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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.6.1-13.6.8

Athenian Stratagem at Syracuse and Flight of Diagoras

Passage 185 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian generals in Sicily used a ruse to lure the Syracusans to Catana while they seized Syracuse's Great Harbour and won a battle, but withdrew due to lack of cavalry. Meanwhile, Diagoras the Atheist fled Athens after being accused of impiety.

§13.6.1οἱ δʼ ἐν Σικελίᾳ στρατηγοὶ μετὰ τῆς τῶν Ἀθηναίων δυνάμεως παραπλεύσαντες εἰς Αἴγεσταν, Ὕκκαρα μὲν Σικελικὸν πολισμάτιον ἑλόντες ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων συνήγαγον ἑκατὸν τάλαντα· κομισάμενοι δὲ καὶ τριάκοντα τάλαντα παρὰ τῶν Αἰγεσταίων κατέπλευσαν εἰς Κατάνην.
The generals in Sicily, sailing along the coast to Segesta with the Athenian forces, captured Hyccara, a small Sicilian town, and gathered one hundred talents from the booty; and having also received thirty talents from the Segestaeans, they sailed back to Catana.
§13.6.2βουλόμενοι δὲ τὸν πρὸς τῷ μεγάλῳ λιμένι τόπον Συρακοσίων ἀκινδύνως καταλαβέσθαι, πέμπουσιν ἄνδρα Καταναῖον, ἑαυτοῖς μὲν πιστόν, τοῖς δὲ Συρακοσίων στρατηγοῖς πιθανόν,διακελευσάμενοι λέγειν τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῶν Συρακοσίων, ὅτι τινὲς Καταναίων συστάντες βούλονται συχνοὺς τῶν Ἀθηναίων αὐλιζομένους ἀπὸ τῶν ὅπλων ἐν τῇ πόλει νυκτὸς ἄφνω συλλαβόντες τὰς ἐν τῷ λιμένι ναῦς ἐμπρῆσαι· πρὸς δὲ τὴν τούτων συντέλειαν ἀξιοῦν τοὺς στρατηγοὺς ἐπιφανῆναι μετὰ δυνάμεως, μήποτε τῆς ἐπιβολῆς ἀποτύχωσιν.
Wishing to occupy without danger the area near the Great Harbour of the Syracusans, they dispatched a man of Catana, who was loyal to themselves but plausible to the Syracusan generals, instructing him to tell the leaders of the Syracusans that certain Catanaeans had conspired and wished to seize suddenly by night many of the Athenians who were quartered in the city away from their arms, and to burn the ships in the harbour; and that, for the completion of this plan, they requested the generals to appear with a force, lest they should fail in their attempt.
§13.6.3ἐλθόντος δὲ τοῦ Καταναίου πρὸς τοὺς ἡγεμόνας τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ δηλώσαντος τὰ προειρημένα, πιστεύσαντες περὶ τούτων οἱ στρατηγοὶ συνετάξαντο νύκτα καθʼ ἣν ἐξάξουσι τὴν δύναμιν, καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐξαπέστειλαν εἰς τὴν Κατάνην.
When the Catanaean came to the leaders of the Syracusans and explained what has been said, the generals, believing these reports, agreed upon a night on which they would lead out their force, and sent the man back to Catana.
§13.6.4οἱ μὲν οὖν Συρακόσιοι κατὰ τὴν τεταγμένην νύκτα ἦγον τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐπὶ τὴν Κατάνην, οἱ δὲ Ἀθηναῖοι παραπλεύσαντες εἰς τὸν μέγαν λιμένα τῶν Συρακοσίων μετὰ πολλῆς ἡσυχίας τοῦ τε Ὀλυμπίου κύριοι κατέστησαν καὶ πάντα τὸν περικείμενον τόπον καταλαβόμενοι παρεμβολὴν ἐποιήσαντο.
The Syracusans, therefore, on the appointed night led their army against Catana, while the Athenians, sailing along the coast into the Great Harbour of the Syracusans in deep silence, made themselves masters of the Olympieium and, occupying all the surrounding area, established their camp.
§13.6.5οἱ δὲ στρατηγοὶ τῶν Συρακοσίων ὡς ᾔσθοντο τὴν ἀπάτην, ταχέως ἀναστρέψαντες προσέβαλον τῇ παρεμβολῇ τῶν Ἀθηναίων.
