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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.7.1-13.7.7

Siege of Syracuse and Gylippus' Arrival in Sicily

Passage 186 of 723 · Greek

Summary

While the Athenians intensify their siege of Syracuse with reinforcements, the Syracusans request aid from Sparta and Corinth, leading to the arrival of the Spartan general Gylippus in Sicily to gather forces.

§13.7.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Τισάνδρου Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπάτων χιλιάρχους κατέστησαν τέτταρας, Πόπλιον Λουκρήτιον, Γάιον Σερουίλιον, Ἀγρίππαν Μενήνιον, Σπούριον Οὐετούριον.
When Tisander was archon in Athens, the Romans appointed four military tribunes instead of consuls, namely Publius Lucretius, Gaius Servilius, Agrippa Menenius, and Spurius Veturius.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Συρακόσιοι πρέσβεις ἀποστείλαντες εἴς τε Κόρινθον καὶ Λακεδαίμονα παρεκάλουν βοηθῆσαι καὶ μὴ περιορᾶν αὐτοὺς περὶ τῶν ὅλων κινδυνεύοντας.
During their term of office, the Syracusans dispatched ambassadors to Corinth and Lacedaemon, urging them to send aid and not to look on while they were endangered in their main interests.
§13.7.2συνηγορήσαντος δʼ αὐτοῖς Ἀλκιβιάδου Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν ψηφισάμενοι βοηθεῖν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις στρατηγὸν εἵλοντο Γύλιππον, Κορίνθιοι δὲ πλείονας μὲν τριήρεις παρεσκευάζοντο πέμπειν, τότε δὲ μετὰ Γυλίππου Πύθην μετὰ δύο τριήρων προαπέστειλαν εἰς Σικελίαν.
Since Alcibiades spoke in support of them, the Lacedaemonians voted to aid the Syracusans and chose Gylippus as general, while the Corinthians prepared to send a larger number of triremes, but for the moment they dispatched Pythen with Gylippus with two triremes ahead to Sicily.
§13.7.3ἐν δὲ τῇ Κατάνῃ Νικίας καὶ Λάμαχος οἱ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγοί, παραγενομένων αὐτοῖς ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν ἱππέων μὲν διακοσίων πεντήκοντα, ἀργυρίου δὲ ταλάντων τριακοσίων, ἀναλαβόντες τὴν δύναμιν ἔπλευσαν εἰς Συρακούσας.
In Catana, the Athenian generals Nicias and Lamachus, since two hundred and fifty cavalry and three hundred talents of silver had arrived for them from Athens, took their force and sailed to Syracuse.
καὶ προσενεχθέντες τῇ πόλει νυκτὸς ἔλαθον τοὺς Συρακοσίους καταλαβόμενοι τὰς Ἐπιπολάς.
Reaching the city by night, they secretly occupied Epipolae without the Syracusans' knowledge.
αἰσθόμενοι δʼ οἱ Συρακόσιοι κατὰ τάχος ἐβοήθουν, καὶ ἀποβαλόντες τῶν στρατιωτῶν τριακοσίους εἰς τὴν πόλιν συνεδιώχθησαν.
When the Syracusans realized this, they quickly came to the rescue, but having lost three hundred of their soldiers, they were driven back into the city.
§13.7.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα παραγενομένων τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ἐξ Αἰγέστης τριακοσίων μὲν ἱππέων, παρὰ δὲ τῶν Σικελῶν ἱππέων διακοσίων πεντήκοντα, συνήγαγον ἱππεῖς τοὺς πάντας ὀκτακοσίους.
After this, since three hundred cavalry from Segesta and two hundred and fifty from the Sicels had arrived for the Athenians, they gathered eight hundred cavalry in all.
κατασκευάσαντες δὲ περὶ τὸ Λάβδαλον ὀχύρωμα, τὴν πόλιν τῶν Συρακοσίων ἀπετείχιζον καὶ πολὺν φόβον τοῖς Συρακοσίοις ἐπέστησαν.
