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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.11.1-14.11.6

Assassination of Alcibiades and Death of Democritus

Passage 305 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The passage details the assassination of Alcibiades by Pharnabazus based on the account of the historian Ephorus, followed by brief records of the death of Democritus, an athletic feat by Lasthenes, and a battle between the Romans and the Volscians in Italy.

§14.11.1τούτων δὲ πραττομένων Φαρνάβαζος ὁ Δαρείου τοῦ βασιλέως σατράπης Ἀλκιβιάδην τὸν Ἀθηναῖον συλλαβὼν ἀνεῖλε, χαρίσασθαι βουλόμενος Λακεδαιμονίοις.
While these things were being done, Pharnabazus, the satrap of King Darius, arrested and slew Alcibiades the Athenian, wishing to gratify the Lacedaemonians.
τοῦ δʼ Ἐφόρου διʼ ἄλλας αἰτίας ἐπιβουλευθῆναι γεγραφότος, οὐκ ἄχρηστον εἶναι νομίζω παραθεῖναι τὴν παραδοθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τοῦ συγγραφέως ἐπιβουλὴν κατʼ Ἀλκιβιάδου.
But since Ephorus has written that he was plotted against for other reasons, I think it not useless to set forth the plot against Alcibiades as it has been handed down by that historian.
§14.11.2φησὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἑπτακαιδεκάτην βίβλον Κῦρον μὲν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους λάθρᾳ παρασκευάζεσθαι ἅμα πολεμεῖν πρὸς Ἀρταξέρξην τὸν ἀδελφόν, Ἀλκιβιάδην δὲ διά τινων αἰσθόμενον τὴν Κύρου προαίρεσιν ἐλθεῖν πρὸς Φαρνάβαζον καὶ περὶ τούτων ἐξηγήσασθαι κατὰ μέρος, ἀξιῶσαι δὲ αὐτὸν δοῦναι ἀναβάσεως ὁδηγὸν πρὸς Ἀρταξέρξην· βούλεσθαι γὰρ ἐμφανίσαι πρῶτον τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τῷ βασιλεῖ.
For he says in his seventeenth book that Cyrus and the Lacedaemonians were secretly preparing to make war together against his brother Artaxerxes, and that Alcibiades, having perceived Cyrus' intention through certain people, came to Pharnabazus and explained these matters in detail, and requested him to give him a guide for his journey inland to Artaxerxes; for he wished to be the first to reveal the plot to the king.
§14.11.3τὸν δὲ Φαρνάβαζον ἀκούσαντα τῶν λόγων, σφετερίσασθαι τὴν ἀπαγγελίαν καὶ πέμψαι πιστοὺς ἄνδρας ὑπὲρ τούτων τῷ βασιλεῖ δηλώσοντας.
But Pharnabazus, having heard these words, appropriated the report for himself and dispatched trustworthy men to clarify these matters to the king.
οὐ διδόντος δὲ τοῦ Φαρναβάζου τοὺς παραπέμψοντας εἰς τὰ βασίλεια, φησὶ τὸν μὲν Ἀλκιβιάδην ὁρμῆσαι πρὸς τὸν σατράπην τῆς Παφλαγονίας, ὅπως διʼ ἐκείνου ποιήσαιτο τὴν ἀνάβασιν· τὸν δὲ Φαρνάβαζον φοβηθέντα μὴ περὶ τούτων ἀκούσῃ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐπαποστεῖλαι τοὺς ἀνελοῦντας κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην.
And since Pharnabazus would not grant him guides to escort him to the royal court, he says that Alcibiades set out to the satrap of Paphlagonia, in order to make the journey inland through him; whereupon Pharnabazus, fearing lest the king should hear the truth about these things, sent men after him to assassinate Alcibiades on the road.
§14.11.4τοὺς δὲ καταλαβόντας αὐτὸν τῆς Φρυγίας ἔν τινι κώμῃ κατεσκηνωκότα νυκτὸς περιθεῖναι ξύλων πλῆθος· ἀναφθέντος οὖν πολλοῦ πυρὸς τὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην ἐπιχειρῆσαι μὲν ἀμύνεσθαι, κρατηθέντα δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀκοντιζόντων τελευτῆσαι.
These men, having overtaken him encamped in a certain village of Phrygia, piled a great quantity of wood around him by night; and when a great fire was kindled, Alcibiades indeed attempted to defend himself, but, overcome by the fire and by those who were throwing javelins at him, he perished.
§14.11.5περὶ δὲ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον καὶ Δημόκριτος ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐτελεύτησε βιώσας ἔτη ἐνενήκοντα.
About the same time, Democritus the philosopher also died, having lived ninety years.
Λασθένην δὲ τὸν Θηβαῖον τὸν νενικηκότα ταύτην τὴν Ὀλυμπιάδα λέγεται πρὸς ἵππον ἀθλητὴν δραμόντα νικῆσαι· τὸν δὲ δρόμον ἀπὸ τῆς Κορωνείας μέχρι τῆς Θηβαίων πόλεως γενέσθαι.
And it is said that Lasthenes the Theban, who had been victorious in this Olympiad, raced against a race-horse and beat it, and that the race took place from Coroneia to the city of the Thebans.
§14.11.6κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Ῥωμαίων φρουρούντων Ἔρρουκαν πόλιν Οὐόλσκων ἐπελθόντες οἱ πολέμιοι τῆς τε πόλεως ἐκράτησαν καὶ τῶν φρουρῶν τοὺς πλείστους ἀνεῖλαν.
In Italy, while the Romans were guarding the city of Herruca, the enemy, the Volscians, made an attack, captured the city, and slew most of the guards.

Notes

  1. §14.11.1τοῦ δʼ Ἐφόρου διʼ ἄλλας αἰτίας ἐπιβουλευθῆναι γεγραφότος — A genitive absolute construction containing an accusative and infinitive clause ([Alcibiaden] epibouleuthēnai) which serves as the object of the participle gegraphotos. The subject "Alcibiades" is understood from the context of the preceding sentence.
  2. §14.11.2φησὶ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν ἑπτακαιδεκάτην βίβλον — The following series of infinitives (paraskeuazesthai, elthein, exēgēsasthai, axiōsai, etc.) are in indirect discourse (accusative and infinitive construction) governed by this phēsi (whose subject is the historian Ephorus).
  3. §14.11.3τὸν δὲ Φαρνάβαζον ἀκούσαντα... σφετερίσασθαι... — Part of the ongoing indirect discourse from the previous section. Ton de Pharnabazon is the subject accusative of the infinitives spheterisasthai and pempsai.
  4. §14.11.5Λασθένην δὲ τὸν Θηβαῖον... λέγεται... νικῆσαι — Instead of a personal construction with the nominative (where Lasthenes would be nominative with legetai), we find the accusative Lasthenēn. This may be influenced by the surrounding indirect discourse, or it can be interpreted as an impersonal construction (legetai) taking an accusative and infinitive.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.11.1-14.11.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.11.1-14.11.6

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