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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.14.1-15.14.4

Defense of Pharos and the Plunder of Pyrgi

Passage 426 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The Parians colonize Pharos but face resistance from the native barbarians and Illyrians, whom the Syracusan commander defeats. Meanwhile, Dionysius of Syracuse, short of funds, plunders a wealthy temple in Pyrgi of Tyrrhenia, thereby financing a large mercenary force for an impending war against Carthage.

§15.14.1τοῦ δʼ ἐνιαυσίου χρόνου διεληλυθότος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦρχε Διοτρέφης, ἐν Ῥώμῃ δʼ ὕπατοι κατεστάθησαν Λεύκιος Οὐαλέριος καὶ Αὖλος Μάλλιος, παρὰ δʼ Ἠλείοις Ὀλυμπιὰς ἤχθη ἐνενηκοστὴ ἐνάτη, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Δίκων Συρακόσιος.
When the year had passed, Diotrephes was archon in Athens, and in Rome Lucius Valerius and Aulus Mallius were appointed consuls, and among the Eleans the ninety-ninth Olympiad was celebrated, in which Dicon of Syracuse won the stadion race.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Πάριοι μὲν τὴν Φάρον οἰκίσαντες τοὺς τε προενοικοῦντας βαρβάρους ἔν τινι χωρίῳ καθʼ ὑπερβολὴν ὀχυρῷ ὄντι εἴασαν κατοικεῖν ἀσινεῖς, αὐτοὶδὲ παρὰ θάλατταν κτίσαντες πόλιν ἐτείχισαν.
Under these magistrates, the Parians, having founded Pharos, allowed the barbarians who had previously inhabited it to dwell without harm in a certain place that was exceedingly strong, while they themselves built and walled a city by the sea.
§15.14.2μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῶν προοικούντων ἐν τῇ νήσῳ βαρβάρων δυσχεραινόντων ἐπὶ τῇ παρουσίᾳ τῶν Ἑλλήνων, καὶ μεταπεμπομένων τοὺς πέραν κατοικοῦντας Ἰλλυριούς, μικροῖς πλοίοις πολλοῖς διέβησαν εἰς τὴν Φάρον, ὄντες ὑπὲρ τοὺς μυρίους, καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας πορθοῦντες πολλοὺς ἀνῄρουν.
After this, since the barbarians who previously inhabited the island were displeased with the presence of the Greeks and sent for the Illyrians who lived on the opposite mainland, they crossed over to Pharos in many small boats, being more than ten thousand in number, and plundered the Greeks and slew many of them.
ὁ δʼ ἐν τῇ Λίσσῳ καθεσταμένος ἔπαρχος ὑπὸ Διονυσίου τριήρεις πλείους ἔχων ἐπέπλευσε τοῖς τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν πλοιαρίοις, καὶ τὰ μὲν βυθίσας, τὰ δὲ χειρωσάμενος, ἀπέκτεινε τῶν βαρβάρων πλείους τῶν πεντακισχιλίων, ἐζώγρησε δὲ περὶ δισχιλίους.
But the commander who had been stationed in Lissus by Dionysius, having a considerable number of triremes, sailed against the small boats of the Illyrians, and having sunk some and captured others, slew more than five thousand of the barbarians and took about two thousand captive.
§15.14.3Διονύσιος δὲ χρημάτων ἀπορούμενος ἐστράτευσεν ἐπὶ Τυρρηνίαν, ἔχων τριήρεις ἑξήκοντα, πρόφασιν μὲν φέρων τὴν τῶν λῃστῶν κατάλυσιν, τῇ δʼ ἀληθείᾳ συλήσων ἱερὸν ἅγιον, γέμον μὲν ἀναθημάτων πολλῶν, καθιδρυμένον δʼ ἐν ἐπινείῳ πόλεως Ἀγύλλης Τυρρηνίδος· τὸ δʼ ἐπίνειον ὠνομάζετο Πύργοι.
Dionysius, being in need of funds, made an expedition against Tyrrhenia with sixty triremes, alleging as a pretext the suppression of pirates, but in truth intending to plunder a holy temple which was full of many offerings and established in the harbor of the Tyrrhenian city of Agylla; and the harbor was called Pyrgi.
§15.14.4καταπλεύσας δὲ νυκτὸς καὶ τὴν δύναμιν ἐκβιβάσας, ἅμʼ ἡμέρᾳ προσπεσὼν ἐκράτησε τῆς ἐπιβολῆς· ὀλίγων γὰρ ὄντων ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ φυλάκων, βιασάμενος αὐτοὺς ἐσύλησε τὸ ἱερὸν καὶ συνήθροισεν οὐκ ἔλαττον ταλάντων χιλίων.
Having sailed down by night and disembarked his force, he attacked at daybreak and succeeded in his attempt; for since there were few guards in the place, he forced them back, plundered the temple, and gathered no less than a thousand talents.
τῶν δὲ Ἀγυλλαίων ἐκβοηθησάντων, μάχῃ τε ἐκράτησεν αὐτῶν καὶ πολλοὺς αἰχμαλώτους λαβὼν καὶ τὴν χώραν πορθήσας ἐπανῆλθεν εἰς τὰς Συρακούσας.
When the Agyllaeans came to the rescue, he defeated them in battle, took many prisoners, plundered the country, and returned to Syracuse.
ἀποδόμενος δὲ τὰ λάφυρα συνήγαγεν οὐκ ἐλάττω ταλάντων πεντακοσίων.
Having sold the booty, he gathered no less than five hundred talents.
εὐπορήσας δὲ χρημάτων, ἐμισθοῦτο στρατιωτῶν παντοδαπῶν πλῆθος, καὶ δύναμιν ἀξιόλογον συστησάμενος φανερὸς ἦν πολεμήσων Καρχηδονίοις.
Abounding in money, he hired a multitude of all kinds of soldiers, and having assembled a noteworthy force, he made it clear that he was going to make war on the Carthaginians.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἐπράχθη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
These things, then, were done during this year.

