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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.45.1-15.45.4

Factions on Zacynthus and Athenian and Spartan Actions

Passage 457 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Amidst political turmoil across Greek cities, the democratic faction in Zacynthus exiles the Spartan-backed oligarchs, who then secure the aid of the Athenian general Timotheus to establish a base on the island; in response, Sparta dispatches a fleet to assist the Zacynthian oligarchs.

§15.45.1κατὰ δὲ τὴν Ἑλλάδα ταραττομένων τῶν πόλεων διὰ τὴν ἀσυνήθη πολιτείαν, καὶ πολλῶν ἐπανισταμένων διὰ τὴν κοινὴν ἀναρχίαν, τοῖς μὲν τὰς ὀλιγαρχίας κατασκευάζουσιν ἐβοήθουν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, τοῖς δὲ τῆς δημοκρατίας ἀντεχομένοις συνεμάχουν οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι.
While the cities throughout Greece were in confusion because of the unaccustomed forms of government, and many were rising in rebellion because of the general anarchy, the Lacedaemonians came to the aid of those who were establishing oligarchies, while the Athenians allied themselves with those who clung to democracy.
§15.45.2ἀμφότεραι γὰρ αἱ πόλεις αὗται χρόνον ὀλίγον διετήρησαν τὰς σπονδάς, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα συμπράττουσαι ταῖς οἰκείαις πόλεσιν ἐπολέμουν, οὐδὲν ἔτι φροντίζοντες τῆς κοινῆς συντεθείσης εἰρήνης.
For both these cities preserved the treaty for only a short time, and after this, cooperating with their respective cities, they waged war, no longer caring at all for the common peace that had been concluded.
διόπερ ἐν Ζακύνθῳ τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων ἐπιστασίας κυρίοις γεγονόσι τοῦ πολιτεύματος ὁ δῆμος χαλεπῶς ἔχων καὶ μνησικακῶν ἐφυγάδευσε πάντας οὗτοι δὲ πρὸς Τιμόθεον τὸν Ἀθηναίων ἡγούμενον τοῦ ναυτικοῦ καταφυγόντες συνέπλεον αὐτῷ καὶ συνεμάχουν.
Therefore in Zacynthus, the common people, being angry at and harboring resentment against those who had become masters of the government under the supervision of the Lacedaemonians, banished them all; and these, having fled for refuge to Timotheus, the commander of the Athenian fleet, sailed with him and fought as his allies.
§15.45.3τοῦτον οὖν παραστησάμενοι συνεργόν, καὶ διαβιβασθέντες εἰς τὴν νῆσον ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, κατελάβοντο χωρίον ὀχυρὸν παρὰ θάλατταν, ὃ προσηγόρευον Ἀρκαδίαν.
Therefore, having secured him as a helper, and having been ferried across to the island by him, they seized a stronghold by the sea, which they called Arcadia.
ἐκ τούτου δʼ ὁρμώμενοι, καὶ βοηθὸν ἔχοντες τὸν Τιμόθεον, ἐκακοποίουν τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει.
Setting out from this as a base, and having Timotheus as an assistant, they harassed those in the city.
§15.45.4τῶν δὲ Ζακυνθίων τοὺς Λακεδαιμονίους ἀξιούντων βοηθῆσαι, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας ἀποστείλαντες πρέσβεις κατηγόρουν τοῦ Τιμοθέου· ὡς δʼ ἐθεώρουν τὸν δῆμον ἀποκλίνοντα πρὸς τοὺς φυγάδας, συνεστήσαντο ναυτικόν, καὶ πληρώσαντες τριήρεις εἴκοσι καὶ πέντε ἐξέπεμψαν τοῖς Ζακυνθίοις συμμαχίαν, δόντες τὴν ἡγεμονίαν Ἀριστοκράτει.
When the Zacynthians requested the Lacedaemonians to aid them, they at first sent ambassadors to Athens and accused Timotheus; but when they saw the people inclining toward the exiles, they organized a fleet, and having manned twenty-five triremes, they dispatched them as an alliance for the Zacynthians, giving the command to Aristocrates.

Notes

  1. 15.45.2φροντίζοντες — Although the subject αἱ πόλεις is a feminine noun, the participle φροντίζοντες is masculine plural because of "constructio ad sensum" (construction according to sense), where the writer conceives of the citizens or inhabitants of the cities as the semantic subject.
  2. 15.45.2τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς Λακεδαιμονίων ἐπιστασίας κυρίοις γεγονόσι — The dative phrase τοῖς ... γεγονόσι depends on the subsequent participles χαλεπῶς ἔχων and μνησικακῶν ("being angry at and harboring resentment against..."). The direct object of the main verb ἐφυγάδευσε ("banished") is the accusative πάντας.
  3. 15.45.4συμμαχίαν — The accusative συμμαχίαν (literally "alliance") is used appositively or predicatively with ἐξέπεμψαν to denote the purpose of the dispatch, functioning in the sense of "as an alliance" or "as an allied force / relief force."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.45.1-15.45.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.45.1-15.45.4

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