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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §14.97.1-14.97.5

Uprising in Rhodes and the expansion of Sparta

Passage 391 of 723 · Greek

Summary

During the archonship of Nicoteles in Athens, the pro-Spartan faction in Rhodes revolts and expels the pro-Athenian faction, securing the island with Spartan aid. Meanwhile, Sparta seeks to expand its maritime power, and King Agesilaus plunders the Argive territory.

§14.97.1τοῦ δʼ ἔτους τούτου διεληλυθότος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦν ἄρχων Νικοτέλης, ἐν Ῥώμῃ δὲ τὴν ὑπατικὴν ἀρχὴν διῴκουν χιλίαρχοι τρεῖς, Μάρκος Φούριος, Γάιος Αἰμίλιος.
When this year had passed, Nicoteles was archon in Athens, and in Rome three military tribunes, Marcus Furius and Gaius Aemilius, administered the consular authority.
τούτων δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρειληφότων οἱ λακωνίζοντες τῶν Ῥοδίων ἐπαναστάντες τῷ δήμῳ τοὺς τὰ τῶν Ἀθηναίων φρονοῦντας ἐξέβαλον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως.
When these had taken over the office, those of the Rhodians who favored the Lacedaemonians rose up against the people and expelled from the city those who favored the Athenians.
§14.97.2συνδραμόντων δʼ αὐτῶν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις καὶ πειρωμένων ἀντέχεσθαι τῶν πραγμάτων, ἐπεκράτησαν οἱ Λακεδαιμονίοις συμμαχοῦντες, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἐφόνευσαν, τοὺς δὲ διαφυγόντας ἐξεκήρυξαν.
Although the latter gathered together in arms and attempted to hold onto the government, those allied with the Lacedaemonians prevailed; they killed many of them, and banished those who had escaped.
εὐθὺς δὲ καὶ πρέσβεις ἀπέστειλαν εἰς Λακεδαίμονα περὶ βοηθείας, εὐλαβούμενοι μή τινες τῶν πολιτῶν νεωτερίσωσιν.
At once they also sent envoys to Lacedaemon to ask for aid, being apprehensive lest some of the citizens should start a revolution.
§14.97.3Λακεδαιμόνιοι δʼ αὐτοῖς ἀπέστειλαν ἑπτὰ τριήρεις καὶ τοὺς ἀφηγησομένους τῶν πραγμάτων τρεῖς ἄνδρας, Εὐδόκιμον καὶ Φιλόδοκον καὶ Διφίλαν.
The Lacedaemonians sent to them seven triremes and three men to direct their affairs, Eudocimus, Philodocus, and Diphilas.
οὗτοι δὲ πρῶτον εἰς Σάμον κομισθέντες ἀπέστησαν τὴν πόλιν Ἀθηναίων, ἔπειτα καταπλεύσαντες εἰς Ῥόδον τῶν ἐνταῦθα πραγμάτων εἶχον τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν.
These, having first proceeded to Samos, revolted the city from the Athenians, and then, sailing down to Rhodes, took charge of affairs there.
§14.97.4οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, προχωρούντων αὐτοῖς τῶν πραγμάτων, ἔγνωσαν ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς θαλάττης, καὶ πάλιν ἐκ τοῦ κατʼ ὀλίγον ἐκράτουν τῶν συμμάχων ἀθροίσαντες ναυτικόν.
And the Lacedaemonians, since their affairs were progressing well, decided to lay hold of the sea, and once again, gradually, they gained control of their allies and assembled a navy.
οὗτοι μὲν οὖν εἴς τε Σάμον καὶ Κνίδον καὶ Ῥόδον κατέπλευσαν, καὶ πανταχόθεν ναῦς τε καὶ τοὺς ἀρίστους καταγράφοντες ἐπιβάτας ἐξήρτυον πολυτελῶς τριήρεις εἴκοσιν ἑπτά.
These, then, sailed to Samos, Cnidus, and Rhodes, and registering ships and the best marines from all sides, they lavishly equipped twenty-seven triremes.
§14.97.5Ἀγησίλαος δʼ ὁ τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλεύς, ἀκούων τοὺς Ἀργείους περὶ τὴν Κόρινθον διατρίβοντας, ἐξήγαγε τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους πανδημεὶ πλὴν μιᾶς μόρας.
Agesilaus, the king of the Lacedaemonians, hearing that the Argives were lingering around Corinth, led out the Lacedaemonians in full force except for one mora.
ἐπελθὼν δὲ τὴν Ἀργείαν πᾶσαν τὰς μὲν κτήσεις διήρπασεν, τὴν δὲ χώραν δενδροτομήσας εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην ἀπεχώρησεν.
Having invaded the whole Argive territory, he plundered their possessions, and after cutting down the trees of the countryside, he withdrew to Sparta.

Notes

  1. 14.97.1χιλίαρχοι τρεῖς, Μάρκος Φούριος, Γάιος Αἰμίλιος. — The Greek text states "three military tribunes" (χιλίαρχοι τρεῖς) but names only two, Marcus Furius and Gaius Aemilius. This discrepancy, likely due to a textual transmission error or authorial oversight, is preserved in the translations.
  2. 14.97.2συνδραμόντων δʼ αὐτῶν... πειρωμένων — This is a genitive absolute construction where the subject pronoun αὐτῶν refers back to the accusative object of the previous clause, meaning the expelled Athenian faction. In this context, it is best interpreted with an adversative force ("although they...").
  3. 14.97.2εὐλαβούμενοι μή τινες τῶν πολιτῶν νεωτερίσωσιν — The conjunction μή introduces a clause of fearing/apprehension with the subjunctive verb νεωτερίσωσιν, dependent on the participle εὐλαβούμενοι ("being apprehensive lest some of the citizens...").
  4. 14.97.3τοὺς ἀφηγησομένους τῶν πραγμάτων — The future participle ἀφηγησομένους with the definite article expresses purpose, meaning "those who were to direct/manage their affairs."
  5. 14.97.4ἐκ τοῦ κατʼ ὀλίγον — A combination of prepositional phrases forming an idiomatic adverbial expression meaning "gradually" or "little by little."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §14.97.1-14.97.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:14.97.1-14.97.5

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