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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.3.1-13.3.5

Departure of the Athenian Fleet and Voyage to Rhegium

Passage 182 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian expeditionary force sets sail with grand celebrations from Piraeus, unites with its allies at Corcyra, and sails along the coast of Southern Italy to Rhegium, negotiating and obtaining provisions at various cities.

§13.3.1τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ κατέβαινον οἱ στρατηγοὶ μετὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν εἰς τὸν Πειραιέα, καὶ συνηκολούθει πᾶς ὁ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὄχλος ἀναμὶξ ἀστῶν τε καὶ ξένων, ἑκάστου τοὺς ἰδίους συγγενεῖς τε καὶ φίλους προπέμποντος.
On the following day, the generals with the soldiers went down to Piraeus, and the entire crowd of the city accompanied them, citizens and foreigners mingled together, each person escorting his own relatives and friends.
§13.3.2αἱ μὲν οὖν τριήρεις παρʼ ὅλον τὸν λιμένα παρώρμουν κεκοσμημέναι τοῖς ἐπὶ ταῖς πρῴραις ἐπισήμασι καὶ τῇ λαμπρότητι τῶν ὅπλων· ὁ δὲ κύκλος ἅπας τοῦ λιμένος ἔγεμε θυμιατηρίων καὶ κρατήρων ἀργυρῶν, ἐξ ὧν ἐκπώμασι χρυσοῖς ἔσπενδον οἱ τιμῶντες τὸ θεῖον καὶ προσευχόμενοι κατατυχεῖν τῆς στρατείας.
The triremes, decorated with the emblems on their prows and the splendor of their arms, lay at anchor along the whole harbor; and the entire circle of the harbor was full of censers and silver mixing-bowls, from which those who honored the divine and prayed for the success of the expedition made libations with golden cups.
§13.3.3ἀναχθέντες οὖν ἐκ τοῦ Πειραιέως περιέπλευσαν τὴν Πελοπόννησον καὶ κατηνέχθησαν εἰς Κόρκυραν· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ παραμένειν παρήγγελτο καὶ προσαναλαμβάνειν τοὺς παροίκους τῶν συμμάχων.
Having set sail, then, from Piraeus, they circumnavigated the Peloponnese and arrived at Corcyra; for orders had been given to remain there and to take on board the neighboring allies.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἅπαντες ἠθροίσθησαν, διαπλεύσαντες τὸν Ἰόνιον πόρον πρὸς ἄκραν Ἰαπυγίαν κατηνέχθησαν, κἀκεῖθεν ἤδη παρελέγοντο τὴν Ἰταλίαν.
When everyone had been assembled, they crossed the Ionian strait and put in at the Iapygian promontory, and from there they now began to coast along Italy.
§13.3.4ὑπὸ μὲν οὖν Ταραντίνων οὐ προσεδέχθησαν, Μεταποντίνους δὲ καὶ Ἡρακλειώτας παρέπλευσαν· εἰς δὲ Θουρίους κατενεχθέντες πάντων ἔτυχον τῶν φιλανθρώπων.
Now they were not received by the Tarentines, and they sailed past the Metapontines and Heracleots; but putting in at Thurii, they met with every kindness.
ἐκεῖθεν δὲ καταπλεύσαντες εἰς Κρότωνα, καὶ λαβόντες ἀγορὰν παρὰ τῶν Κροτωνιατῶν, τῆς τε Λακινίας Ἥρας τὸ ἱερὸν παρέπλευσαν καὶ τὴν Διοσκουριάδα καλουμένην ἄκραν ὑπερέθεντο.
Sailing from there to Croton, and having obtained a market from the Crotoniats, they sailed past the temple of Lacinian Hera and doubled the cape called Dioscurias.
§13.3.5μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὸ καλούμενόν τε Σκυλλήτιον καὶ Λοκροὺς παρήλλαξαν, καὶ τοῦ Ῥηγίου καθορμισθέντες ἐγγὺς ἔπειθον τοὺς Ῥηγίνους συμμαχεῖν· οἱ δὲ ἀπεκρίναντο βουλεύσεσθαι μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων Ἰταλιωτῶν.
After this, they passed Scylletium, as it is called, and the Locrians, and anchoring near Rhegium, they tried to persuade the Rhegians to form an alliance; but they replied that they would deliberate with the other Italiotes.

Notes

  1. 13.3.1ἑκάστου ... προπέμποντος — A genitive absolute construction consisting of the genitive noun ἑκάστου and the genitive present participle προπέμποντος. It expresses the accompanying circumstance or cause of the main crowd's movement, indicating that each individual was escorting their own friends and relatives.
  2. 13.3.2ἐξ ὧν — The antecedent of the relative pronoun ὧν can grammatically include both censers (θυμιατηρίων) and mixing-bowls (κρατήρων), but contextually it refers primarily to the mixing-bowls (κρατήρων), out of which the people poured libations using golden cups.
  3. 13.3.3παρήγγελτο — An impersonal pluperfect passive verb. The subsequent infinitive clauses παραμένειν... καὶ προσαναλαμβάνειν function as the subject of the passive construction, meaning 'it had been ordered to remain... and to take on board.'
  4. 13.3.5ἔπειθον — The imperfect tense of the verb πείθω (to persuade), functions here as a conative imperfect ('tried to persuade' / 'attempted to persuade'), indicating an incomplete action rather than a successful persuasion. This is confirmed by the Rhegians' hesitant reply.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.3.1-13.3.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.3.1-13.3.5

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