When the generals of the Syracusans realized the deception, they quickly turned back and attacked the camp of the Athenians.
ἐπεξελθόντων οὖν τῶν πολεμίων συνέστη μάχη, καθʼ ἣν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τετρακοσίους τῶν ἐναντίων ἀνελόντες φυγεῖν ἠνάγκασαν τοὺς Συρακοσίους.
Since the enemy came out to meet them, a battle ensued, in which the Athenians slew four hundred of their opponents and forced the Syracusans to flee.
§13.6.6οἱ δὲ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγοὶ θεωροῦντες τοὺς πολεμίους ἱπποκρατοῦντας, καὶ βουλόμενοι βέλτιον τὰ πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν κατασκευάσασθαι, πάλιν ἀπέπλευσαν εἰς τὴν Κατάνην.
But the generals of the Athenians, seeing that the enemy were superior in cavalry and wishing to make better preparations for the siege, sailed back again to Catana.
πέμψαντες δʼ εἰς Ἀθήνας τινὰς ἔγραψαν πρὸς τὸν δῆμον ἐπιστολάς, ἐν αἷς ἠξίουν ἱππεῖς ἀποστεῖλαι καὶ χρήματα· πολυχρόνιον γὰρ ἔσεσθαι τὴν πολιορκίαν ὑπελάμβανον.
Having sent some men to Athens, they wrote letters to the people in which they requested them to dispatch cavalry and funds; for they assumed that the siege would last a long time.
οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι τριακόσια τάλαντα καὶ τῶν ἱππέων τινὰς ἐψηφίσαντο πέμπειν εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν.
And the Athenians voted to send three hundred talents and some of the cavalry to Sicily.
§13.6.7τούτων δὲ πραττομένων Διαγόρας ὁ κληθεὶς ἄθεος, διαβολῆς τυχὼν ἐπʼ ἀσεβείᾳ καὶ φοβηθεὶς τὸν δῆμον, ἔφυγεν ἐκ τῆς Ἀττικῆς· οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι τῷ ἀνελόντι Διαγόραν ἀργυρίου τάλαντον ἐπεκήρυξαν.
While these things were taking place, Diagoras, who was called the Atheist, having met with slander on a charge of impiety and fearing the people, fled from Attica; and the Athenians offered a reward of a talent of silver to anyone who should kill Diagoras.
§13.6.8κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς Αἴκους πόλεμον ἔχοντες Λαβικοὺς ἐξεπολιόρκησαν.
In Italy, the Romans, who were at war with the Aequi, took Labici by siege.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράχθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
These, then, were the events of this year.

Notes

  1. 13.6.2ἀπὸ τῶν ὅπλων — The noun ὅπλα can mean either 'weapons' or 'camp/station,' and the prepositional phrase ἀπὸ τῶν ὅπλων can be interpreted as 'without arms' or 'away from the camp.' In either case, it emphasizes the vulnerability of the Athenians to a surprise attack.
  2. 13.6.2ἀξιοῦν — An infinitive of indirect discourse following the ὅτι-clause introduced by λέγειν (which depends on the participle διακελευσάμενοι, modifying the main verb πέμπουσιν). Its subject is the aforementioned τινὲς Καταναίων ('certain Catanaeans'), representing the request conveyed by the messenger.
  3. 13.6.5τῶν πολεμίων — In the genitive absolute ἐπεξελθόντων οὖν τῶν πολεμίων ('since the enemy came out'), τῶν πολεμίων refers to the Athenians. It signifies that the Athenian forces marched out from their camp (παρεμβολή) to counter-attack the advancing Syracusans.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.6.1-13.6.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.6.1-13.6.8

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