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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.71.1-13.71.4

Defeat at Notion Caused by Antiochus' Insubordination

Passage 250 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Alcibiades temporarily leaves the fleet, but Antiochus, left in command, disobeys orders and rashly challenges Lysander to a battle. The Athenians suffer a severe defeat, and the returning Alcibiades is forced to withdraw to Samos.

§13.71.1Ἀλκιβιάδης δὲ πυθόμενος ἐν Ἐφέσῳ τὸν Λύσανδρον ἐξαρτύειν τὸν στόλον, ἀνήχθη μετὰ πασῶν τῶν νεῶν εἰς Ἔφεσον.
Alcibiades, learning that Lysander was equipping his fleet in Ephesus, put to sea with all his ships for Ephesus.
ἐπιπλεύσας δὲ τοῖς λιμέσιν,ὡς οὐδεὶς ἀντανήγετο, τὰς μὲν πολλὰς ναῦς καθώρμισε περὶ τὸ Νότιον, τὴν ἡγεμονίαν αὐτῶν παραδοὺς Ἀντιόχῳ τῷ ἰδίῳ κυβερνήτῃ, διακελευσάμενος αὐτῷ μὴ ναυμαχεῖν, ἕως ἂν αὐτὸς παραγένηται, τὰς δὲ στρατιώτιδας ναῦς ἀνέλαβε καὶ κατὰ σπουδὴν ἔπλευσεν εἰς Κλαζομενάς· αὕτη γὰρ ἡ πόλις σύμμαχος Ἀθηναίων οὖσα κακῶς ἔπασχεν ὑπό τινων φυγάδων πορθουμένη.
Having sailed against the harbors, when no one put out against him, he anchored most of his ships around Notion, turning over the command of them to Antiochus, his own helmsman, with strict orders to him not to engage in a sea battle until he himself should return; but he himself took the troop-transports and sailed in haste to Clazomenae, for this city, although an ally of the Athenians, was suffering badly, being plundered by certain exiles.
§13.71.2ὁ δʼ Ἀντίοχος ὢν τῇ φύσει πρόχειρος, καὶ σπεύδων διʼ ἑαυτοῦ τι πρᾶξαι λαμπρόν, τῶν μὲν Ἀλκιβιάδου λόγων ἠμέλησε, δέκα δὲ ναῦς τὰς ἀρίστας πληρώσας, καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τοῖς τριηράρχοις παραγγείλας ἑτοίμας ἔχειν, ἂν ἦ χρεία ναυμαχεῖν, ἐπέπλευσε τοῖς πολεμίοις, προκαλεσόμενος εἰς ναυμαχίαν.
But Antiochus, being by nature reckless and eager to achieve some brilliant success by himself, disregarded the words of Alcibiades; having manned the ten best ships, and having ordered the trierarchs to keep the others ready if there should be need of a sea battle, he sailed against the enemy, intending to challenge them to a sea battle.
§13.71.3ὁ δὲ Λύσανδρος πεπυσμένος παρά τινων αὐτομόλων τὴν ἄφοδον Ἀλκιβιάδου καὶ τῶν ἀρίστων μετʼ αὐτοῦ στρατιωτῶν, καιρὸν εἶναι διέλαβε πρᾶξαί τι τῆς Σπάρτης ἄξιον.
But Lysander, having learned from some deserters of the departure of Alcibiades and of the best soldiers with him, judged that it was the opportune moment to perform some deed worthy of Sparta.
διόπερ πάσαις ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀνταναχθεὶς μίαν μὲν τὴν προπλέουσαν τῶν δέκα, καθʼ ἣν Ἀντίοχος ἦν ἀντιτεταγμένος, κατέδυσε, τὰς δʼ ἄλλας τρεψάμενος ἐδίωξε, μέχρις οὗ τὰς ἄλλας πληρώσαντες οἱ τριήραρχοι τῶν Ἀθηναίων παρεβοήθησαν ἐν οὐδεμιᾷ τάξει.
Therefore, having put to sea with all his ships, he sank the one leading ship of the ten, on board of which Antiochus was stationed, and having routed the others, he pursued them until the trierarchs of the Athenians, having manned the other ships, came to the rescue in no order.
§13.71.4γενομένης δὲ ναυμαχίας ἀθρόαις ταῖς ναυσὶν οὐ μακρὰν τῆς γῆς, Ἀθηναῖοι διὰ τὴν ἀταξίαν ἠλαττώθησαν καὶ ναῦς ἀπέβαλον δύο πρὸς ταῖς εἴκοσι· τῶν δʼ ἐν αὐταῖς ἀνδρῶν ὀλίγοι μὲν ἐζωγρήθησαν,οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πρὸς τὴν γῆν διενήξαντο.
When a sea battle took place with all the ships not far from the land, the Athenians were worsted because of their disorder and lost twenty-two ships; of the men on them, a few were taken alive, while the rest swam to the land.
Ἀλκιβιάδης δὲ πυθόμενος τὸ γεγενημένον διὰ σπουδῆς ἀνέκαμψεν εἰς τὸ Νότιον, καὶ πάσας τὰς τριήρεις πληρώσας ἐπέπλευσε τοῖς λιμέσι τῶν πολεμίων· οὐ τολμῶντος δʼ ἀνταναχθῆναι τοῦ Λυσάνδρου τὸν πλοῦν εἰς Σάμον ἐποιήσατο.
Alcibiades, learning of what had happened, returned in haste to Notion, and having manned all his triremes, sailed against the harbors of the enemy; but when Lysander did not dare to put out against him, he made his voyage to Samos.

Notes

  1. §13.71.1τὰς δὲ στρατιώτιδας ναῦς — The adjective στρατιῶτις, -ιδος ('of or for soldiers') modifies ναῦς. Here it refers to 'troop-transports' as opposed to the fast triremes designed for naval combat.
  2. §13.71.3καθʼ ἣν Ἀντίοχος ἦν ἀντιτεταγμένος — The preposition κατά with the accusative relative pronoun ἥν (whose antecedent is μίαν, referring to 'one' of the ten ships) indicates positioning on the vessel, meaning 'on board of which Antiochus himself was stationed'.
  3. §13.71.4δύο πρὸς ταῖς εἴκοσι — The preposition πρός with the dative case (ταῖς εἴκοσι 'twenty') means 'in addition to', forming the numeral 'twenty-two' (two in addition to twenty). This is a standard way of expressing compound numbers in Classical Greek.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.71.1-13.71.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.71.1-13.71.4

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