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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.16.1-14.16.5

Founding of Halaesa and the Outbreak of War with Veii

Passage 310 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Archonides founds the city of Halaesa, whose citizens later deny their kinship with Herbita. In Italy, war breaks out between Rome and Veii, prompting the first payment of military stipends by Rome.

§14.16.1Ἀρχωνίδης δʼ ὁ τῆς Ἑρβίτης ἐπιστάτης, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς Διονύσιον εἰρήνην ὁ δῆμος ὁ τῶν Ἑρβιταίων συνέθετο, διενοεῖτο κτίσαι πόλιν.
Archonides, the ruler of Herbita, after the people of Herbita made peace with Dionysius, was planning to found a city.
εἶχε γὰρ μισθοφόρους τε πλείους καὶ σύμμικτον ὄχλον, ὃς τῷ πρὸς Διονύσιον πολέμῳ συνέδραμεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπόρων Ἑρβιταίων ἐπηγγέλλοντο αὐτῷ κοινωνήσειν τῆς ἀποικίας.
For he had many mercenaries and a mixed multitude who had gathered into the city during the war against Dionysius; and many of the needy Herbitaeans also were promising him to share in the colony.
§14.16.2ἀναλαβὼν οὖν τὸ συνδραμὸν πλῆθος κατελάβετό τινα τῶν λόφων ὀκτὼ σταδίους ἀπέχοντα τῆς θαλάττης, ἐν ᾧ πόλιν ἔκτισεν Ἅλαισαν· οὐσῶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλων πόλεων κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ὁμωνύμων, Ἀρχωνίδιον αὐτὴν προσηγόρευσεν ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ.
Taking with him, therefore, the multitude that had gathered, he seized one of the hills eight stades distant from the sea, on which he founded the city of Halaesa; and since there were also other cities in Sicily with the same name, he called it Archonidion after himself.
§14.16.3ἐν δὲ τοῖς ὕστερον χρόνοις τῆς πόλεως πολλὴν ἐπίδοσιν λαμβανούσης διά τε τὰς ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάττης ἐργασίας καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων δοθεῖσαν ἀτέλειαν, οἱ Ἁλαισῖνοι τὴν τῶν Ἑρβιταίων συγγένειαν ἀπηρνήσαντο, αἰσχρὸν ἡγούμενοι καταδεεστέρας πόλεως ἑαυτοὺς ἀποίκους νομίζεσθαι.
But in later times, as the city made great progress because of maritime business and because of the tax exemption granted by the Romans, the Halaesini denied their kinship with the Herbitaeans, deeming it a disgrace that they should be considered colonists of an inferior city.
§14.16.4οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ μέχρι νῦν παρʼ ἀμφοτέραις συγγένειαί τε πλείονες διαμένουσι καὶ τὰς κατὰ τὸ Ἀπολλώνιον θυσίας τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἔθεσι διοικοῦσιν.
Nevertheless, down to this day many family ties remain between both parties, and they administer the sacrifices at the temple of Apollo according to the same customs.
τινὲς δέ φασιν ὑπὸ Καρχηδονίων ἐκτίσθαι τὴν Ἅλαισαν, καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν Ἰμίλκων τὴν πρὸς τὸν Διονύσιον εἰρήνην ἐποιήσατο.
But some say that Halaesa was founded by the Carthaginians at the time when Himilco made peace with Dionysius.
§14.16.5κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἰταλίαν Ῥωμαίοις πρὸς Βηίους πόλεμος συνέστη διὰ τοιαύτας αἰτίας.
In Italy, a war arose between the Romans and the Veientes for the following reasons.
τότε πρώτως ἐπεψηφίσαντο Ῥωμαῖοι τοῖς στρατιώταις καθʼ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν εἰς ἐφόδια διδόναι χρήματα.
At this time, the Romans for the first time voted to give money to the soldiers for their annual expenses.
ἐξεπολιόρκησαν δὲ καὶ τὴν Οὐόλσκων πόλιν, ἣ τότε μὲν Ἄνξωρ ἐκαλεῖτο, νῦν δʼ ὀνομάζεται Ταρρακίνη.
They also took by siege the city of the Volscians, which at that time was called Anxur, but is now named Tarracina.

Notes

  1. 14.16.1τῷ πρὸς Διονύσιον πολέμῳ — On the function of the dative case. It can be interpreted as a dative of time ('during the war against Dionysius') or as a dative of cause ('due to the war'). Here it denotes the situation where people fled to and gathered in the walled city of Herbita because of the outbreak of the war.
  2. 14.16.2οὐσῶν δὲ καὶ ἄλλων πόλεων — Genitive absolute. It can be interpreted as concessive ('although there were other cities of the same name') or causal ('since there were other cities of the same name'). In this context, it is best understood as causal, providing the direct motivation for giving the city the distinctive name 'Archonidion' after himself to avoid confusion.
  3. 14.16.3καταδεεστέρας πόλεως — Genitive modifying the noun meaning 'colonists'. It functions as a genitive of origin or association, meaning 'colonists originating from a lower/inferior city.'

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.16.1-14.16.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.16.1-14.16.5

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