Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.40.1-15.40.5

Civil Strife in the Peloponnese after Spartan Decline

Passage 452 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Diodorus describes how the collapse of Spartan hegemony led to intense civil strife between democratic and oligarchic factions in various Peloponnesian cities, resulting in massacres and banishments in Phialeia, Corinth, and elsewhere.

§15.40.1μετὰ γὰρ τὴν συγχωρηθεῖσαν τοῖς δήμοις αὐτονομίαν αἱ πόλεις ἐνέπιπτον εἰς ταραχὰς μεγάλας καὶ στάσεις, μάλιστα δὲ αἱ κατὰ τὴν Πελοπόννησον.
After the autonomy had been granted to the democracies, the cities fell into great disturbances and seditions, especially those in the Peloponnese.
ὀλιγαρχικοῖς γὰρ πολιτεύμασι κεχρημέναι, καὶ ταῖς τῆς δημοκρατίας ἐξουσίαις ἀπειραγάθως χρώμεναι, πολλοὺς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐφυγάδευον καὶ κρίσεις ἐπιβάλλουσαι συκοφαντώδεις κατεδίκαζον.
For having previously used oligarchic constitutions, and now exercising the privileges of democracy without experience, they banished many of their good citizens and, bringing slanderous charges against them, condemned them.
διόπερ εἰς στάσεις ἐμπίπτουσαι φυγὰς καὶ δημεύσεις οὐσιῶν ἐποιοῦντο, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων ἡγεμονίας προεστηκότας τῶν πατρίδων.
Therefore, falling into seditions, they carried out banishments and confiscations of property, especially against those who had been leaders of their native lands during the hegemony of the Lacedaemonians.
§15.40.2ἐν γὰρ τοῖς τότε χρόνοις ἐπιτακτικῶς ἐκείνων τοῖς πολίταις προσενηνεγμένων, ὕστερον ὁ δημοτικὸς ὄχλος ἀπολαβὼν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἐμνησικάκει.
For because those men had behaved imperiously toward the citizens in those times, later the democratic multitude, having recovered their freedom, harbored a grudge.
πρῶτον δὲ τῶν Φιαλέων οἱ φυγάδες συστραφέντες κατελάβοντο τὴν καλουμένην Ἡραίαν, χωρίον ὀχυρόν.
First, the exiles of the Phialeians gathered together and seized the place called Heraea, a strong fortress.
ἐκ ταύτης δʼ ὁρμηθέντες παρεισέπεσον εἰς τὴν Φιάλειαν, καὶ Διονυσίαν κατὰ τύχην ὄντων ἐπιπεσόντες ἀπροσδοκήτως τοῖς ἐν τῷ θεάτρῳ καθημένοις, καὶ πολλοὺς ἀποσφάξαντες, οὐκ ὀλίγους δὲ καὶ συναπονοήσασθαι πείσαντες, ἀνεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν Σπάρτην.
Setting out from there, they burst into Phialeia, and as the Dionysia happened to be celebrated, they fell unexpectedly upon those sitting in the theater, and having slaughtered many of them, and having persuaded not a few to share in their desperate venture, they withdrew to Sparta.
§15.40.3οἱ δὲ τῆς Κορίνθου φυγάδες, συχνοὶ διατρίβοντες παρὰ τοῖς Ἀργείοις, ἐπεχείρησαν κατιέναι· παραδεχθέντες δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν ὑπό τινων οἰκείων καὶ φίλων, διαβληθέντες ἐγένοντο περικατάληπτοι·
The exiles of Corinth, many of whom were residing among the Argives, attempted to return; but having been admitted into the city by some of their relatives and friends, they were betrayed and surrounded.
μέλλοντες δὲ συναρπάζεσθαι, καὶ φοβούμενοι τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἁλώσεως αἰκίαν, ἀλλήλους ἀπέκτειναν.
Being about to be seized, and fearing the abuse that would follow capture, they slew one another.
οἱ δὲ Κορίνθιοι πολλοὺς τῶν πολιτῶν αἰτιασάμενοι μετεσχηκέναι τοῖς φυγάσι τῆς ἐπιθέσεως, οὓς μὲν ἀπέκτειναν, οὓς δʼ ἐφυγάδευσαν.
And the Corinthians, having accused many of the citizens of having shared in the attack with the exiles, put some to death and banished others.
§15.40.4ἐν δὲ τῇ πόλει τῶν Μεγαρέων ἐπιχειρήσαντές τινες μεταστῆσαι τὴν πολιτείαν, καὶ κρατηθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου, πολλοὶ μὲν ἀνῃρέθησαν, οὐκ ὀλίγοι δʼ ἐξέπεσον.
In the city of the Megarians, some attempted to change the constitution, but being overcome by the people, many were slain and not a few were banished.
ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῖς Σικυωνίοις τινὲς νεωτερίζειν ἐπιβαλόμενοι καὶ σφαλέντες ἀνῃρέθησαν.
Likewise among the Sicyonians, some who attempted to make a revolution failed and were put to death.
§15.40.5παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Φλιασίοις πολλῶν φυγαδευομένων, καὶ καταλαβομένων ἐπὶ τῆς χώρας φρούριον ὀχυρὸν καὶ πλῆθος μισθοφόρων ἀθροισάντων, ἐγένετο μάχη πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ νικησάντων τῶν φυγάδων ἀνῃρέθησαν τῶν Φλιασίων ὑπὲρ τοὺς τριακοσίους.
Among the Phliasians, since many had been banished, and having seized a strong fortress in the territory, had gathered a multitude of mercenaries, a battle took place against those from the city, and the exiles having won, more than three hundred of the Phliasians were slain.
ὕστερον δὲ προδόντων τῶν φυλάκων τοὺς φυγάδας, κρατήσαντες οἱ Φλιάσιοι τῶν φυγάδων ἀνεῖλον πλείους τῶν ἑξακοσίων, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς ἐκβαλόντες ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἠνάγκασαν φυγεῖν εἰς Ἄργος.
But later, when the guards betrayed the exiles, the Phliasians overcame them and slew more than six hundred of them, and driving the rest out of the country, forced them to flee to Argos.
αἱ μὲν οὖν κατὰ Πελοπόννησον πόλεις ἐν τοιαύταις συμφοραῖς ἦσαν.
Thus the cities throughout the Peloponnese were in such misfortunes.

