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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §13.99.1-13.99.6

Death of Callicratidas and Peloponnesian Defeat

Passage 278 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The fierce naval battle between the Athenians and Peloponnesians begins, where Callicratidas fights bravely but is eventually killed, leading to the retreat of the Peloponnesian forces.

§13.99.1ἅμα δʼ οἵ τε ναύαρχοι τοῖς σαλπιγκταῖς παρεκελεύοντο σημαίνειν καὶ τὸ παρʼ ἑκατέροις πλῆθος ἐναλλὰξ ἐπαλαλάζον ἐξαίσιον ἐποίει βοήν· πάντες δὲ μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐλαύνοντες τὸ ῥόθιον ἐφιλοτιμοῦντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ἑκάστου σπεύδοντος πρώτου κατάρξασθαι τῆς μάχης.
At the same time, the admirals ordered the trumpeters to sound the signal, and the multitude on both sides, shouting in turn, made an extraordinary clamor; and everyone, rowing through the surge with haste, vied with one another, each striving to be the first to begin the battle.
§13.99.2ἔμπειροί τε γὰρ ἦσαν τῶν κινδύνων οἱ πλεῖστοι διὰ τὸ μῆκος τοῦ πολέμου καὶ σπουδὴν ἀνυπέρβλητον εἰσεφέροντο διὰ τὸ τοὺς κρατίστους εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγῶνα συνηθροῖσθαι· πάντες γὰρ ὑπελάμβανον τοὺς ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ νικήσαντας πέρας ἐπιθήσειν τῷ πολέμῳ.
For most of them were experienced in dangers because of the length of the war, and they brought an unsurpassable eagerness because the best men had been assembled for the struggle on behalf of the whole; for everyone assumed that those who conquered in this battle would put an end to the war.
§13.99.3οὐ μὴν ἀλλʼ ὁ Καλλικρατίδας ἀκηκοὼς τοῦ μάντεως τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐσομένην τελευτήν, ἔσπευδεν ἐπιφανέστατον ἑαυτῷ περιποιήσασθαι θάνατον.
Nevertheless, Callicratidas, having heard from the seer of the death that was to come upon him, was eager to procure for himself a most glorious death.
διόπερ πρῶτος ἐπὶ τὴν Λυσίου τοῦ στρατηγοῦ ναῦν ἐπιπλεύσας, καὶ σὺν ταῖς ἅμα πλεούσαις τριήρεσιν ἐξ ἐφόδου τρώσας, κατέδυσε· τῶν δʼ ἄλλων τὰς μὲν τοῖς ἐμβόλοις τύπτων ἄπλους ἐποίει, τῶν δὲ τοὺς ταρσοὺς παρασύρων ἀχρήστους ἀπετέλει πρὸς τὴν μάχην.
Therefore, having first sailed against the ship of the general Lysias, and having damaged it with a sudden assault along with the triremes sailing with him, he sank it; and of the other ships, by striking some with their rams, he made them unseaworthy, and of others, by shearing off their oars, he rendered them useless for the battle.
§13.99.4τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον δοὺς ἐμβολὴν τῇ τοῦ Περικλέους τριήρει βιαιότερον, τῆς μὲν τριήρους ἐπὶ πολὺν ἀνέρρηξε τόπον, τοῦ δὲ στόματος ἐναρμοσθέντος εἰς τὴν λακίδα, καὶ μὴ δυναμένων αὐτῶν ἀνακρούσασθαι, Περικλῆς μὲν ἐπέβαλε τῇ τοῦ Καλλικρατίδα νηὶ σιδηρᾶν χεῖρα, προσαφθείσης δʼ αὐτῆς οἱ μὲν Ἀθηναῖοι περιστάντες τὴν ναῦν εἰσήλλοντο, καὶ περιχυθέντες τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πάντας ἀπέσφαξαν.
Finally, making a more violent charge against the trireme of Pericles, he broke open a large part of the trireme, but since his own bow was wedged into the rupture and they were unable to back water, Pericles threw a grappling iron onto the ship of Callicratidas, and when it caught hold, the Athenians, surrounding the ship, leaped aboard, and surrounding them, slaughtered all those in it.
§13.99.5τότε δή φασι τὸν Καλλικρατίδαν λαμπρῶς ἀγωνισάμενον καὶ πολὺν ἀντισχόντα χρόνον, τὸ τελευταῖον ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους πανταχόθεν τιτρωσκόμενον καταπονηθῆναι.
At that time, they say that Callicratidas, after fighting brilliantly and holding out for a long time, was finally overwhelmed, being wounded from all sides by the multitude.
ὡς δὲ τὸ περὶ τὸν ναύαρχον ἐλάττωμα συμφανὲς ἐγένετο, συνέβη τοὺς Πελοποννησίους δείσαντας ἐγκλῖναι.
And when the misfortune concerning the admiral became apparent, it happened that the Peloponnesians, having become frightened, gave way.
§13.99.6τοῦ δὲ δεξιοῦ μέρους τῶν Πελοποννησίων φυγόντος, οἱ τὸ λαιὸν ἔχοντες Βοιωτοὶ χρόνον μέν τινα διεκαρτέρουν εὐρώστως ἀγωνιζόμενοι· εὐλαβοῦντο γὰρ αὐτοί τε καὶ οἱ συγκινδυνεύοντες Εὐβοεῖς καὶ πάντες οἱ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀφεστηκότες, μήποτε Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνακτησάμενοι τιμωρίαν παρʼ αὐτῶν λάβωσιν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀποστάσεως· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὰς πλείστας ναῦς ἑώρων τετρωμένας καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν νικώντων ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἐπιστραφέν, ἠναγκάσθησαν φυγεῖν.
When the right wing of the Peloponnesians fled, the Boeotians, who held the left, held out for some time, fighting vigorously; for they themselves, and the Euboeans who shared the danger, and all who had revolted from the Athenians, were cautious lest the Athenians, having recovered their empire, should exact punishment from them for their defection; but when they saw most of the ships damaged and the multitude of the victors turned against them, they were forced to flee.
τῶν μὲν οὖν Πελοποννησίων οἱ μὲν εἰς Χίον, οἱ δʼ εἰς Κύμην διεσώθησαν.
Of the Peloponnesians, some saved themselves to Chios, and others to Cyme.

