Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.69.1-13.69.5

Reinstatement of Alcibiades and His Expedition to Andros

Passage 248 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Upon returning to Athens, Alcibiades is welcomed enthusiastically by the populace, who restore his property, revoke his curse, and appoint him general with absolute power. He then leads an expedition to Andros, wins a victory, and plunders nearby islands to secure maintenance for his troops.

§13.69.1ἐπεὶ δʼ οὖν κατέπλευσεν ὁ στόλος, ἐπέστρεψε τὸ πλῆθος ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀλκιβιάδου ναῦν, ἐξ ἧς ἐκβάντα τὸν ἄνδρα πάντες ἐδεξιοῦντο, τοῖς εὐημερήμασιν ἅμα καὶ τῇ καθόδῳ συγχαίροντες.
So when the fleet came to land, the multitude turned toward the ship of Alcibiades, and as he stepped ashore, everyone welcomed him with right hands extended, congratulating him at once on his successes and on his return.
ὁ δʼ ἀσπασάμενος τὰ πλήθη φιλανθρώπως ἐκκλησίαν συνήγαγε, καὶ πολλὰ τῶν καθʼ ἑαυτὸν ἀπολογησάμενος εἰς τοσαύτην εὔνοιαν τοὺς ὄχλους ἤγαγεν, ὥστε ὁμολογεῖν πάντας τὴν πόλιν αἰτίαν γεγονέναι τῶν κατʼ ἐκείνου ψηφισμάτων. §13.69.2διόπερ αὐτῷ τήν τε οὐσίαν ἀπέδωκαν ἣν ἐδήμευσαν, ἔπειτα δὲ τὰς στήλας κατεπόντισαν, ἐν αἷς ἦν ἡ καταδίκη καὶ τἄλλα τὰ κατʼ ἐκείνου κυρωθέντα· ἐψηφίσαντο δὲ καὶ τοὺς Εὐμολπίδας ἆραι τὴν ἀράν, ἣν ἐποιήσαντο κατʼ αὐτοῦ καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν ἔδοξεν ἀσεβεῖν περὶ τὰ μυστήρια. §13.69.3τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον αὐτὸν στρατηγὸν καταστήσαντες αὐτοκράτορα καὶ κατὰ γῆν καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν, ἁπάσας τὰς δυνάμεις ἐνεχείρισαν αὐτῷ.
After greeting the crowds kindly, he assembled the citizens in assembly and, by making a long defense of his own conduct, brought the populace into such great goodwill toward him that everyone agreed that the city had been the cause of the decrees passed against him. For this reason, they restored to him his property which they had confiscated, and then they sank into the sea the stelae on which were recorded his condemnation and the other measures enacted against him; they also voted that the Eumolpidae should lift the curse which they had pronounced against him at the time when he was thought to have committed impiety regarding the mysteries. And finally, having appointed him general with absolute power both on land and at sea, they entrusted all their forces to him.
εἵλαντο δὲ καὶ στρατηγοὺς ἑτέρους οὓς ἐκεῖνος ἤθελεν, Ἀδείμαντον καὶ Θρασύβουλον. §13.69.4ὁ δʼ Ἀλκιβιάδης ἑκατὸν ναῦς πληρώσας ἐξέπλευσεν εἰς Ἄνδρον, καὶ καταλαβόμενος Γαύριον φρούριον ἐτείχισεν.
They also chose other generals whom he wished, namely Adeimantus and Thrasybulus. Alcibiades, having manned a hundred ships, sailed out to Andros, and having captured Gaurium, he fortified it.
ἐξελθόντων δὲ τῶν Ἀνδρίων πανδημεὶ μετὰ τῶν παραφυλαττόντων τὴν πόλιν Πελοποννησίων ἐγενήθη μάχη, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκησαν Ἀθηναῖοι· τῶν δʼ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως πολλοὶ μὲν ἀνῃρέθησαν, τῶν δὲ διασωθέντων οἱ μὲν κατὰ τὴν χώραν διεσκεδάσθησαν, οἱ δʼ ἐντὸς τῶν τειχῶν συνέφυγον. §13.69.5αὐτὸς δʼ Ἀλκιβιάδης προσβολὰς ποιησάμενος τῇ πόλει, ἐν μὲν τῷ πεφρουρημένῳ τείχει τὴν ἱκανὴν φυλακὴν κατέλιπε καὶ Θρασύβουλον ἡγεμόνα κατέστησεν, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐκπλεύσας τήν τε Κῶν καὶ Ῥόδον ἐδῄωσε, καὶ συχνὰς ὠφελείας ἤθροισε πρὸς τὰς τῶν στρατιωτῶν διατροφάς.
When the Andrians came out in full force along with the Peloponnesians who were guarding the city, a battle took place in which the Athenians were victorious; of those from the city, many were slain, while of those who escaped, some were scattered throughout the country, and others fled for refuge within the walls. Alcibiades himself, having made assaults upon the city, left a sufficient garrison in the fortified wall and appointed Thrasybulus as commander, while he himself sailed out with his force and plundered both Cos and Rhodes, and gathered abundant supplies for the maintenance of his soldiers.

Notes

  1. 13.69.1τὴν πόλιν αἰτίαν γεγονέναι τῶν κατʼ ἐκείνου ψηφισμάτων — An accusative-and-infinitive construction within the result clause introduced by ὥστε, where τὴν πόλιν serves as the subject of the infinitive γεγονέναι. The phrase αἰτίαν γεγονέναι implies that the city-state of Athens itself was to blame for the decrees previously passed against him.
  2. 13.69.2τοὺς Εὐμολπίδας ἆραι τὴν ἀράν — An accusative-and-infinitive construction acting as the object of the verb ἐψηφίσαντο (they voted). τοὺς Εὐμολπίδας is the subject of the infinitive, and ἆραι (aorist infinitive of αἴρω, 'to lift' or 'to revoke') is the infinitive verb.
  3. 13.69.4ἐξελθόντων δὲ τῶν Ἀνδρίων πανδημεὶ μετὰ τῶν παραφυλαττόντων τὴν πόλιν Πελοποννησίων — A genitive absolute construction showing the time or cause of the main verb ἐγενήθη (took place). The 'Peloponnesians', modified by the attributive present participle τῶν παραφυλαττόντων, accompany the 'Andrians' who serve as the subject of the participle ἐξελθόντων.
  4. 13.69.5ἐν μὲν τῷ πεφρουρημένῳ τείχει — The perfect passive participle πεφρουρημένῳ (garrisoned/fortified) modifies τείχει (wall/fort). This refers back to the fortification of Gaurium (φρούριον ἐτείχισεν) mentioned in §13.69.4, indicating that he left a garrison within that newly fortified stronghold.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.69.1-13.69.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.69.1-13.69.5

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.