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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.89.1-15.89.3

Conclusion of Common Peace and Contemporary Historians

Passage 501 of 723 · Greek

Summary

After the Battle of Mantinea, the Greek states conclude a common peace treaty including the Messenians, though Sparta remains excluded by choice. It is also noted that historians Xenophon, Anaximenes, and Philistus concluded their respective histories around this period.

§15.89.1οἱ δʼ Ἕλληνες μετὰ τὴν μάχην ἀμφισβητουμένην ἔχοντες τὴν νίκην, καὶ ταῖς ἀνδραγαθίαις ἐφάμιλλοι καθεστῶτες, ἔτι δὲ τῇ συνεχείᾳ τῶν κινδύνων καταπονούμενοι, διελύσαντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
The Greeks, having the victory disputed after the battle, and being equal in deeds of valour, and further being exhausted by the continuity of dangers, came to terms with one another.
συνθέμενοι δὲ κοινὴν εἰρήνην καὶ συμμαχίαν, κατέταττον ἐν τῇ συμμαχίᾳ καὶ τοὺς Μεσσηνίους.
Having concluded a common peace and alliance, they enrolled the Messenians also in the alliance.
§15.89.2οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι διὰ τὴν πρὸς τούτους ἀκατάλλακτον ἀλλοτριότητα τῶν σπονδῶν οὐ προείλοντο κοινωνεῖν καὶ μόνοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὑπῆρχον ἔκσπονδοι.
But the Lacedaemonians, because of their irreconcilable enmity towards them, did not choose to share in the treaty, and alone of the Greeks they were excluded from the treaty.
§15.89.3τῶν δὲ συγγραφέων Ξενοφῶν μὲν ὁ Ἀθηναῖος τὴν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν σύνταξιν εἰς τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν κατέστροφεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐπαμεινώνδου τελευτήν· Ἀναξιμένης δὲ ὁ Λαμψακηνὸς τὴν πρώτην τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ἀνέγραψεν ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ θεογονίας καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πρώτου γένους τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατέστροφε δʼ εἰς τὴν ἐν Μαντινείᾳ μάχην καὶ τὴν Ἐπαμεινώνδου τελευτήν· περιέλαβε δὲ πάσας σχεδὸν τάς τε τῶν Ἑλλήνων καὶ βαρβάρων πράξεις ἐν βύβλοις δώδεκα.
Of the historians, Xenophon the Athenian ended his narrative of Greek history at this year, with the death of Epaminondas; and Anaximenes of Lampsacus wrote the first part of his Greek History, starting from the generation of the gods and from the first race of men, and ended it with the battle of Mantinea and the death of Epaminondas; and he included almost all the deeds of both Greeks and barbarians in twelve books.
Φίλιστος δὲ τὰ περὶ Διονύσιον τὸν νεώτερον ὧδε κατέστροφε, διελθὼν ἔτη πέντε ἐν βύβλοις δυσίν.
And Philistus ended his history of Dionysius the Younger here, covering five years in two books.

Notes

  1. 15.89.1ἀμφισβητουμένην ἔχοντες τὴν νίκην — The verb ἔχω combined with the passive participle ἀμφισβητουμένην (agreeing with τὴν νίκην) expresses a state: "having the victory disputed", meaning that the outcome of the battle remained undecided.
  2. 15.89.2ἔκσπονδοι — A compound adjective from the preposition ἐκ (out of) and σπονδαί (treaty/truce), indicating here the legal and diplomatic status of being excluded from or not party to the peace treaty.
  3. 15.89.3τὴν πρώτην τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν — Referring to the work of Anaximenes. It can be translated as 'the first part of the Greek History' or 'the first Greek History', probably in contrast to Xenophon's work or referring to the first section of his own twelve-book history.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.89.1-15.89.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.89.1-15.89.3

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