Having constructed a fortress near Labdalum, they began to build a wall of circumvallation around the city of the Syracusans and struck great fear into them.
§13.7.5διόπερ ἐπεξελθόντες ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπεχείρησαν διακωλύειν τοὺς οἰκοδομοῦντας τὸ τεῖχος· γενομένης δʼ ἱππομαχίας συχνοὺς ἀποβαλόντες ἐτράπησαν.
Therefore, the Syracusans came out of the city and attempted to obstruct those who were building the wall; but a cavalry battle took place, and having lost many men, they were routed.
οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι τῷ μέρει τῆς δυνάμεως τὸν ὑπερκείμενον τοῦ λιμένος τόπον κατελάβοντο, καὶ τὴν καλουμένην Πολίχνην τειχίσαντες τό τε τοῦ Διὸς ἱερὸν περιεβάλοντο καὶ ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν μερῶν τὰς Συρακούσας ἐπολιόρκουν.
The Athenians, with a part of their force, occupied the high ground overlooking the harbour, and having fortified the place called Polichne, they enclosed the temple of Zeus with a wall and besieged Syracuse from both sides.
§13.7.6τοιούτων δὲ ἐλαττωμάτων περὶ τοὺς Συρακοσίους γενομένων ἠθύμουν οἱ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν· ὡς δʼ ἤκουσαν Γύλιππον εἰς Ἱμέραν καταπεπλευκέναι καὶ στρατιώτας ἀθροίζειν, πάλιν ἐθάρρησαν.
Since such defeats had befallen the Syracusans, those in the city were disheartened; but when they heard that Gylippus had sailed into Himera and was gathering soldiers, they took courage again.
§13.7.7ὁ γὰρ Γύλιππος μετὰ τεττάρων τριήρων καταπλεύσας εἰς Ἱμέραν τὰς μὲν ναῦς ἐνεώλκησε, τοὺς δʼ Ἱμεραίους πείσας συμμαχεῖν τοῖς Συρακοσίοις, παρά τε τούτων καὶ Γελῴων, ἔτι δὲ Σελινουντίων καὶ Σικανῶν ἤθροιζε στρατιώτας.
For Gylippus, having sailed into Himera with four triremes, drew up his ships on shore, and having persuaded the Himeraeans to ally with the Syracusans, he gathered soldiers from them, the Geloans, and also the Selinuntians and Sicanians.
συναγαγὼν δὲ τοὺς ἅπαντας τρισχιλίους μὲν πεζούς, διακοσίους δʼ ἱππεῖς, διὰ τῆς μεσογείου παρῆγεν εἰς Συρακούσας.
Having assembled them all, three thousand infantry and two hundred cavalry, he led them through the interior to Syracuse.

Notes

  1. 13.7.1περὶ τῶν ὅλων — Literally meaning 'concerning the whole,' this is an idiomatic expression for 'existential danger' or 'the ultimate issue of the state.' Combined with the participle κινδυνεύοντας (being endangered), it emphasizes that they were facing a threat to their very survival, rather than a mere local setback.
  2. 13.7.3ἔλαθον τοὺς Συρακοσίους καταλαβόμενοι — The construction of λανθάνω with a supplementary participle. The main verb ἔλαθον (escaped notice) with the participle καταλαβόμενοι (occupying) functions to mean 'they secretly occupied Epipolae without the Syracusans' knowledge.'
  3. 13.7.4ἀπετείχιζον — The imperfect tense here is conative or inceptive, indicating that the Athenians 'began to build' or 'were in the process of building' the wall of circumvallation, rather than having completed it.
  4. 13.7.5περιεβάλοντο — An aorist middle of περιβάλλω, carrying an interest-reflecting or indirect middle sense ('they enclosed for themselves'). It indicates that the Athenians brought the temple of Zeus under their control by enclosing it within their own siege works.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.7.1-13.7.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.7.1-13.7.7

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