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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.36.1-14.36.3

Thibron's Campaign in Asia and Capture of Magnesia

Passage 330 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Lacedaemonians appoint Thibron as commander and dispatch him to Asia. Thibron gathers troops and captures Magnesia, but fails to besiege Tralles, relocates the residents of Magnesia to safety, and retreats to Ephesus.

§14.36.1Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν πρὸς βασιλέα πόλεμον Θίβρωνα καταστήσαντες ἡγεμόνα χιλίους μὲν τῶν πολιτῶν ἔδωκαν, παρὰ δὲ τῶν συμμάχων ἐκέλευσαν στρατολογεῖν ὅσους ἂν αὐτῷ φαίνηται συμφέρειν.
The Lacedaemonians, having appointed Thibron as commander for the war against the king, gave him one thousand of their citizens and ordered him to levy from the allies as many troops as he thought advantageous.
§14.36.2ὁ δὲ Θίβρων πορευθεὶς εἰς Κόρινθον, κἀκεῖ παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων μεταπεμψάμενος στρατιώτας, ἐξέπλευσεν εἰς Ἔφεσον ἔχων οὐ πλείους πεντακισχιλίων.
Thibron, having proceeded to Corinth and having summoned soldiers from the allies there, set sail for Ephesus with no more than five thousand men.
ἐκεῖ δὲ ἔκ τε τῶν ἰδίων πόλεων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὡς δισχιλίους καταγράψας, ἀνέζευξε τοὺς πάντας ἔχων πλείους ἑπτακισχιλίων.
Having registered there about two thousand from the local cities and others, he set out with more than seven thousand in all.
διελθὼν δʼ ὡς ἑκατὸν εἴκοσι σταδίους πρὸς Μαγνησίαν ἧκεν, ἧς ἦρχε Τισσαφέρνης· ταύτην δʼ ἐξ ἐφόδου παραλαβών, καὶ ταχέως ἐπὶ Τράλλεις τῆς Ἰωνίας πορευθείς, ἐπεχείρησε πολιορκεῖν τὴν πόλιν· οὐδὲν δὲ δυνάμενος πρᾶξαι διʼ ὀχυρότητα, πάλιν εἰς Μαγνησίαν ἀπεχώρησεν.
Having marched about one hundred and twenty stades, he came to Magnesia, which Tissaphernes ruled; having taken this city by assault, and having quickly marched against Tralles in Ionia, he attempted to besiege the city; but being unable to accomplish anything because of its strength, he retreated again to Magnesia.
§14.36.3ταύτης δʼ οὔσης ἀτειχίστου, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο φοβούμενος μήποτε χωρισθέντος αὐτοῦ κυριεύσῃ τῆς πόλεως ὁ Τισσαφέρνης, μετῴκισεν αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸ πλησίον ὄρος, ὃ καλοῦσι Θώρακα· αὐτὸς δʼ ἐμβαλὼν εἰς τὴν τῶν πολεμίων χώραν τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐνέπλησε παντοίας ὠφελείας.
Since this city was unwalled, and fearing for this reason lest Tissaphernes should gain possession of the city after his departure, he relocated it to the neighboring mountain, which they call Thorax; he himself, having invaded the enemy's territory, filled his soldiers with all kinds of booty.
Τισσαφέρνους δὲ μετὰ πολλῆς ἵππου παραγενομένου διευλαβηθεὶς ἀνέστρεψεν εἰς Ἔφεσον.
But when Tissaphernes arrived with a large body of cavalry, he became cautious and returned to Ephesus.

Notes

  1. 14.36.1ὅσους ἂν αὐτῷ φαίνηται συμφέρειν — Although the main verb ἐκέλευσαν is in the past tense (aorist), the subordinate clause retains the subjunctive φαίνηται with ἄν instead of the oblique optative φαίνοιτο, maintaining the vividness of the original perspective. The pronoun αὐτῷ is a dative referring to Thibron.
  2. 14.36.2ἔχων οὐ πλείους πεντακισχιλίων — πλείους is the contracted form of πλείονας, accusative plural. πεντακισχιλίων is a genitive of comparison governed by the comparative πλείους.
  3. 14.36.3χωρισθέντος αὐτοῦ — A genitive absolute construction, expressing time or condition: 'when he had departed' or 'if he should depart'.
  4. 14.36.3φοβούμενος μήποτε ... κυριεύσῃ — A μή clause introduced by the participle of fearing φοβούμενος ('fearing lest...'), taking the aorist subjunctive κυριεύσῃ.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.36.1-14.36.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.36.1-14.36.3

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