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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.33.1-13.33.3

Execution of the Generals and Suicide of Diocles

Passage 212 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Influenced by the Lacedaemonian's speech, the Syracusan assembly decides to execute the generals and confine the Athenian prisoners in the stone quarries. Later, the legislator Diocles, known for his severe laws, accidentally violates his own law forbidding armed entry into the agora and commits suicide to uphold its authority.

§13.33.1τοιαῦτα διαλεχθέντος τοῦ Λάκωνος μετέπεσε τὸ πλῆθος καὶ τὴν Διοκλέους γνώμην ἐκύρωσεν.
When the Lacedaemonian had spoken in this manner, the multitude changed their minds and ratified the proposal of Diocles.
διόπερ οἱ μὲν στρατηγοὶ παραχρῆμα ἀνῃρέθησαν καὶ οἱ σύμμαχοι, οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι παρεδόθησαν εἰς τὰς λατομίας, ὧν ὕστερον οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ πλεῖον παιδείας μετεσχηκότες ὑπὸ τῶν νεωτέρων ἐξαρπαγέντες διεσώθησαν, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ σχεδὸν ἅπαντες ἐν τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ κακούμενοι τὸν βίον οἰκτρῶς κατέστρεψαν.
Therefore, the generals and the allies were immediately executed, and the Athenians were delivered into the stone quarries, of whom later those who had shared in a higher education were rescued by the younger men and saved, while almost all the rest, being mistreated in the prison, ended their lives miserably.
§13.33.2μετὰ δὲ τὴν κατάλυσιν τοῦ πολέμου Διοκλῆς τοὺς νόμους ἀνέγραψε τοῖς Συρακοσίοις, καὶ συνέβη παράδοξον περὶ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον γενέσθαι περιπέτειαν.
After the conclusion of the war, Diocles wrote the laws for the Syracusans, and it happened that a strange reversal of fortune befell this man.
ἀπαραίτητος γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἐπιτιμίοις γενόμενος καὶ σκληρῶς κολάζων τοὺς ἐξαμαρτάνοντας, ἔγραψεν ἐν τοῖς νόμοις, ἐάν τις ὅπλον ἔχων εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν παραγένηται, θάνατον εἶναι πρόστιμον, οὔτε ἀγνοίᾳ δοὺς οὔτε ἄλλῃ τινὶ περιστάσει συγγνώμην.
For having become inexorable in punishments and severely chastising those who did wrong, he wrote in the laws that if anyone should enter the agora carrying a weapon, the penalty should be death, granting pardon neither to ignorance nor to any other circumstance.
§13.33.3προσαγγελθέντων δὲ πολεμίων ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας ἐξεπορεύετο ξίφος ἔχων· αἰφνιδίου δὲ στάσεως καὶ ταραχῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν γενομένης, ἀγνοήσας μετὰ τοῦ ξίφους παρῆν εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν.
And when the enemy were reported to be in the territory, he went out carrying a sword; but when a sudden faction and tumult arose in the agora, he entered the agora with his sword without realizing it.
τῶν δὲ ἰδιωτῶν τινος κατανοήσαντος καὶ εἰπόντος, ὅτι τοὺς ἰδίους αὐτὸς καταλύει νόμους, ἀνεβόησε, Μὰ Δία οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κυρίους ποιήσω. καὶ σπασάμενος τὸ ξίφος ἑαυτὸν ἀπέκτεινεν.
When one of the private citizens noticed this and said that he himself was violating his own laws, he cried out, "No, by Zeus, certainly not, but I will even make them binding." And drawing his sword, he killed himself.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράχθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
These things, then, were done during this year.

Notes

  1. §13.33.1ὧν ὕστερον οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ πλεῖον παιδείας μετεσχηκότες — The relative pronoun ὧν is a partitive genitive referring back to the antecedent οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι. Additionally, παιδείας is the genitive object governed by the perfect participle μετεσχηκότες (from μετέχω).
  2. §13.33.2συνέβη παράδοξον περὶ τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον γενέσθαι περιπέτειαν — The impersonal verb συνέβη takes an accusative-and-infinitive construction as its subject, in which παράδοξον... περιπέτειαν serves as the subject accusative of the infinitive γενέσθαι.
  3. §13.33.2οὔτε ἀγνοίᾳ δοὺς οὔτε ἄλλῃ τινὶ περιστάσει συγγνώμην — The aorist participle δοὺς (from δίδωμι) modifies the subject (Diocles), governing the datives ἀγνοίᾳ and περιστάσει as indirect objects, and the accusative συγγνώμην as its direct object.
  4. §13.33.3Μὰ Δία οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κυρίους ποιήσω — Μὰ Δία is an oath formula used with negative expressions, reinforcing the strong denial or correction οὐ μὲν οὖν. κυρίους (accusative plural of κύριος) functions as a predicative accusative modifying the contextually omitted object νόμους.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.33.1-13.33.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.33.1-13.33.3

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