Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.107.1-14.107.5

Destruction of Hipponium and Preparations Against Rhegium

Passage 401 of 723 · Greek

Summary

During the year Pyrgion was archon in Athens and military tribunes ruled in Rome, Dionysius razed Hipponium, granting its territory to the Locrians, and actively pursued revenge against Rhegium due to their past insult regarding a marriage proposal.

§14.107.1τοῦ δʼ ἔτους τούτου διεληλυθότος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦρχε Πυργίων, ἐν δὲ τῇ Ῥώμῃ τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν μετέλαβον χιλίαρχοι τέσσαρες, Λεύκιος Λουκρήτιος, Σερούιος Σουλπίκιος, Γάιος Αἰμίλιος, Ὀλυμπιὰς δʼ ἤχθη ὀγδόη πρὸς ταῖς ἐνενήκοντα, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα Σώσιππος Ἀθηναῖος.
When this year had passed, Pyrgion was archon in Athens, and in Rome four military tribunes, Lucius Lucretius, Servius Sulpicius, and Gaius Aemilius, succeeded to the consular power, and the ninety-eighth Olympiad was celebrated, in which Sosippus of Athens won the stadium race.
§14.107.2τούτων δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρειληφότων Διονύσιος ὁ τῶν Συρακοσίων δυνάστης πορευθεὶς εἰς Ἱππώνιον μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως, τοὺς μὲν κατοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ μετῴκισεν εἰς τὰς Συρακούσας, τὴν δὲ πόλιν κατασκάψας τοῖς Λοκροῖς προσεμέρισε τὴν χώραν.
When these had taken over the government, Dionysius, the ruler of Syracuse, marched with his army to Hipponium; he relocated its inhabitants to Syracuse, and having razed the city to the ground, he annexed its territory to the Locrians.
§14.107.3κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς γὰρ ἐφιλοτιμεῖτο τοὺς Λοκροὺς εὖ ποιεῖν διὰ τὴν συγχωρηθεῖσαν ἐπιγαμίαν· τοὺς δὲ Ῥηγίνους ἐπεθύμει τιμωρήσασθαι διὰ τὴν περὶ τῆς οἰκειότητος ἀδικίαν.
For he was continually eager to do favors for the Locrians because of the marriage alliance they had granted him; on the other hand, he desired to punish the Rhegians because of the injustice concerning the matrimonial alliance.
καθʼ ὃν γὰρ καιρὸν ἀπέστειλε πρὸς αὐτοὺς πρέσβεις ἀξιῶν αὑτῷ συγχωρηθῆναι τῶν πολιτικῶν παρθένων γαμῆσαι, φασὶ τοὺς Ῥηγίνους ἀποκριθῆναι δημοσίᾳ τοῖς πρέσβεσιν, ὡς μόνην αὐτῷ συγχωρῆσαι γαμεῖν τὴν τοῦ δημίου θυγατέρα.
For they say that at the time when he sent envoys to them, requesting that it be permitted him to marry one of the daughters of their citizens, the Rhegians replied officially to the envoys that they would permit him to marry only the daughter of the public executioner.
§14.107.4διὰ τοῦτο βαρέως φέρων καὶ δοκῶν ὑπερβαλλόντως ὑβρίσθαι, πολὺς ἦν ἐπὶ τῇ κατʼ αὐτῶν τιμωρίᾳ.
Resenting this deeply and believing that he had been excessively insulted, he was intent upon punishing them.
καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῷ πρότερον ἐνιαυτῷ τὴν εἰρήνην συνέθετο πρὸς αὐτοὺς οὐ τῆς φιλίας ὀρεγόμενος, ἀλλὰ τὴν ναυτικὴν δύναμιν παρελέσθαι βουλόμενος, οὖσαν τριήρων ἑβδομήκοντα· διελάμβανε γὰρ τῆς κατὰ θάλατταν βοηθείας ἀποκλεισθείσης ῥᾳδίως ἐκπολιορκήσειν τὴν πόλιν.
Indeed, in the previous year he had concluded peace with them, not because he desired friendship, but because he wished to deprive them of their naval force, which consisted of seventy triremes; for he assumed that, once they were cut off from assistance by sea, he would easily reduce the city by siege.
§14.107.5διόπερ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἐνδιατρίβων ἐζήτει πρόφασιν εὔλογον, διʼ ἧς οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τὴν ἰδίαν δόξει λελυκέναι τὰς συνθήκας.
Therefore, while lingering in Italy, he was seeking a plausible pretext by which he would not seem to have broken the treaty in a manner unworthy of his own reputation.

Notes

  1. 14.107.1χιλίαρχοι τέσσαρες — Although the text mentions 'four military tribunes', only three names (Lucius Lucretius, Servius Sulpicius, and Gaius Aemilius) are preserved in the manuscripts, indicating the loss of one name.
  2. 14.107.3τῶν πολιτικῶν παρθένων γαμῆσαι — τῶν πολιτικῶν παρθένων is a partitive genitive; the direct accusative object of the infinitive γαμῆσαι (such as 'one') is omitted. It is understood as 'to marry [one] of the daughters of the citizens.'
  3. 14.107.3ὡς μόνην αὐτῷ συγχωρῆσαι — The conjunction ὡς introducing indirect speech is followed here by the infinitive συγχωρῆσαι. The implied subject of this infinitive is τοὺς Ῥηγίνους (the Rhegians) from the main clause, while the dative αὐτῷ refers to Dionysius.
  4. 14.107.4πολὺς ἦν ἐπὶ — An idiomatic use of the adjective πολύς with the preposition ἐπί, meaning 'to be intent upon' or 'to be actively engaged in.'
  5. 14.107.4τῆς κατὰ θάλατταν βοηθείας ἀποκλεισθείσης — Genitive absolute construction with a temporal or conditional nuance, translated as 'once they were cut off from assistance by sea' or 'if assistance by sea were cut off.'

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.107.1-14.107.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.107.1-14.107.5

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.