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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.20.1-15.20.3

Phoebidas Seizes the Cadmea and Sparta's Reaction

Passage 432 of 723 · Greek

Summary

In the archonship of Evander in Athens, the Spartans, fearing that Thebes might contest the hegemony, had their commander Phoebidas secretly seize the Cadmea. To avoid ill repute, Sparta fined Phoebidas but maintained the garrison, and later replaced him with Eudamidas to continue the war against the Olynthians.

§15.20.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησιν Εὐάνδρου Ῥωμαῖοι κατέστησαν ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπάτων χιλιάρχους ἕξ, Κόιντον Σολπίκιον, Γάιον Φάβιον, Κόιντον Σερουίλιον, Πόπλιον Κορνήλιον.
In the archonship of Evander in Athens, the Romans appointed six military tribunes instead of consuls: Quintus Sulpicius, Gaius Fabius, Quintus Servilius, and Publius Cornelius.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Λακεδαιμόνιοι κατελάβοντο τὴν Καδμείαν ἐν ταῖς Θήβαις διά τινας τοιαύτας αἰτίας.
In their term of office, the Lacedaemonians seized the Cadmea in Thebes for the following reasons.
ὁρῶντες τὴν Βοιωτίαν ἔχουσαν πόλεών τε πλῆθος καὶ τοὺς κατοικοῦντας αὐτὴν ἄνδρας ὑπάρχοντας ἀνδρείᾳ διαφόρους, ἔτι δὲ τὰς Θήβας ἐχούσας παλαιὸν ἀξίωμα καὶ τὸ σύνολον ὥσπερ ἀκρόπολίν τινα τῆς Βοιωτίας οὖσαν, εὐλαβοῦντο μήποτε καιροῦ παραφανέντος οἰκείου τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἀντιποιήσηται·
Seeing that Boeotia possessed a multitude of cities and that the men inhabiting it were exceptionally brave, and furthermore that Thebes possessed an ancient prestige and was, in short, a kind of acropolis for Boeotia, they were on their guard lest, if a favorable opportunity presented itself, Thebes should lay claim to the hegemony.
§15.20.2διόπερ τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν οἱ Σπαρτιᾶται παρήγγελλον ἐν ἀπορρήτοις, ἵνʼ ἐάν ποτε καιρὸν λάβωσι, καταλάβωνται τὴν Καδμείαν.
Therefore, the Spartans gave secret orders to their commanders that, if they ever found an opportunity, they should seize the Cadmea.
τοιαύτης δὲ γενομένης παραγγελίας, Φοιβίδας ὁ Σπαρτιάτης, τεταγμένος ἐπί τινος ἡγεμονίας καὶ δύναμιν ἄγων ἐπὶ Ὀλυνθίους, κατελάβετο τὴν Καδμείαν.
Such an order having been given, Phoebidas the Spartan, who was assigned to a command and was leading a force against the Olynthians, seized the Cadmea.
ἀγανακτούντων δὲ τῶν Θηβαίων καὶ μεθʼ ὅπλων συνδραμόντων, συνάψας μάχην αὐτοῖς καὶ νικήσας τριακοσίους μὲν τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν Θηβαίων ἐφυγάδευσε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς καταπληξάμενος καὶ φρουρὰν ἰσχυρὰν ἐγκαταστησάμενος, ἐπὶ τὰς ἰδίας πράξεις ἀπηλλάγη.
Although the Thebans were indignant and rushed together under arms, he joined battle with them, defeated them, and banished three hundred of the most prominent Thebans; and having terrified the rest and established a strong garrison, he departed for his own business.
οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι διὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν ταύτην ἀδοξοῦντες παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι, τὸν μὲν Φοιβίδαν ἐζημίωσαν χρήμασι, τὴν δὲ φρουρὰν οὐκ ἐξῆγον ἐκ τῶν Θηβῶν·
But the Lacedaemonians, because they brought ill repute upon themselves among the Greeks for this deed, fined Phoebidas, but did not withdraw the garrison from Thebes.
§15.20.3οἱ μὲν οὖν Θηβαῖοι τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον τὴν αὐτονομίαν ἀποβαλόντες ἠναγκάσθησαν ὑποταγῆναι τοῖς Λακεδαιμονίοις·
So the Thebans, having lost their autonomy in this manner, were forced to submit to the Lacedaemonians.
τῶνδʼ Ὀλυνθίων διαπολεμούντων πρὸς Ἀμύνταν τὸν τῶν Μακεδόνων βασιλέα, Λακεδαιμόνιοι τὸν μὲν Φοιβίδαν ἀπέστησαν τῆς ἡγεμονίας, Εὐδαμίδαν δὲ τὸν ἀδελφὸν τοῦ Φοιβίδα κατέστησαν στρατηγόν.
While the Olynthians were continuing the war against Amyntas, the king of the Macedonians, the Lacedaemonians removed Phoebidas from his command and appointed Eudamidas, the brother of Phoebidas, as general.
δόντες δʼ αὐτῷ τρισχιλίους ὁπλίτας ἐξαπέστειλαν διαπολεμήσοντα τὸν πρὸς Ὀλυνθίους πόλεμον.
And giving him three thousand hoplites, they dispatched him to carry on the war against the Olynthians.

Notes

  1. 15.20.1χιλιάρχους ἕξ — Although the text states 'six military tribunes' (χιλιάρχους ἕξ), only four Roman names are subsequently listed. This is likely due to an oversight by Diodorus or a lacuna in the manuscript tradition.
  2. 15.20.1ὁρῶντες τὴν Βοιωτίαν ἔχουσαν — Led by ὁρῶντες (nominative plural present participle of the verb of perception ὁράω), a series of accusatives with participles (ἔχουσαν, ὑπάρχοντας, ἐχούσας, οὖσαν) coordinate to describe the objective circumstances observed and feared by the Spartans.
  3. 15.20.1εὐλαβοῦντο μήποτε ... ἀντιποιήσηται — A clause with the subjunctive (ἀντιποιήσηται) introduced by the verb of fearing/precaution εὐλαβοῦντο. Although following a historical tense (εὐλαβοῦντο), the subjunctive is retained for vividness. The verb ἀντιποιήσηται is third-person singular, taking as its subject Thebes (Θῆβαι, which, though grammatically plural, is treated as a singular political entity representing the city).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.20.1-15.20.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.20.1-15.20.3

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