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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.69.1-15.69.4

Chabrias' Defense of Corinth Against Epaminondas

Passage 481 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Epaminondas campaigns against Troezen and other cities before marching on Corinth, where the Athenian general Chabrias occupies the high ground, thwarts the Boeotian intrusion, and successfully repulses them.

§15.69.1εὐθὺ δὲ ἐπὶ Τροιζῆνα καὶ Ἐπίδαυρον πορευθεὶς τὴν μὲν χώραν ἐδῄωσε, τῶν δὲ πόλεων οὐκ ἐδυνήθη κρατῆσαι διὰ τὸ φρουρὰς ἔχειν ἀξιολόγους, Σικυῶνα δὲ καὶ Φλιοῦντα καί τινας ἄλλας πόλεις καταπληξάμενος προσηγάγετο.
Having marched straight against Troezen and Epidaurus, he ravaged their territory, but was unable to capture the cities because they had substantial garrisons; Sicyon and Phlius and some other cities, however, he intimidated and won over.
στρατεύσας δʼ ἐπὶ Κόρινθον, καὶ τῶν Κορινθίων ἐπεξελθόντων νικήσας μάχῃ, τούτους μὲν ἐντὸς τῶν τειχῶν συνεδίωξε, τῶν δὲ Βοιωτῶν διὰ τὴν εὐημερίαν μετεωρισθέντων, καί τινων προχείρως τολμησάντων διὰ τῆς πύλης εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσβιάζεσθαι, οἱ μὲν Κορίνθιοι δείσαντες ἐτράπησαν εἰς τὰς οἰκίας, Χαβρίας δʼ ὁ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγὸς ἐμφρόνως ἅμα καὶ τεθαρρηκότως ὑποστὰς τοὺς μὲν ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, πολλοὺς δὲ τῶν Βοιωτῶν κατέβαλεν.
Having campaigned against Corinth, and having defeated in battle the Corinthians who had sallied out, he drove them back within their walls; but as the Boeotians were elated by their success, and some of them rashly dared to force their way through the gate into the city, the Corinthians, becoming terrified, fled to their houses, but Chabrias, the general of the Athenians, making a stand both prudently and boldly, cast some of them out of the city and cut down many of the Boeotians.
§15.69.2γενομένης δὲ φιλοτιμίας, οἱ μὲν Βοιωτοὶ πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν συντάξαντες ἐπῆγον ἐπὶ τὴν Κόρινθον καταπληκτικῶς, ὁ δὲ Χαβρίας ἀναλαβὼν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους προῆγεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, καὶ καταλαβόμενος τοὺς ὑπερδεξίους τόπους ὑπέστη τὴν τῶν πολεμίων ἔφοδον.
As a rivalry arose, the Boeotians, having drawn up their entire force, advanced formidably against Corinth, but Chabrias, taking the Athenians with him, led them forward out of the city, and having occupied the higher ground, withstood the assault of the enemy.
§15.69.3οἱ μὲν οὖν Βοιωτοί, πεποιθότες ταῖς τῶν σωμάτων ῥώμαις καὶ ταῖς ἐν τοῖς συνεχέσι πολέμοις ἐμπειρίαις, τῇ βίᾳ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἤλπιζον χειρώσασθαι, οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Χαβρίαν ἐκ τόπων ὑπερδεξίων ἀγωνιζόμενοι, καὶ πολλῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως χορηγουμένων, οὓς μὲν ἀνῄρουν τῶν βιαζομένων, τοὺς δὲ κατετίτρωσκον.
Therefore, while the Boeotians, trusting in their physical strength and their experience in constant wars, hoped to overpower the Athenians by force, Chabrias and his men, fighting from the higher ground and with many things being supplied from the city, killed some of those who pressed forward and wounded others.
§15.69.4οἱ δὲ Βοιωτοί, πολλὰ μὲν κακοπαθήσαντες, οὐδὲν δὲ πρᾶξαι δυνάμενοι, τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἐποιήσαντο.
And the Boeotians, having suffered many casualties and being unable to achieve anything, made their retreat.
Χαβρίας μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ ἀνδρείᾳ καὶ στρατηγικῇ συνέσει θαυμασθεὶς τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἀπετρίψατο τοὺς πολεμίους.
Thus Chabrias, admired for his courage and strategic skill, repulsed the enemy in this manner.

Notes

  1. §15.69.1τῶν δὲ πόλεων — A genitive serving as the object of the transitive verb `κρατῆσαι` (to capture). The subject of the following infinitive `ἔχειν` is omitted in the accusative and is to be supplied from this noun.
  2. §15.69.1τῶν Κορινθίων ἐπεξελθόντων — A genitive absolute construction expressing temporal or circumstantial background ("when the Corinthians had sallied out"). The noun `τῶν Κορινθίων` also functions contextually as the object of the participle `νικήσας`.
  3. §15.69.1τῶν δὲ Βοιωτῶν... μετεωρισθέντων — Two genitive absolute constructions, `τῶν δὲ Βοιωτῶν... μετεωρισθέντων` and `καί τινων... τολμησάντων`, are connected by `καί` to explain the cause of the action in the following main clause (`οἱ μὲν Κορίνθιοι... ἐτράπησαν`).
  4. §15.69.3πολλῶν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως χορηγουμένων — A genitive absolute construction. The neuter plural `πολλῶν` refers to "many things" (supplies, weapons, or reinforcements) and, combined with the passive participle `χορηγουμένων`, describes the favorable situation in which various means of support were constantly supplied to the Athenians from within Corinth.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.69.1-15.69.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.69.1-15.69.4

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