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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.67.1-13.67.7

Alcibiades' Night Attack and the Fall of Byzantium

Passage 246 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Alcibiades and the Athenians feigned a retreat but returned at night to launch a surprise attack on Byzantium, entering the city with the help of traitors. By promising not to harm the citizens, the Athenians won over the Byzantines, defeated the Peloponnesian garrison, and captured the city.

§13.67.1οὗτοι δὲ ὡς λύσοντες τὴν πολιορκίαν καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις ἀπάξοντες εἰς Ἰωνίαν δείλης ταῖς ναυσὶ πάσαις ἐξέπλευσαν, καὶ τὸ πεζὸν στράτευμα μέχρι τινὸς ἀπαγαγόντες, ὡς ἐπέλαβεν ἡ νύξ, πάλιν ὑπέστρεψαν καὶ περὶ μέσας νύκτας προσέμιξαν τῇ πόλει, καὶ τὰς μὲν τριήρεις ἀπέστειλαν προστάξαντες ἀφέλκειν τὰ πλοῖα καὶ κραυγὴν ποιεῖν, ὡς ἁπάσης ἐκεῖ τῆς δυνάμεως οὔσης, αὐτοὶ δὲ μετὰ τοῦ πεζοῦ στρατεύματος πρὸς τοῖς τείχεσιν ἐτήρουν τὸ συντεταγμένον παρὰ τῶν ἐνδιδόντων σύσσημον.
These, as though about to raise the siege and lead their forces away to Ionia, sailed out in the evening with all their ships, and having led the land army away to a certain distance, when night came on, they turned back again and about midnight reached the city. They sent off the triremes, commanding them to drag away the boats and make a clamor, as if the entire force were there, while they themselves with the land army waited near the walls for the agreed signal from those who were betraying the city.
§13.67.2τῶν δʼ ἐν ταῖς τριήρεσι ποιησάντων τὸ προσταχθέν, καὶ τῶν πλοίων τὰ μὲν συντριβόντων ταῖς ἐμβολαῖς, τὰ δʼ ἀποσπᾶν πειρωμένων ταῖς σιδηραῖς χερσίν, ἔτι δὲ βοὴν ἐξαίσιον ποιούντων, οἱ μὲν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὄντες Πελοποννήσιοι καὶ πάντες οἱ τὴν ἀπάτην ἀγνοοῦντες ἐξεβοήθουν ἐπὶ τοὺς λιμένας.
When those on the triremes did as they were commanded, and were shattering some of the boats with their rams and attempting to drag others away with their iron claws, and moreover were making an extraordinary clamor, the Peloponnesians who were in the city and all who were ignorant of the deception rushed out to the harbors to give assistance.
§13.67.3διόπερ οἱ τὴν πόλιν προδιδόντες ἦραν τὸ σύσσημον ἀπὸ τοῦ τείχους, καὶ παρεδέχοντο τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην διὰ τῶν κλιμάκων κατὰ πολλὴν ἀσφάλειαν, ὡς ἂν τοῦ πλήθους ἐπὶ τὸν λιμένα συνδεδραμηκότος.
Therefore those who were betraying the city raised the signal from the wall, and received Alcibiades and his men by means of ladders in perfect safety, since the multitude had run together to the harbor.
§13.67.4οἱ δὲ Πελοποννήσιοι πυθόμενοι τὸ γεγονός, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον τοὺς ἡμίσεις ἐπὶ τοῦ λιμένος ἀπέλιπον, τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐξεβοήθουν ἐπὶ τὰ κατειλημμένα τείχη.
But the Peloponnesians, on learning what had happened, at first left half their number at the harbor, and with the rest rushed in haste to the rescue at the walls that had been seized.
§13.67.5ἤδη δὲ σχεδὸν πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως τῶν Ἀθηναίων παρεισπεπτωκυίας, ὅμως οὐ κατεπλάγησαν, ἀλλὰ πολὺν χρόνον ἀντιστάντες εὐρώστως τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἠμύνοντο συναγωνιζομένων τῶν Βυζαντίων.
Although nearly the entire force of the Athenians had already forced its way in, they were nevertheless not dismayed, but resisting vigorously for a long time, they kept off the Athenians, while the Byzantines fought along with them.
καὶ πέρας οὐκ ἂν ἐκράτησαν Ἀθηναῖοι τῆς πόλεως διὰ μάχης, εἰ μὴ συννοήσας τὸν καιρὸν Ἀλκιβιάδης ἐκήρυξε μηδὲν ἀδίκημα ποιεῖν τοῖς Βυζαντίοις· οὕτω γὰρ οἱ πολιτικοὶ μεταβαλλόμενοι τοὺς Πελοποννησίους ἠμύνοντο.
And in the end the Athenians would not have gained mastery of the city through battle, had not Alcibiades, perceiving the critical moment, made a proclamation that they should do no wrong to the Byzantines; for at this the citizens changed sides and attacked the Peloponnesians.
§13.67.6ὅθεν οἱ πλεῖστοι μὲν αὐτῶν ἀνῃρέθησαν εὐγενῶς ἀγωνισάμενοι, οἱ δὲ περιλειφθέντες εἰς πεντακοσίους κατέφυγον πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς βωμούς.
Consequently most of them were slain after fighting noble battles, while the survivors, about five hundred, fled for refuge to the altars in the temples.
§13.67.7οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι τοῖς μὲν Βυζαντίοις ἀπέδωκαν τὴν πόλιν, συμμάχους αὐτοὺς ποιησάμενοι, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς βωμοῖς ὄντας ἱκέτας ὁμολογίας ἔθεντο, τὰ μὲν ὅπλα παραλαβεῖν, τὰ δὲ σώματα εἰς Ἀθήνας κομίσαντες ἐπιτρέψαι τῷ δήμῳ περὶ αὐτῶν.
The Athenians restored the city to the Byzantines, making them allies, and with the suppliants at the altars they made an agreement that they should deliver up their arms, and that the Athenians, having conveyed them to Athens, should leave their fate to the decision of the people.

Notes

  1. §13.67.1ὡς ἁπάσης ἐκεῖ τῆς δυνάμεως οὔσης — A genitive absolute construction with the noun `δυνάμεως` and the participle `οὔσης`, introduced by `ὡς`. The particle `ὡς` indicates a pretext or subjective intention, adding the sense of 'as if / pretending that' the entire force was there.
  2. §13.67.2τῶν πλοίων τὰ μὲν συντριβόντων ... τὰ δʼ ἀποσπᾶν πειρωμένων — While `τῶν πλοίων` is placed at the beginning of the clause, `τὰ μὲν... τὰ δʼ` function as accusative objects of the participles `συντριβόντων` and `πειρωμένων`. The subject of these participles is carried over from the preceding genitive absolute `τῶν δʼ ἐν ταῖς τριήρεσι...` (those on the triremes), meaning 'while they shattered some of the ships and attempted to drag others away.'
  3. §13.67.5οὐκ ἂν ἐκράτησαν ... εἰ μὴ ... ἐκήρυξε — A past contrafactual condition expressing a hypothetical situation contrary to past fact. The apodosis consists of `ἄν` with the indicative aorist `ἐκράτησαν` ('they would not have gained mastery'), and the protasis consists of `εἰ μή` with the indicative aorist `ἐκήρυξε` ('had he not made a proclamation').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.67.1-13.67.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.67.1-13.67.7

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