Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.33.1-14.33.6

Battle of Peiraeus and the Fall of the Thirty

Passage 327 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The exiles led by Thrasybulus defeat the forces of the tyrants and seize control of Peiraeus. The Athenians depose the Thirty and appoint ten commissioners, but ultimately the Spartan king Pausanias intervenes, leading to a reconciliation, the restoration of democracy, and the settlement of the fearful in Eleusis.

§14.33.1ὁ δὲ Θρασύβουλος τὴν ἱκανὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ χωρίου καταλιπὼν ἐξήγαγε τοὺς φυγάδας, ὄντας χιλίους καὶ διακοσίους· ἐπιθέμενος δὲ τῇ τῶν ἐναντίων παρεμβολῇ νυκτὸς ἀπροσδοκήτως καὶ συχνοὺς ἀποκτείνας, τοὺς ἄλλους διὰ τὸ παράδοξον ἐξέπληξε καὶ φυγεῖν εἰς Ἀθήνας ἠνάγκασεν.
Thrasybulus, leaving a sufficient garrison in the fortress, led out the exiles, who numbered twelve hundred; and by attacking the camp of the opponents unexpectedly by night and killing many of them, he threw the rest into panic due to the surprise and forced them to flee to Athens.
§14.33.2μετὰ δὲ τὴν μάχην ὁ Θρασύβουλος εὐθὺς μὲν ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ τὸν Πειραιᾶ καὶ κατελάβετο τὴν Μουνυχίαν, λόφον ἔρημον καὶ καρτερόν, οἱ δὲ τύραννοι τῇ δυνάμει πάσῃ καταβάντες εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ προσέβαλον τῇ Μουνυχίᾳ, Κριτίου τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχοντος.
After the battle, Thrasybulus immediately marched upon Peiraeus and seized Munychia, a deserted and strong hill, while the tyrants, having gone down to Peiraeus with all their forces, attacked Munychia under the command of Critias.
ἐπὶ πολὺν δὲ χρόνον τῆς μάχης καρτερᾶς γενομένης, οἱ μὲν τύραννοι τοῖς πλήθεσιν ὑπερεῖχον, οἱ δὲ φυγάδες τῇ τῶν τόπων ὀχυρότητι.
While a fierce battle continued for a long time, the tyrants were superior in numbers, but the exiles in the strength of the positions.
§14.33.3τέλος δὲ Κριτίου πεσόντος οἱ μετὰ τῶν τριάκοντα κατεπλάγησαν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ὁμαλωτέρους τόπους κατέφυγον, οὐ τολμώντων τῶν φυγάδων εἰς ἐκείνους καταβαίνειν.
Finally, when Critias fell, those who were with the Thirty were struck with terror and fled to the more level ground, since the exiles did not dare to go down against them.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συχνῶν ἀφισταμένων πρὸς τοὺς φυγάδας, οἱ περὶ τὸν Θρασύβουλον ἐξαίφνης ἐπέθεντο τοῖς ἐναντίοις, καὶ μάχῃ κρατήσαντες ἐκυρίευσαν τοῦ Πειραιῶς.
After this, as many were revolting to the exiles, the followers of Thrasybulus suddenly attacked the opponents, and conquering them in battle, made themselves masters of Peiraeus.
§14.33.4εὐθὺ δὲ πολλοὶ μὲν τῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐπιθυμοῦντες ἀπαλλαγῆναι τῆς τυραννίδος συνέρρεον εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ, πάντες δʼ οἱ κατὰ τὰς πόλεις διερριμμένοι φυγάδες ἀκούοντες τὰ προτερήματα τῶν περὶ Θρασύβουλον, ἧκον εἰς Πειραιᾶ, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἤδη πολὺ ταῖς δυνάμεσιν οἱ φυγάδες ὑπερεῖχον· διὸ καὶ πολιορκεῖν τὴν πόλιν ἐπεχείρησαν.
Immediately, many from the city who desired to be rid of the tyranny flocked to Peiraeus, and all the exiles who had been scattered throughout the cities, hearing of the successes of the followers of Thrasybulus, came to Peiraeus, and henceforth the exiles were already far superior in forces; wherefore they also attempted to besiege the city.
§14.33.5οἱ δʼ ἐν ταῖς Ἀθήναις τοὺς μὲν τριάκοντα τῆς ἀρχῆς παύσαντες ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξέπεμψαν, δέκα δʼ ἄνδρας κατέστησαν αὐτοκράτορας, εἰ δύναιντο, μάλιστα φιλικῶς διαλύεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον.
And those in Athens, having removed the Thirty from office, expelled them from the city, and appointed ten men with absolute power to bring the war to an end in the most friendly manner possible.
οὗτοι δὲ παραλαβόντες τὴν ἀρχὴν τούτων μὲν ἠμέλησαν, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ τυράννους ἀποδείξαντες ἀπὸ Λακεδαίμονος τετταράκοντα ναῦς μετεπέμψαντο καὶ στρατιώτας χιλίους, ὧν ἦρχε Λύσανδρος.
But these men, having taken over the office, neglected these instructions, and declaring themselves tyrants, sent to Lacedaemon for forty ships and a thousand soldiers, of whom Lysander was in command.
§14.33.6Παυσανίας δὲ ὁ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλεύς, φθονῶν μὲν τῷ Λυσάνδρῳ, θεωρῶν δὲ τὴν Σπάρτην ἀδοξοῦσαν παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἀνέζευξε μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς, καὶ παραγενηθεὶς εἰς Ἀθήνας διήλλαξε τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει πρὸς τοὺς φυγάδας.
But Pausanias, the king of the Lacedaemonians, envying Lysander and seeing that Sparta was held in disrepute among the Greeks, set out with a large force, and having arrived in Athens, reconciled those in the city with the exiles.
διόπερ Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν ἐκομίσαντο τὴν πατρίδα καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τοῖς ἰδίοις νόμοις ἐπολιτεύοντο, τοῖς δʼ εὐλαβουμένοις, μή τι πάθωσι διὰ τὰ γενόμενα κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς αὐτῶν ἀδικήματα, τὴν Ἐλευσῖνα κατοικεῖν συνεχώρησαν.
Wherefore the Athenians recovered their homeland and henceforth governed themselves by their own laws; but to those who were apprehensive lest they should suffer some harm because of the continuous injustices they had committed, they permitted to settle in Eleusis.

Notes

  1. 14.33.2τῆς μάχης καρτερᾶς γενομένης — Genitive absolute construction, meaning "when a fierce battle had continued," providing the temporal background for the main clause comparing the forces.
  2. 14.33.5εἰ δύναιντο — Optative in a conditional clause expressing past hope or purpose ("if they should be able to"), representing the thoughts of the Athenians or the appointed ten.
  3. 14.33.6τοῖς δʼ εὐλαβουμένοις — Substantive use of the dative participle, serving as the indirect object of the main verb `συνεχώρησαν`. The structure means "to those who were afraid... they permitted to dwell in Eleusis." The participle `εὐλαβουμένοις` takes a fear clause introduced by `μή` (`μή τι πάθωσι`).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.33.1-14.33.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.33.1-14.33.6

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.