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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.65.1-13.65.4

Megarian Capture of Nisaea and Cratesippidas in Chios

Passage 244 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The conflict between Athens and Megara over Nisaea is described, alongside the Spartan admiral Cratesippidas's intervention in Chios, which led to the restoration of exiles and subsequent domestic strife.

§13.65.1τούτων δὲ πραττομένων Μεγαρεῖς μὲν Νίσαιαν ὑπʼ Ἀθηναίους οὖσαν εἷλον, Ἀθηναῖοι δʼ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἀπέστειλαν Λεωτροφίδην καὶ Τίμαρχον μετὰ μὲν πεζῶν χιλίων, ἱππέων δὲ τετρακοσίων.
While these things were being done, the Megarians captured Nisaea, which was under the Athenians; and the Athenians dispatched against them Leotrophides and Timarchus with one thousand infantry and four hundred cavalry.
οἷς οἱ Μεγαρεῖς ἀπαντήσαντες μετὰ τῶν ὅπλων πανδημεὶ καὶ παραλαβόντες τινὰς τῶν ἐκ Σικελίας, παρετάξαντο πρὸς τοῖς λόφοις τοῖς Κέρασι καλουμένοις· §13.65.2τῶν δʼ Ἀθηναίων λαμπρῶς ἀγωνισαμένων, καὶ πολλαπλασίους ὄντας τοὺς πολεμίους τρεψαμένων, Μεγαρέων ἔπεσον μὲν πολλοί, τῶν δὲ Λακεδαιμονίων εἴκοσι μόνον· οἱ γὰρ Ἀθηναῖοι βαρέως φέροντες ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν Νίσαιαν κατειλῆφθαι τοὺς μὲν Λακεδαιμονίους οὐκ ἐδίωξαν, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς Μεγαρεῖς χαλεπῶς διακείμενοι παμπληθεῖς ἀνεῖλον. §13.65.3Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ Κρατησιππίδαν ἑλόμενοι ναύαρχον, καὶ παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων ναῦς αὑτῶν πληρώσαντες εἴκοσι πέντε, προσέταξαν παραβοηθεῖν τοῖς συμμάχοις.
The Megarians, having met them in full force with their arms and having taken along some of those from Sicily, drew up for battle near the hills called Ceras. When the Athenians fought brilliantly and put to flight the enemy, who were many times their number, many of the Megarians fell, but of the Lacedaemonians only twenty; for the Athenians, bearing it heavily that Nisaea had been captured, did not pursue the Lacedaemonians, but being harshly disposed toward the Megarians, they slew them in great numbers. The Lacedaemonians, having chosen Cratesippidas as admiral and having manned twenty-five of their own ships from the allies, ordered him to go to the aid of the allies.
οὗτος δὲ χρόνον μέν τινα περὶ τὴν Ἰωνίαν διέτριψεν οὐθὲν ἄξιον λόγου πράξας· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παρὰ τῶν ἐκ Χίου φυγάδων λαβὼν χρήματα κατήγαγεν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν ἀκρόπολιν τῶν Χίων κατελάβετο. §13.65.4οἱ δὲ κατελθόντες τῶν Χίων τοὺς ἀντιπολιτευομένους αὐτοῖς καὶ τῆς ἐκπτώσεως αἰτίους ὄντας εἰς ἑξακοσίους τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντας ἐφυγάδευσαν.
He, then, spent some time around Ionia, having achieved nothing worthy of mention; but after this, having received money from the exiles of Chios, he restored them and seized the acropolis of the Chians. And those of the Chians who had returned exiled their political opponents who had been responsible for their expulsion, being about six hundred in number.
οὗτοι δὲ τῆς ἀντιπέραν ἠπείρου χωρίον Ἀταρνέα καλούμενον κατελάβοντο, σφόδρα τῇ φύσει καθεστηκὸς ὀχυρόν, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐκ τούτου τὰς ἀφορμὰς ἔχοντες ἐπολέμουν τοῖς Χίον ἔχουσιν.
These latter occupied a place called Atarneus on the opposite mainland, which was by nature very strong, and using this from then on as a base, they made war on those who held Chios.

Notes

  1. §13.65.2ἐπὶ τῷ τὴν Νίσαιαν κατειλῆφθαι — The preposition ἐπί with the dative articular infinitive (the neuter singular dative article τῷ + the perfect passive infinitive κατειλῆφθαι) expresses the cause of an emotion ('at the fact that...'). The accusative τὴν Νίσαιαν functions as the subject of the infinitive.
  2. §13.65.4τὸν ἀριθμὸν — Accusative of respect or specification ('in number'). Combined with the preposition εἰς indicating an approximate amount, the phrase means 'amounting to about six hundred in number.'
  3. §13.65.4τοῖς Χίον ἔχουσιν — The present participle ἔχουσιν (dative plural masculine) means 'to hold' or 'to control', taking the accusative object Χίον (Chios) to mean 'those holding Chios'. It is in the dative case because it is governed by the preceding verb ἐπολέμουν which takes the dative.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.65.1-13.65.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.65.1-13.65.4

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