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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.35.1-14.35.7

Tissaphernes' Coastal Command and the Death of Tamos

Passage 329 of 723 · Greek

Summary

During the archonship of Laches, the Persian king sent Tissaphernes to claim the coastal satrapies, prompting the flight and eventual murder of the satrap Tamos in Egypt, and sparking conflict between Sparta and Tissaphernes.

§14.35.1τοῦ δʼ ἔτους τούτου διελθόντος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦρχε Λάχης, ἐν δὲ τῇ Ῥώμῃ τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν διῴκουν χιλίαρχοι, Μάνιος Κλώδιος, Μάρκος Κοΐντιος, Λεύκιος Ἰούλιος, Μάρκος Φούριος, ΛεύκιοσΟὐαλέριος, ἐγενήθη δὲ καὶ Ὀλυμπιὰς πέμπτη πρὸς ταῖς ἐνενήκοντα, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Μίνως Ἀθηναῖος.
When this year had passed, Laches was archon in Athens, and in Rome military tribunes administered the consular power: Manius Clodius, Marcus Quintius, Lucius Julius, Marcus Furius, and Lucius Valerius; and the ninety-fifth Olympiad was also celebrated, in which Minos of Athens won the stadion.
§14.35.2κατὰ δὲ τούτους τοὺς χρόνους Ἀρταξέρξης μὲν ὁ τῆς Ἀσίας βασιλεὺς καταπεπολεμηκὼς Κῦρον ἀπεστάλκει Τισσαφέρνην παραληψόμενον πάσας τὰς ἐπὶ θαλάττῃ σατραπείας.
At this time, Artaxerxes, the king of Asia, having subdued Cyrus, sent Tissaphernes to take over all the satrapies on the sea.
διόπερ οἱ Κύρῳ συμμαχήσαντες σατράπαι καὶ πόλεις ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ πολλῇ καθειστήκεισαν, μήποτε δῶσι τιμωρίαν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἐξήμαρτον εἰς τὸν βασιλέα.
Therefore, the satraps and cities that had allied with Cyrus were in great anxiety, lest they should be punished for their offenses against the king.
§14.35.3οἱ μὲν οὖν ἄλλοι σατράπαι διαπρεσβευσάμενοι πρὸς Τισσαφέρνην ἐξεθεράπευον καὶ τὰ καθʼ αὑτοὺς ἐτίθεντο πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅπως ποτʼ ἦσαν δυνατοί· Ταμὼς δέ, μέγιστος ὢν αὐτῶν καὶ τῆς Ἰωνίας ἀφηγούμενος, εἰς τὰς τριήρεις ἐνέθετο τὰ χρήματα καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς ἅπαντας πλὴν ἑνὸς τοῦ καλουμένου μὲν Γλοῦ, μετὰ δέ τινας χρόνους ἀφηγησαμένου τῶν βασιλικῶν δυνάμεων.
Now, the other satraps, sending envoys to Tissaphernes, courted him and settled their affairs with him as best they could; but Tamos, who was the greatest of them and governor of Ionia, placed on his triremes his money and all his sons except one, named Glous, who after some time became the commander of the royal forces.
§14.35.4εὐλαβηθεὶς οὖν ὁ Ταμὼς τὸν Τισσαφέρνην ἀπῆρεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον μετὰ τοῦ στόλου, καὶ κατέφυγε πρὸς Ψαμμήτιχον τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ἀπόγονον ὄντα τοῦ Ψαμμητίχου.
Tamos, therefore, fearing Tissaphernes, set sail for Egypt with his fleet, and fled for refuge to Psammetichus, the king of the Egyptians, who was a descendant of the ancient Psammetichus.
οὔσης δʼ αὐτῷ προγεγενημένης εὐεργεσίας εἰς τὸν βασιλέα, διελάμβανε τοῦτον ἕξειν οἷόν τινα λιμένα τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως κινδύνων.
Since a benefit had previously been rendered by him to the king, he supposed that he would have him as a kind of harbor from the dangers threatened by the king.
§14.35.5ὁ δὲ Ψαμμήτιχος τήν τε εὐεργεσίαν καὶ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς ἱκέτας ὅσιον παρʼ οὐδὲν ἡγησάμενος ἀπέσφαξε τὸν ἱκέτην καὶ φίλον μετὰ τῶν τέκνων,ὅπως τῶν τε χρημάτων καὶ τοῦ στόλου γένηται κύριος.
But Psammetichus, regarding the benefit and the respect due to suppliants as of no account, slew the suppliant and friend along with his children, in order to become master of the money and the fleet.
§14.35.6αἱ δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν Ἑλληνίδες πόλεις πυνθανόμεναι τὴν τοῦ Τισσαφέρνους κατάβασιν, περὶ σφῶν ἀγωνιῶσαι πρὸς Λακεδαιμονίους ἔπεμψαν πρέσβεις, δεόμεναι μὴ περιιδεῖν ἑαυτὰς ὑπὸ τῶν βαρβάρων ἀναστάτους γινομένας.
And when the Greek cities of Asia heard of the descent of Tissaphernes, fearing for themselves, they sent envoys to the Lacedaemonians, begging them not to allow them to be utterly destroyed by the barbarians.
οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι βοηθήσειν ἐπαγγειλάμενοι, πρὸς Τισσαφέρνην ἔπεμψαν πρέσβεις τοὺς ἐροῦντας μὴ ὅπλα πολέμια ἐπιφέρειν ταῖς Ἑλληνίσι πόλεσιν.
And the Lacedaemonians, having promised to help, sent envoys to Tissaphernes to tell him not to bring hostile arms against the Greek cities.
§14.35.7Τισσαφέρνης δὲ μετὰ δυνάμεως ἐπὶ πρώτην ἐλθὼν τὴν Κυμαίων πόλιν τήν τε χώραν ἐπόρθησεν ἅπασαν καὶ πολλῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἐγκρατὴς ἐγένετο· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συγκλείσας αὐτοὺς εἰς πολιορκίαν, ὡς ὁ μὲν χειμὼν συνήγγισε, τὴν δὲ πόλιν ἑλεῖν οὐκ ἠδύνατο, τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους πολλῶν χρημάτων ἀπελύτρωσε καὶ τὴν πολιορκίαν ἔλυσεν.
And Tissaphernes, coming first against the city of the Cymaeans with his army, ravaged all its territory and took many prisoners; after this, having shut them up in a siege, since winter was approaching and he was unable to capture the city, he ransomed the prisoners for a large sum of money and raised the siege.

Notes

  1. 14.35.3ἀφηγησαμένου — An attributive participle agreeing with the genitive noun Γλοῦ. Although in the aorist tense, it functions contextually to describe an event subsequent to the main action ('who later became the commander').
  2. 14.35.4οὔσης δʼ αὐτῷ προγεγενημένης εὐεργεσίας — Forms a genitive absolute construction where the dative pronoun αὐτῷ functions as a dative of possessor (or agent), meaning 'since a benefit had previously been rendered by him to the king.'
  3. 14.35.6ἀναστάτους γινομένας — A supplementary participle agreeing with the direct object ἑαυτὰς of the verb περιιδεῖν (aorist infinitive of περιοράω, 'to overlook' or 'allow'), meaning 'allow themselves to be ruined.'
  4. 14.35.7πολλῶν χρημάτων — A genitive of price or value depending on the verb ἀπελύτρωσε ('to ransom' or 'release for a price').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.35.1-14.35.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.35.1-14.35.7

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