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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.6.1-14.6.3

Spartan decree on Athenian exiles and their shelter

Passage 300 of 723 · Greek

Summary

While Sparta passed a harsh decree ordering the extradition of Athenian exiles to the Thirty, Argos and Thebes acted to protect the exiles and penalize those who failed to assist them.

§14.6.1Λακεδαιμόνιοι δὲ ταπεινὴν τὴν πόλιν τῶν Ἀθηναίων ὁρῶντες, οὐδέποτε ἰσχῦσαι βουλόμενοι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, ἔχαιρον καὶ φανερὰν ἑαυτῶν ἐποίουν τὴν διάθεσιν· ἐψηφίσαντο γὰρ τοὺς Ἀθηναίων φυγάδας ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς Ἑλλάδος ἀγωγίμους τοῖς τριάκοντα εἶναι, τὸν δὲ κωλύσοντα πέντε ταλάντοις ἔνοχον εἶναι.
The Lacedaemonians, seeing the city of the Athenians humbled and never wishing the Athenians to grow strong, rejoiced and made their own disposition clear; for they decreed that the Athenian exiles from all of Greece should be liable to arrest by the Thirty, and that anyone who prevented this should be liable to a fine of five talents.
§14.6.2δεινοῦ δʼ ὄντος τοῦ ψηφίσματος, αἱ μὲν ἄλλαι πόλεις καταπεπληγμέναι τὸ βάρος τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν ὑπήκουον, Ἀργεῖοι δὲ πρῶτοι, μισοῦντες μὲν τὴν Λακεδαιμονίων ὠμότητα, κατελεοῦντες δὲ τὰς τύχας τῶν ἀκληρούντων, ὑπεδέχοντο φιλανθρώπως τοὺς φυγάδας.
Although the decree was harsh, the other cities, terrified by the weight of the Spartans, complied, but the Argives were the first who, hating the cruelty of the Lacedaemonians and pitying the fortunes of the unfortunate, hospitably welcomed the exiles.
§14.6.3καὶ Θηβαῖοι δὲ ἐψηφίσαντο ὑπάρχειν πρόστιμον τῷ θεασαμένῳ μὲν ἀγόμενον φυγάδα, μὴ βοηθήσαντι δὲ κατὰ τὸ δυνατόν.
And the Thebans also decreed that a fine should be imposed upon anyone who saw an exile being dragged away and did not render aid to the best of his ability.
τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ Ἀθηναίους ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
Such, then, was the state of affairs concerning the Athenians.

Notes

  1. §14.6.1οὐδέποτε ἰσχῦσαι βουλόμενοι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους — τοὺς Ἀθηναίους (accusative) is the subject of the infinitive ἰσχῦσαι (to be strong/powerful), which is governed by the participle βουλόμενοι (wishing).
  2. §14.6.1ἀγωγίμους τοῖς τριάκοντα εἶναι — The adjective ἀγώγιμος (liable to be carried off/arrested) here indicates being subject to seizure and extradition. τοῖς τριάκοντα (to the Thirty) is a dative of agent or reference.
  3. §14.6.3ὑπάρχειν πρόστιμον τῷ θεασαμένῳ μὲν ἀγόμενον φυγάδα, μὴ βοηθήσαντι δὲ — The dative substantival participles τῷ θεασαμένῳ (the one who saw) and μὴ βοηθήσαντι (the one who did not help) function as the indirect object or dative of disadvantage governed by ὑπάρχειν πρόστιμον (that a fine should exist for...). ἀγόμενον is a present passive participle modifying φυγάδα (an exile being led away).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.6.1-14.6.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.6.1-14.6.3

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