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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.102.1-14.102.4

Rescue of the Italiotes by Leptines and Peace Accord

Passage 396 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Leptines, brother of Dionysius, rescued the Italiotes defeated by the Lucanians and negotiated peace, which went against Dionysius's expansionist plans. Meanwhile, Rome distributed land to its citizens and fought against neighboring tribes.

§14.102.1τῶν δʼ Ἑλλήνων ἀνελπίστως τηλικούτῳ περιεχομένων κινδύνῳ, κατέβαινον εἰς τὸ πεδίον οἱ βάρβαροι.
While the Greeks were unexpectedly encompassed by such a great danger, the barbarians descended into the plain.
γενομένης δὲ παρατάξεως, καὶ τῶν Ἰταλιωτῶν καταπολεμηθέντων ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν Λευκανῶν, ἔπεσον μὲν πλείους τῶν μυρίων· παρήγγελλον γὰρ οἱ Λευκανοὶ μηθένα ζωγρεῖν·
A battle line having been formed, and the Italiotes having been defeated by the multitude of the Lucanians, more than ten thousand fell; for the Lucanians had given orders to take no one alive.
τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οἱ μὲν ἐπί τινα πρὸς τῇ θαλάσσῃ λόφον ἔφυγον, οἱ δὲ θεωροῦντες ναῦς μακρὰς προσπλεούσας καὶ νομίζοντες τὰς τῶν Ῥηγίνων εἶναι, συνέφυγον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ διενήχοντο ἐπὶ τὰς τριήρεις. §14.102.2ἦν δὲ ὁ στόλος ὁ προσπλέων Διονυσίου τοῦ τυράννου, καὶ ναύαρχος ὑπῆρχεν αὐτῷ Λεπτίνης ὁ ἀδελφός, ἀπεσταλμένος τοῖς Λευκανοῖς ἐπὶ βοήθειαν.
Of the rest, some fled to a certain hill near the sea, while others, seeing warships sailing towards them and thinking they belonged to the Rhegians, fled together into the sea and swam toward the triremes.\n But the fleet sailing towards them belonged to Dionysius the tyrant, and his brother Leptines was its admiral, having been sent to the aid of the Lucanians.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Λεπτίνης δεξάμενος φιλανθρώπως τοὺς νηχομένους ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἀπεβίβασε καὶ ἔπεισε τοὺς Λευκανοὺς ὑπὲρ ἑκάστου τῶν αἰχμαλώτων λαβεῖν ἀργυρίου μνᾶν· οὗτοι δʼ ἦσαν τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὑπὲρ τοὺς χιλίους. §14.102.3γενόμενος δὲ τῶν χρημάτων ἐγγυητὴς καὶ διαλλάξας τοὺς Ἰταλιώτας τοῖς Λευκανοῖς ἔπεισεν εἰρήνην ποιήσασθαι, καὶ μεγάλης ἀποδοχῆς ἔτυχε παρὰ τοῖς Ἰταλιώταις, συμφερόντως αὑτῷ, οὐ λυσιτελῶς δὲ Διονυσίῳ συντεθεικὼς τὸν πόλεμον.
Leptines, then, having received the swimmers kindly, landed them on the shore and persuaded the Lucanians to accept a mina of silver for each of the captives; and these were more than a thousand in number.\n Having become guarantor for the money and having reconciled the Italiotes with the Lucanians, he persuaded them to make peace, and he met with great approval among the Italiotes, having concluded the war advantageously to himself, but not profitably to Dionysius.
ἤλπιζε γὰρ ὁ Διονύσιος τῶν Ἰταλιωτῶν πολεμούντων πρὸς Λευκανοὺς ἐπελθὼν ῥᾳδίως ἂν κρατῆσαι τῶν κατʼ Ἰταλίαν πραγμάτων, ἀπολελυμένων δὲ τηλικούτου πολέμου δυσχερῶς ἂν περιγενέσθαι.
For Dionysius hoped that if the Italiotes were at war with the Lucanians, he, by attacking them, would easily gain control of affairs in Italy, but if they were released from so great a war, he would overcome them with difficulty.
διόπερ τοῦτον μὲν ἀπήλλαξε τῆς ναυαρχίας, Θεαρίδην δὲ τὸν ἕτερον ἀδελφὸν ἡγεμόνα τοῦ στόλου κατέστησεν. §14.102.4τούτων δὲ πραχθέντων Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν τῶν Οὐεξίων χώραν κατεκληρούχησαν, κατʼ ἄνδρα δόντες πλέθρα τέτταρα, ὡς δέ τινες, εἴκοσι ὀκτώ· καὶ πρὸς μὲν Αἰκούσους διαπολεμοῦντες Λίφλον πόλιν κατὰ κράτος εἷλον, Οὐελιτρίνων δʼ ἀποστάντων πόλεμον πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἐνεστήσαντο.
Therefore, he removed Leptines from the office of admiral, and appointed Thearides, his other brother, commander of the fleet.\n When these things had been done, the Romans distributed the territory of the Veientes, giving four plethra per man, or as some say, twenty-eight; and carrying on war against the Aequi, they took the city of Liphlum by force, and when the Veliternians revolted, they commenced war against them.
ἀπέστη δὲ καὶ Σάτρικον ἀπὸ Ῥωμαίων, καὶ εἰς Κερκίους ἀποικίαν ἀπέστειλαν.
Satricum also revolted from the Romans, and they sent a colony to Circeii.

Notes

  1. 14.102.1τῶν δʼ Ἑλλήνων ... περιεχομένων — Genitive absolute construction. The present passive participle indicates a state of danger simultaneous with the action of the main imperfect verb (κατέβαινον).
  2. 14.102.3τῶν Ἰταλιωτῶν πολεμούντων ... ἀπολελυμένων δὲ — Two contrasting genitive absolute constructions. The first (present participle) and the second (perfect passive participle) represent hypothetical/conditional states ('if they were at war' vs. 'if they were released') modifying the following potential infinitives.
  3. 14.102.3ἂν κρατῆσαι ... ἂν περιγενέσθαι — Infinitive clauses dependent on ἤλπιζε. The addition of the particle ἂν expresses potentiality ('would easily master' / 'would overcome with difficulty'). The second infinitive περιγενέσθαι shares the preceding ἂν.
  4. 14.102.4κατʼ ἄνδρα δόντες — An agreeing participle modifying the subject of the main clause, Ῥωμαῖοι. The prepositional phrase 'κατʼ ἄνδρα' functions distributively, meaning 'per man' or 'to each man'.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.102.1-14.102.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.102.1-14.102.4

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