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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.43.1-14.43.5

Arms Production and Troop Mobilization in Syracuse

Passage 337 of 723 · Greek

Summary

This chunk describes the intense military preparation and arms production in Syracuse, along with Dionysius' strategy for staffing the warships and recruiting soldiers. It also briefly notes the debut of the tragic poet Astydamas and a Roman setback during the siege of Veii.

§14.43.1διόπερ τοσούτων ὅπλων καὶ νεῶν κατασκευαζομένων ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ, τὸ γινόμενον πολλὴν παρεῖχε τοῖς θεωμένοις κατάπληξιν· ὅτε μὲν γάρ τις ἴδοι τὴν περὶ τὰς ναῦς σπουδήν, ἐνόμιζε περὶ ταύτας ἅπαντας πραγματεύεσθαι τοὺς Σικελιώτας· ὅτε δὲ πάλιν τοῖς τῶν ὁπλοποιῶν καὶ μηχανοποιῶν ἔργοις συμπαραγενηθείη, περὶ τούτους μόνους ἐνόμιζεν ἅπασαν εἶναι τὴν τῆς ὑπηρεσίας παρασκευήν.
Therefore, since so many weapons and ships were being constructed in one place, the activity caused great amazement to the onlookers; for when one saw the zeal displayed in connection with the ships, one thought that all the Siceliots were busy with these; and when, on the other hand, one visited the workshops of the armor-makers and engine-makers, one thought that the entire preparation of the service was centered around these alone.
§14.43.2οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς περὶ ταῦτα σπουδῆς ἀνυπερβλήτου γινομένης, κατεσκευάσθησαν ἀσπίδων μὲν τεσσαρεσκαίδεκα μυριάδες, ἐγχειριδίων δὲ καὶ περικεφαλαιῶν ὁ παραπλήσιος ἀριθμός· ἡτοιμάσθησαν δὲ καὶ θώρακες, παντοῖοι μὲν ταῖς κατασκευαῖς, περιττῶς δὲ κατὰ τὴν τέχνην εἰργασμένοι, πλείους τῶν μυρίων τετρακισχιλίων.
Moreover, since the zeal for these tasks became unsurpassed, there were constructed one hundred and forty thousand shields, and a similar number of daggers and helmets; and there were also made ready more than fourteen thousand breastplates, of every variety of construction and worked with extraordinary skill.
§14.43.3τούτους δὲ διενοεῖτο διαδιδόναι τοῖς ἱππεῦσι καὶ τῶν πεζῶν τοῖς ἐφʼ ἡγεμονίας τεταγμένοις, ἔτι δὲ τῶν μισθοφόρων τοῖς σωματοφυλακεῖν μέλλουσιν.
These he intended to distribute to the cavalry, to those of the infantry who were appointed to commands, and further to those of the mercenaries who were to serve as bodyguards.
κατεσκευάσθησαν δὲ καὶ καταπέλται παντοῖοι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων βελῶν πολύς τις ἀριθμός.
There were also constructed catapults of every kind and a great quantity of other missiles.
§14.43.4τῶν δὲ παρασκευασθεισῶν νεῶν μακρῶν αἱ μὲν ἡμίσεις αὐτῶν εἶχον πολιτικοὺς κυβερνήτας καὶ πρῳρεῖς, ἔτι δὲ τοὺς ταῖς κώπαις χρησομένους, ταῖς δʼ ἄλλαις ὁ Διονύσιος ξένους ἐμισθώσατο.
Of the long ships which had been prepared, half of them had citizens as steersmen and bow officers, and also as those who were to use the oars, while for the other half Dionysius hired mercenaries.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὰ περὶ τὰς ναῦς καὶ τὴν ὁπλοποιίαν αὐτῷ συντέλειαν ἐλάμβανε, περὶ τὴν τῶν στρατιωτῶν παρασκευὴν ἐγίνετο· τούτους γὰρ ἔκρινε συμφέρειν μὴ πρὸ πολλοῦ μισθοῦσθαι πρὸς τὸ μὴ πολλὰς γίνεσθαι δαπάνας.
And when the business of the ships and the making of arms had reached completion, he turned his attention to the preparation of the soldiers; for he judged it advantageous not to hire them a long time in advance, so that no great expenses should be incurred.
§14.43.5Ἀστυδάμας δʼ ὁ τραγῳδιογράφος τότε πρῶτον ἐδίδαξεν· ἔζησε δὲ ἔτη ἑξήκοντα.
Astydamas the tragic poet then first produced a play; and he lived for sixty years.
Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ πολιορκοῦντες τοὺς Βηίους, ἐξελθόντων τῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως οἱ μὲν κατεκόπησαν ὑπὸ τῶν Βηίων, οἱ δʼ ἐξέφυγον αἰσχρῶς.
As for the Romans, while they were besieging the Veientes, when those in the city made a sally, some of them were cut down by the Veientes, while others fled in disgrace.

Notes

  1. 14.43.1ὅτε μὲν γάρ τις ἴδοι — The optative forms ἴδοι and the subsequent συμπαραγενηθείη are past general optatives expressing repeated action in past time. They correspond with the imperfect ἐνόμιζε(ν) in the main clause, meaning 'whenever one saw..., one thought...'.
  2. 14.43.2οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ — A conjunctional phrase meaning 'nay, but also' or 'moreover', which, while confirming the preceding statement, introduces an even stronger or more significant fact.
  3. 14.43.4συμφέρειν μὴ πρὸ πολλοῦ μισθοῦσθαι — συμφέρειν is an impersonal infinitive whose subject is the infinitive phrase μισθοῦσθαι ('to hire'). The phrase μὴ πρὸ πολλοῦ ('not long before', i.e., at the last moment) modifies μισθοῦσθαι.
  4. 14.43.5ἐξελθόντων τῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως — A genitive absolute construction meaning 'when those from the city made a sally'. It introduces a subject (the besieged inhabitants of Veii) different from the subject of the main clause (the Romans).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.43.1-14.43.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.43.1-14.43.5

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