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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.27.1-14.27.7

Election of Cheirisophos and the March to Armenia

Passage 321 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Having lost their generals, the Greeks elect Cheirisophos as their leader and, after marching through the mountainous territory of the Carduchians with great difficulty, arrive in Armenia.

§14.27.1οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται πυθόμενοι τὰ γεγενημένα παρʼ αὐτὸν μὲν τὸν καιρὸν ἐξεπλάγησαν καὶ πάντες ἐχώρουν εἰς ὅπλα μετὰ πολλῆς ἀταξίας, ὡς ἂν ἀναρχίας οὔσης·
When the soldiers learned what had happened, they were at that moment struck with panic, and all rushed to arms in great disorder, as if there were a state of anarchy.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα, οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς παρενοχλοῦντος, εἵλοντο στρατηγοὺς μὲν πλείους, ἑνὶ δὲ τῶν ὅλων τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἀπέδωκαν Χειρισόφῳ τῷ Λακεδαιμονίῳ.
But after this, since no one harassed them, they elected several generals, and entrusted the supreme command over all to a single man, Cheirisophos the Lacedaemonian.
§14.27.2οὗτοι δὲ διατάξαντες τὸ στρατόπεδον εἰς τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ὥς ποτʼ αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει κάλλιστα προῆγον ἐπὶ Παφλαγονίαν.
These men, having drawn up the army for the march in the manner that seemed best to them, advanced toward Paphlagonia.
Τισσαφέρνης δὲ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς δήσας ἀπέστειλε πρὸς Ἀρταξέρξην· ἐκεῖνος δὲ τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἀνεῖλε, Μένωνα δὲ μόνον ἀφῆκεν· ἐδόκει γὰρ μόνος οὗτος στασιάζων πρὸς τοὺς συμμάχους προδώσειν τοὺς Ἕλληνας.
But Tissaphernes bound the generals and sent them to Artaxerxes; and the King executed the others, but released Menon alone, for he was thought to be the only one who, by causing faction against the allies, would betray the Greeks.
§14.27.3Τισσαφέρνης δὲ μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπακολουθῶν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν ἐξήπτετο, καὶ κατὰ στόμα μὲν οὐκ ἐτόλμα παρατάττεσθαι, φοβούμενος ἀπεγνωσμένων ἀνδρῶν θράσος καὶ ἀπόνοιαν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς εὐθέτοις τόποις παρενοχλῶν μεγάλῳ μὲν οὐδενὶ κακῷ περιβάλλειν αὐτοὺς ἠδύνατο, μικρὰ δὲ βλάπτων μέχρι τοῦ τῶν Καρδούχων καλουμένων ἔθνους ἐπηκολούθησεν.
Tissaphernes followed the Greeks with his force and clung to them, but he did not dare to draw up his army for battle face to face, fearing the courage and desperation of men who had lost all hope. Although he harassed them in suitable places, he was unable to inflict any great harm upon them, but causing minor damage, he followed them as far as the territory of the people called Carduchians.
§14.27.4καὶ Τισσαφέρνης μὲν οὐδὲν ἔτι δυνάμενος πρᾶξαι, μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπʼ Ἰωνίας ἀνέζευξεν· οἱ δὲ Ἕλληνες ἐφʼ ἑπτὰ μὲν ἡμέρας διεπορεύοντο τὰ τῶν Καρδούχων ὄρη, πολλὰ κακὰ πάσχοντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἐγχωρίων ἀλκίμων τε ὄντων καὶ τῆς χώρας ἐμπείρων.
And Tissaphernes, being no longer able to accomplish anything, marched back with his force to Ionia; but the Greeks for seven days made their way through the mountains of the Carduchians, suffering many evils at the hands of the natives, who were both brave and experienced in the country.
§14.27.5ἦσαν δʼ οὗτοι πολέμιοι μὲν τοῦ βασιλέως, ἐλεύθεροι δὲ καὶ τὰ κατὰ πόλεμον ἀσκοῦντες, μάλιστα δʼ ἐκπονοῦντες σφενδόναις ὡς μεγίστους λίθους ἐμβάλλειν καὶ τοξεύμασιν ὑπερμεγέθεσι χρῆσθαι, διʼ ὧν τοὺς Ἕλληνας κατατιτρώσκοντες ἐξ ὑπερδεξίων τόπων πολλοὺς μὲν ἀνεῖλον, οὐκ ὀλίγους δὲ κακῶς διέθεσαν.
For these people were enemies of the King, free, and practiced in the arts of war; they especially trained themselves to fling the largest possible stones with slings and to use exceedingly large arrows, by means of which, wounding the Greeks from higher ground, they slew many and severely injured not a few.
§14.27.6τὰ γὰρ βέλη μείζω καθεστῶτα δυεῖν πηχῶν ἔδυνε διά τε τῶν ἀσπίδων καὶ θωράκων, ὥστε μηδὲν τῶν ὅπλων ἰσχύειν τὴν βίαν αὐτῶν ὑπομένειν·
For their missiles, being more than two cubits in length, pierced through both shields and breastplates, so that none of their armor could withstand their force.
οὕτω γάρ φασι μεγάλοις κεχρῆσθαι οἰστοῖς, ὥστε τοὺς Ἕλληνας ἐναγκυλοῦντας τὰ ῥιπτόμενα βέλη τούτοις σαυνίοις χρωμένους ἐξακοντίζειν.
Indeed, they say that they used such large arrows that the Greeks, fitting the discharged missiles with thongs, used them as javelins and hurled them back.
§14.27.7διελθόντες οὖν τὴν προειρημένην χώραν ἐπιπόνως παρεγενήθησαν πρὸς τὸν Κεντρίτην ποταμόν· ὃν διαβάντες εἰσέβαλον εἰς τὴν Ἀρμενίαν.
Having thus passed through the aforementioned territory with great toil, they arrived at the river Centrites; crossing this, they entered Armenia.
ταύτης δʼ ἦν σατράπης Τιρίβαζος, πρὸς ὃν σπεισάμενοι διεπορεύοντο τὴν χώραν ὡς φίλοι.
The satrap of this land was Tiribazus, with whom they made a treaty and marched through the country as friends.

Notes

  1. §14.27.1ὡς ἂν ἀναρχίας οὔσης — The phrase ὡς ἂν followed by the genitive absolute ἀναρχίας οὔσης expresses a hypothetical comparison or assumption, translating to 'as if there were a state of anarchy.'
  2. §14.27.3ἐξήπτετο — The verb ἐξήπτετο (middle of ἐξάπτω) literally means 'clung to' or 'fastened oneself upon.' Here it indicates that Tissaphernes's force hung closely upon the rear of the Greeks, continually harassing them.
  3. §14.27.6ἐναγκυλοῦντας — The rare verb ἐναγκυλόω means 'to fit with a throwing-thong (ἀγκύλη).' It describes how the Greek soldiers attached thongs to the oversized enemy arrows to repurpose and hurl them back as javelins (σαύνια).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.27.1-14.27.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.27.1-14.27.7

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