Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.30.1-15.30.5

Athenian Expedition to Euboea and Campaigns of Chabrias

Passage 442 of 723 · Greek

Summary

This passage describes how Athens gained numerous allies to balance Sparta's power and sent forces to Euboea, and how Chabrias ravaged Hestiaia and subdued neighboring islands.

§15.30.1πολλαὶ μὲν οὖν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων διὰ τὴν εἰρημένην αἰτίαν προεκλήθησαν πρὸς τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἀποκλῖναι, πρῶται δὲ καὶ προθυμότατα συνεμάχησαν αἱ κατὰ τὴν Εὔβοιαν οἰκοῦσαι χωρὶς Ἑστιαίας· αὕτη γὰρ εὐηργετημένη μὲν ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων μεγάλα, πεπολεμημένη δὲ δεινῶς ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων, εὐλόγως πρὸς μὲν Ἀθηναίους ἀδιάλυτον ἐφύλαττε τὴν ἔχθραν, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς Σπαρτιάτας βεβαίαν τὴν πίστιν διεφύλαττεν.
Therefore, many of the other cities also, for the reason mentioned, were induced to incline toward the Athenians, and the first and most enthusiastic to join the alliance were those inhabiting Euboea, except for Hestiaia; for this city, having received great benefits from the Lacedaemonians and having been severely harassed in war by the Athenians, naturally maintained an irreconcilable hatred toward the Athenians, while it preserved a firm loyalty toward the Spartans.
§15.30.2οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις εἰς συμμαχίαν συνέβησαν ἑβδομήκοντα πόλεις καὶ μετέσχον ἐπʼ ἴσης τοῦ κοινοῦ συνεδρίου· διὸ καὶ τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις αἰεὶ μᾶλλον τῆς δυνάμεως αὐξομένης, τοῖς δὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις ταπεινουμένης, ἐφάμιλλον τὴν ἰσχὺν τῶν πόλεων συνέβαινε γίνεσθαι.
Nay, indeed, seventy cities actually entered into alliance with the Athenians and participated on equal terms in the common congress; wherefore, while the power of the Athenians was constantly increasing and that of the Lacedaemonians was declining, the strength of the two states happened to become equal.
οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι, τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτοῖς κατὰ νοῦν προχωρούντων, δύναμιν ἐξέπεμψαν εἰς τὴν Εὔβοιαν τὴν παραφυλάξουσαν μὲν τοὺς συμμάχους, καταπολεμήσουσαν δὲ τοὺς ἐναντίους.
The Athenians, since affairs were progressing according to their mind, sent out a force into Euboea to guard their allies and to war down their opponents.
§15.30.3κατὰ δὲ τὴν Εὔβοιαν βραχὺ μὲν πρὸ τούτων τῶν χρόνων Νεογένης τις ὄνομα μετʼ Ἰάσονος τοῦ Φεραίου συλλέξας στρατιώτας κατελάβετο τήν τε ἀκρόπολιν τῶν Ἑστιαιέων, καὶ τύραννον ἑαυτὸν ἀπέδειξε ταύτης τῆς χώρας καὶ τῆς τῶν Ὠρειτῶν πόλεως.
In Euboea, a short time before these times, a certain man named Neogenes, having collected soldiers with Jason of Pherae, seized the acropolis of the Hestiaeans and declared himself tyrant of this territory and of the city of the Oreitae.
ἄρχοντος δʼ αὐτοῦ βιαίως καὶ ὑπερηφάνως Λακεδαιμόνιοι Θηριπίδην ἀπέστειλαν ἐπʼ αὐτόν.
Since he ruled violently and arrogantly, the Lacedaemonians dispatched Theripides against him.
§15.30.4ὁ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπεχείρει λόγοις τὸν τύραννον ἐκχωρεῖν ἐκ τῆς ἀκροπόλεως·
At first, he attempted by persuasion to make the tyrant withdraw from the acropolis; but when he paid no attention, he called the inhabitants to freedom, reduced the place by siege, and restored freedom to the Oreitae.
ὡς δʼ οὐ προσεῖχε, παρακαλέσας τοὺς ἐγχωρίους πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐξεπολιόρκησε τὸ χωρίον καὶ τοῖς Ὠρείταις τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀποκατέστησεν, διʼ ἣν αἰτίαν οἱ τὴν Ἑστιαιέων καλουμένην χώραν οἰκοῦντες οἰκείως διετέθησαν πρὸς τοὺς Σπαρτιάτας, καὶ βεβαίως ἐτήρουν τὴν φιλίαν.
For this reason, those who inhabited the territory called Hestiaeotis remained friendly disposed toward the Spartans and kept their friendship firm.
§15.30.5τῆς δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐκπεμφθείσης δυνάμεως ἡγούμενος Χαβρίας ἐπόρθησε τὴν Ἑστιαιῶτιν χώραν, καὶ τὴν καλουμένην μὲν Μητρόπολιν, κειμένην δʼ ἐπί τινος ἐρυμνοῦ λόφου, τειχίσας, ἀπέλιπεν ἐν αὐτῇ φρουράν, αὐτὸς δὲ ταῖς Κυκλάσι νήσοις ἐπιπλέων προσηγάγετο Πεπάρηθον καὶ Σκίαθον καί τινας ἄλλας τεταγμένας ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίοις.
Chabrias, commanding the force sent out by the Athenians, ravaged the Hestiaean territory, and after fortifying the place called Metropolis, which lay upon a steep hill, left a garrison in it, while he himself, sailing among the Cyclades islands, brought over Peparethos and Sciathos and certain other islands that had been ordered under the Lacedaemonians.

Notes

  1. §15.30.1εὐηργετημένη μὲν ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων μεγάλα, πεπολεμημένη δὲ δεινῶς ὑπὸ Ἀθηναίων — The two perfect passive participles εὐηργετημένη and πεπολεμημένη function as adverbial participles of cause, explaining the main verbs ἐφύλαττε and διεφύλαττεν. Additionally, μεγάλα is the neuter plural accusative of μέγας used adverbially, meaning 'greatly'.
  2. §15.30.2τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις αἰεὶ μᾶλλον τῆς δυνάμεως αὐξομένης, τοῖς δὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις ταπεινουμένης — This is a genitive absolute construction where the noun phrase τῆς δυνάμεως (and δυνάμεως understood in the second clause) acts as the subject, and the present participles αὐξομένης and ταπεινουμένης act as predicates. The datives τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις and τοῖς ... Λακεδαιμονίοις are datives of interest, indicating 'for the Athenians' and 'for the Lacedaemonians' respectively.
  3. §15.30.2τὴν παραφυλάξουσαν μὲν τοὺς συμμάχους, καταπολεμήσουσαν δὲ τοὺς ἐναντίους — These are future active participles with the definite article, modifying the feminine singular accusative noun δύναμιν (force). In Classical Greek, the future participle is regularly used to express purpose, meaning 'a force that would guard the allies and war down the opponents'.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.30.1-15.30.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.30.1-15.30.5

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.