Notes

  1. 15.40.1κεχρημέναι ... χρώμεναι — Contrast between the perfect participle `κεχρημέναι` (from χράομαι) and the present participle `χρώμεναι`. The former indicates a past sustained state (having used oligarchic constitutions), while the latter represents current ongoing action (exercising the powers of democracy).
  2. 15.40.2ἐκείνων τοῖς πολίταις προσενηνεγμένων — Genitive absolute construction. The pronoun `ἐκείνων` refers back to the oligarchic leaders mentioned at the end of section 40.1 ("those who had been leaders... during the Lacedaemonian hegemony"), and `προσενηνεγμένων` is the perfect middle-passive participle of `προσφέρω` (meaning "to behave toward").
  3. 15.40.2Διονυσίαν κατὰ τύχην ὄντων — The manuscript reading `Διονυσίαν` (accusative) is widely emended or interpreted as a corruption of `Διονυσίων` (genitive plural of the neuter `Διονύσια`, "Dionysia festival") to agree with the following participle `ὄντων` (genitive plural), forming a genitive absolute meaning "as the Dionysia happened to be celebrated."
  4. 15.40.3διαβληθέντες ἐγένοντο περικατάληπτοι — A periphrastic expression consisting of `ἐγένοντο` (from γίγνομαι) and the verbal adjective `περικατάληπτοι` ("surrounded, caught"), emphasizing the passive transition ("they came to be surrounded/captured").

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.40.1-15.40.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.40.1-15.40.5

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.