Notes

  1. 15.14.1ἀσινεῖς — Accusative plural of the adjective `ἀσινής` (unharmed, harmless). It functions as a predicative adjective modifying the preceding accusative noun `τοὺς ... βαρβάρους`, meaning that they allowed the barbarians to dwell "without harm" or "unharmed".
  2. 15.14.2δυσχεραινόντων ... καὶ μεταπεμπομένων — The present participles `δυσχεραινόντων` and `μεταπεμπομένων` form a genitive absolute construction with `τῶν ... βαρβάρων` as its subject, expressing the background or cause of the action in the main clause (where `διέβησαν` is the main verb, with the mainland Illyrians as its subject).
  3. 15.14.2τὰ μὲν ..., τὰ δὲ ... — Pronominal accusatives referring to parts of the preceding genitive noun phrase `τῶν Ἰλλυριῶν πλοιαρίοις` (the small boats of the Illyrians), serving as the direct objects of the participles `βυθίσας` (having sunk [some]) and `χειρωσάμενος` (having captured [others]).
  4. 15.14.3συλήσων — Future active participle of `συλάω`, expressing the purpose or intention ("intending to plunder") of the main subject, Dionysius. It stands in contrast with the preceding present participle `φέρων`, which expresses the outward pretext (`πρόφασιν`), while `συλήσων` reveals the actual intent (`τʼ ἀληθείᾳ`).
  5. 15.14.4φανερὸς ἦν πολεμήσων — A personal construction combining the adjective `φανερός` and the future participle `πολεμήσων`, meaning "he was clear as being about to make war," i.e., "it was obvious that he intended to make war on the Carthaginians." This personal usage is equivalent to the impersonal `φανερὸν ἦν αὐτὸν πολεμήσειν`.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.14.1-15.14.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.14.1-15.14.4

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