Notes

  1. 13.99.1ἑκάστου σπεύδοντος πρώτου κατάρξασθαι — Although ἑκάστου σπεύδοντος forms a genitive absolute, the nominative adjective πρώτου is inserted as a predicate complement. This nominative case agrees with the implied subject of the infinitive κατάρξασθαι (which is identical to the subject of the participle σπεύδοντος), representing an irregular grammatical concord.
  2. 13.99.2διὰ τὸ τοὺς κρατίστους εἰς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγῶνα συνηθροῖσθαι — This is a substantivized infinitive clause serving as the object of the preposition διὰ. The accusative τοὺς κρατίστους acts as the subject of the perfect passive infinitive συνηθροῖσθαι, with a long prepositional phrase inserted between them, complicating the syntax.
  3. 13.99.3τῶν δʼ ἄλλων τὰς μὲν ... τῶν δὲ — In response to the partitive genitive τῶν δʼ ἄλλων (of the other ships), the accusative τὰς μὲν (some...) and the genitive τῶν δὲ (of others...) are placed in an asymmetrical contrast. The latter genitive τῶν δὲ modifies the following accusative noun phrase τοὺς ταρσοὺς (the oars), signifying possession: 'of others, [shearing off] the oars.'
  4. 13.99.4τοῦ δὲ στόματος ἐναρμοσθέντος ... καὶ μὴ δυναμένων αὐτῶν — This is a double genitive absolute construction connected by καί, involving two different subjects: στόματος (singular neuter) and αὐτῶν (plural masculine). The respective participles, ἐναρμοσθέντος (singular) and δυναμένων (plural), agree in number with their respective subjects.
  5. 13.99.6εὐλαβοῦντο ... μήποτε ... λάβωσιν — The verb of fearing/caution εὐλαβοῦντο is followed by the negative conjunction μήποτε with the aorist subjunctive λάβωσιν. This is a classic 'clause of fearing' where the subjunctive is retained after a historical main tense (imperfect).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §13.99.1-13.99.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:13.99.1-13.99.6

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