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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.42.1-14.42.5

Invention of the Catapult and Naval Expansion of Dionysius

Passage 336 of 723 · Greek

Summary

As Dionysius gathered elite craftsmen in Syracuse, the catapult was invented and the construction of larger warships began. He secured vast amounts of timber from Mount Etna and Italy, initiating large-scale shipbuilding and constructing numerous ship-sheds around the harbor.

§14.42.1καὶ γὰρ τὸ καταπελτικὸν εὑρέθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν ἐν Συρακούσαις, ὡς ἂν τῶν κρατίστων τεχνιτῶν πανταχόθεν εἰς ἕνα τόπον συνηγμένων.
For indeed the catapult was invented at this time in Syracuse, inasmuch as the best craftsmen had been assembled from all quarters into one place.
τὴν γὰρ προθυμίαν τό τε μέγεθος τῶν μισθῶν ἐξεκαλεῖτο καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν προκειμένων ἄθλων τοῖς ἀρίστοις κριθεῖσι·
For their enthusiasm was stimulated both by the greatness of the wages and by the multitude of prizes proposed for those who were judged the best.
χωρὶς δὲ τούτων περιπορευόμενος τοὺς ἐργαζομένους ὁ Διονύσιος καθʼ ἡμέραν λόγοις τε φιλανθρώποις ἐχρῆτο καὶ τοὺς προθυμοτάτους ἐτίμα δωρεαῖς καὶ πρὸς τὰ συνδείπνια παρελάμβανε.
And besides these incentives, Dionysius, going around among the workers daily, spoke to them kindly, honored the most enthusiastic with gifts, and invited them to his table.
§14.42.2διόπερ ἀνυπέρβλητον φιλοτιμίαν εἰσφέροντες οἱ τεχνῖται πολλὰ προσεπενοοῦντο βέλη καὶ μηχανήματα ξένα καὶ δυνάμενα παρέχεσθαι μεγάλας χρείας.
Therefore, displaying unsurpassed rivalry, the craftsmen devised many new missiles and engines which were novel and capable of rendering great service.
ἤρξατο δὲ ναυπηγεῖσθαι τετρήρεις καὶ πεντηρικὰ σκάφη, πρῶτος ταύτην τὴν κατασκευὴν τῶν νεῶν ἐπινοήσας.
And he began to build quadriremes and five-banked vessels, being the first to devise this construction of ships.
§14.42.3ἀκούων γὰρ ὁ Διονύσιος ἐν Κορίνθῳ ναυπηγηθῆναι τριήρη πρώτως, ἔσπευδε κατὰ τὴν ἀποικισθεῖσαν ὑπʼ ἐκείνων πόλιν αὐξῆσαι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς τῶν νεῶν κατασκευῆς.
For Dionysius, hearing that a trireme had first been built in Corinth, was eager in the city founded as a colony by them to increase the size of the construction of ships.
§14.42.4λαβὼν δʼ ἐκ τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐξαγωγὴν ὕλης, τοὺς μὲν ἡμίσεις τῶν ὑλοτόμων εἰς τὸ κατὰ τὴν Αἴτνην ὄρος ἀπέστειλε, γέμον κατʼ ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους πολυτελοῦς ἐλάτης τε καὶ πεύκης, τοὺς δʼ ἡμίσεις εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἀποστείλας παρεσκευάσατο ζεύγη μὲν τὰ πρὸς τὴν θάλατταν κατακομιοῦντα, πλοῖα δὲ καὶ τοὺς ὑπηρέτας πρὸς τὸ τὰς σχεδίας ἀπάγεσθαι κατὰ τάχος εἰς τὰς Συρακούσας.
And having secured the right to export timber from Italy, he sent half of the woodcutters to Mount Etna, which at that time was full of excellent fir and pine, and sending the other half to Italy, he provided teams of beasts to transport the timber to the sea, and boats and crews to tow the rafts with all speed to Syracuse.
§14.42.5ὁ δὲ Διονύσιος ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἱκανὴν ὕλην ἤθροισεν, ὑφʼ ἕνα καιρὸν ἤρξατο ναυπηγεῖσθαι ναῦς πλείους τῶν διακοσίων, ἐπισκευάζειν δὲ τὰς προϋπαρχούσας δέκα πρὸς ταῖς ἑκατόν·
And Dionysius, when he had collected sufficient timber, began all at the same time to build more than two hundred ships and to refit the one hundred and ten already existing.
ᾠκοδόμει δὲ καὶ νεωσοίκους πολυτελεῖς κύκλῳ τοῦ νῦν μεγάλου καλουμένου λιμένος ἑκατὸν ἑξήκοντα, τοὺς πλείστους δύο ναῦς δεχομένους, καὶ τοὺς προϋπάρχοντας ἐθεράπευεν, ὄντας ἑκατὸν πεντήκοντα.
He also constructed one hundred and sixty costly ship-sheds around the harbor now called "Great," most of them capable of receiving two ships, and repaired those already existing, which numbered one hundred and fifty.

Notes

  1. §14.42.1ὡς ἂν τῶν κρατίστων τεχνιτῶν... συνηγμένων — The conjunction ὡς and the particle ἄν accompanied by the genitive absolute construction (τῶν... τεχνιτῶν... συνηγμένων). Here, ὡς ἄν with the participle introduces a reason ("inasmuch as," "seeing that") with a slight conditional or hypothetical coloring, emphasizing the natural consequence of the circumstances.
  2. §14.42.3κατὰ τὴν ἀποικισθεῖσαν ὑπʼ ἐκείνων πόλιν — The preposition κατὰ here indicates a locative relation ("in the city"). "The city founded as a colony by them" refers to Syracuse, reflecting the historical background of Syracuse being a colony of Corinth.
  3. §14.42.4γέμον — The neuter singular accusative of the present participle of γέμω (to be full). It modifies the neuter noun ὄρος (mountain), which is the object of the preposition εἰς. This verb traditionally takes the genitive (πολυτελοῦς ἐλάτης τε καὶ πεύκης) to denote that of which it is full.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.42.1-14.42.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.42.1-14.42.5

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