίσιν τοὺς περὶ Θηραμένην, ἄνδρας καὶ λόγῳ δυνατοὺς καὶ φίλους πολλοὺς ἔχοντας, καὶ τὸ μέγιστον, συμπαραγεγονότας τοῖς εἰς τὴν ναυμαχίαν πράγμασιν, ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων ἔσχον ἀντιδίκους καὶ πικροὺς κατηγόρους.
For whereas they could have had the faction of Theramenes as supporters in the trial—men who were both powerful in speech and had many friends, and, what was most important, had been present at the events of the naval battle—they, on the contrary, made them adversaries and bitter accusers.
§13.101.4ἀναγνωσθεισῶν γὰρ ἐν τῷ δήμῳ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν εὐθὺς μὲν τοῖς περὶ Θηραμένην ὠργίζετο τὰ πλήθη, τούτων δὲ ἀπολογησαμένων συνέβη τὴν ὀργὴν πάλιν μεταπεσεῖν εἰς τοὺς στρατηγούς.
For when the letters were read in the assembly, the masses at first became angry with the faction of Theramenes; but when these men defended themselves, it happened that the anger turned back again upon the generals.
§13.101.5διόπερ ὁ δῆμος προέθηκεν αὐτοῖς κρίσιν, καὶ Κόνωνα μὲν ἀπολύσας τῆς αἰτίας προσέταξε τούτῳ τὰς δυνάμεις παραδίδοσθαι, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους ἐψηφίσατο τὴν ταχίστην ἥκειν.
Therefore, the assembly brought them to trial, and having cleared Conon of the charge, ordered that the forces be turned over to him, while they voted that the others should return as quickly as possible.
ὧν Ἀριστογένης μὲν καὶ Πρωτόμαχος φοβηθέντες τὴν ὀργὴν τοῦ πλήθους ἔφυγον, Θράσυλλος δὲ καὶ Καλλιάδης, ἔτι δὲ Λυσίας καὶ Περικλῆς καὶ Ἀριστοκράτης μετὰ τῶν πλείστων νεῶν κατέπλευσαν εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας, ἐλπίζοντες τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ναυσὶ πολλοὺς ὄντας βοηθοὺς ἕξειν ἐν τῇ κρίσει.
Of these, Aristogenes and Protomachus fled, fearing the anger of the multitude, but Thrasyllus and Calliades, and also Lysias, Pericles, and Aristocrates, sailed into Athens with most of the ships, hoping that they would have the many men in the ships as helpers in the trial.
§13.101.6ὡς δʼ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὰ πλήθη συνῆλθον, τῆς μὲν κατηγορίας καὶ τῶν πρὸς χάριν δημηγορούντων ἤκουον,τοὺς δʼ ἀπολογουμένους συνθορυβοῦντες οὐκ ἠνείχοντο τῶν λόγων.
When the masses gathered for the assembly, they listened to the accusation and to those who made speeches to please them, but they made a clamor against those who were defending themselves and would not tolerate their words.
οὐκ ἐλάχιστα δʼ αὐτοὺς ἔβλαψαν οἱ συγγενεῖς τῶν τετελευτηκότων, παρελθόντες μὲν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐν πενθίμοις, δεόμενοι δὲ τοῦ δήμου τιμωρήσασθαι τοὺς περιεωρακότας ἀτάφους τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος προθύμως τετελευτηκότας.
And the relatives of the dead did them no small harm, coming forward into the assembly in mourning garments and begging the people to punish those who had neglected the unburied dead who had eagerly died for their country.
§13.101.7τέλος δʼ οἵ τε τούτων φίλοι καὶ οἱ τοῖς περὶ Θηραμένην συναγωνιζόμενοι πολλοὶ καθεστῶτες ἐνίσχυσαν, καὶ συνέβη καταδικασθῆναι τοὺς στρατηγοὺς θανάτῳ καὶ δημεύσει τῶν οὐσιῶν.
Finally, the friends of these men and the many who supported the faction of Theramenes gained the upper hand, and it resulted in the generals being condemned to death and the confiscation of their property.

Notes

  1. 13.101.1περιιδεῖν — The aorist infinitive of the verb περιορῶ (to overlook, permit). This verb commonly takes a participle or adjective to express 'allowing someone/something to be in a certain state.' Here, it takes the adjective ἀτάφους to mean 'allowing them to remain unburied.'
  2. 13.101.2ὅπερ — Nominative neuter singular of the relative pronoun. Its antecedent is not a single preceding word, but the entire action or statement previously described (i.e., the generals sending letters to the assembly shifting the responsibility to Theramenes' faction).
  3. 13.101.3δυνάμενοι — Present participle in the nominative masculine plural modifying the main verb ἔσχον, used here with a concessive force ('although they were able to...'). It sets up a contrast where the generals could have had Theramenes' faction as allies (συναγωνιστάς) but instead made them adversaries (ἀντιδίκους).
  4. 13.101.5ὧν — Relative pronoun in the genitive plural used as a connecting relative at the beginning of the sentence ('Of these...'). It refers back to the generals who were ordered to return.
  5. 13.101.5βοηθοὺς ἕξειν — Future infinitive serving as the object of the participle ἐλπίζοντες (hoping). The subject of the infinitive is omitted because it is identical to the subject of the participle (the generals who returned), and the accusative βοηθούς functions as a predicate accusative ('to have them as helpers').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.101.1-13.101.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.101.1-13.101.7

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