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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.91.1-15.91.7

Treachery of Orontes and Datames' Resistance and Death

Passage 503 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The passage describes the betrayal of the rebel leader Orontes, the confusion in battle caused by the betrayal of Datames' father-in-law in Cappadocia, and Datames' brilliant action followed by his assassination.

§15.91.1οἱ δʼ ἀφεστηκότες τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ὅλων διοίκησιν εἵλαντο στρατηγὸν Ὀρόντην.
The rebels who had revolted from the King chose Orontes as general for the administration of the whole enterprise.
οὗτος δὲ παραλαβὼν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν καὶ χρήματα πρὸς ξενολογίαν, δισμυρίοις στρατιώταις ἐνιαύσιον μισθόν, ἐγένετο προδότης τῶν πιστευσάντων.
But he, having received the command and the funds for recruiting mercenaries—a year's pay for twenty thousand soldiers—became a traitor to those who had trusted him.
ὑπολαβὼν γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως δωρεῶν τε μεγάλων τεύξεσθαι καὶ τῆς παραθαλασσίου πάσης παραλήψεσθαι τὴν σατραπείαν, ἐὰν ἐγχειρίσῃ τοῖς Πέρσαις τοὺς ἀφεστηκότας, πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς κομίσαντας τὰ χρήματα συνέλαβε καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἀρταξέρξην ἀπέστειλε, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πολλὰς τῶν πόλεων καὶ τοὺς ξενολογηθέντας στρατιώτας τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως πεμφθεῖσιν ἡγεμόσι παρέδωκεν.
For, assuming that he would receive great gifts from the King and would take over the satrapy of the entire coastal region if he delivered the rebels into the hands of the Persians, he first arrested those who had brought the money and sent them to Artaxerxes, and after this, he delivered many of the cities and the recruited soldiers to the commanders sent by the King.
§15.91.2ὁμοίως δὲ τούτῳ καὶ κατὰ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν ἐγένετο προδοσία, καθʼ ἣν ἴδιόν τι καὶ παράδοξον συνέβη γενέσθαι.
In like manner to this, a betrayal also occurred in Cappadocia, in connection with which a singular and unexpected event took place.
Ἀρταβάζου γὰρ τοῦ βασιλέως στρατηγοῦ μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως ἐμβαλόντος εἰς τὴν Καππαδοκίαν, ὁ μὲν ταύτης τῆς χώρας σατράπης Δατάμης ἀντεστρατοπέδευσεν αὐτῷ, πολλοὺς μὲν ἱππεῖς ἠθροικώς, δισμυρίους δὲ πεζοὺς μισθοφόρους ἔχων αὑτῷ συστρατεύοντας·
For when Artabazus, the King's general, invaded Cappadocia with a large force, Datames, the satrap of this country, encamped against him, having gathered many cavalry and having twenty thousand mercenary infantry campaigning with him.
§15.91.3ὁ δὲ κηδεστὴς τοῦ Δατάμου τῶν ἱππέων ἀφηγούμενος, χάριν βουλόμενος καταθέσθαι καὶ τῆς ἰδίας σωτηρίας ἅμα προνοούμενος, ἀποστὰς νυκτὸς μετὰ τῶν ἱππέων ἀπήλαυνε πρὸς τοὺς πολεμίους, συντεθειμένος πρὸς Ἀρτάβαζον τῇ πρότερον ἡμέρᾳ περὶ τῆς προδοσίας.
But the father-in-law of Datames, who commanded the cavalry, wishing to win favor and at the same time looking out for his own safety, deserted by night and rode off to the enemy with the cavalry, having on the previous day made an agreement with Artabazus concerning the betrayal.
§15.91.4Δατάμης δὲ παρακαλέσας τοὺς μισθοφόρους καὶ δωρεὰς ὑποσχόμενος, ἀνέζευξε πρὸς τοὺς ἀφεστηκότας.
But Datames, having exhorted his mercenaries and promised them gifts, set out in pursuit of the deserters.
καταλαβὼν δʼ αὐτοὺς ἤδη συνάπτοντας τοῖς πολεμίοις, καὶ αὐτὸς προσπεσὼν ἅμα τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀρτάβαζον καὶ τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν, ἔκτεινε τοὺς εἰς χεῖρας ἐρχομένους.
And having overtaken them just as they were joining the enemy, he himself fell upon Artabazus' forces and the cavalry together, and slew those who came to blows.
§15.91.5ὁ δʼ Ἀρτάβαζος, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον τὸ ἀληθὲς ἀγνοῶν, ὑπολαβὼν δὲ τὸν ἀποστάτην τοῦ Δατάμου παλιμπροδοσίαν ποιεῖσθαι, παρήγγειλε τοῖς ἰδίοις κτείνειν τοὺς προσιόντας ἱππεῖς.
Artabazus, at first ignorant of the truth and assuming that the deserter from Datames was playing a double-cross, ordered his own men to kill the approaching cavalry.
ὁ δὲ Μιθροβαρζάνης ἐν μέσοις ἀποληφθείς, καὶ τῶν μὲν ὡς προδότην ἀμυνομένων, τῶν δὲ ὡς παλιμπροδότην τιμωρουμένων, ἐν ἀπορίᾳ καθειστήκει· τῆς δʼ ἀπορίας οὐκ ἐώσης βουλεύσασθαι, πρὸς ἀλκὴν ἐτρέπετο, καὶ πρὸς ἀμφοτέρους διαμαχόμενος πολὺν ἐποίει φόνον.
Mithrobarzanes, caught in the middle, and defended against by the one side as a traitor and punished by the other as a double-crosser, was in a state of utter confusion; and since his plight did not allow him to deliberate, he turned to brute force and, fighting against both, caused a great slaughter.
τέλος δὲ πλειόνων ἢ μυρίων ἀναιρεθέντων, τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας ὁ Δατάμης τρεψάμενος καὶ πολλοὺς φονεύσας ἀνεκαλέσατο τῇ σάλπιγγι τοὺς διώκοντας στρατιώτας.
At length, when more than ten thousand had been slain, Datames put the survivors to flight, and having slaughtered many, recalled by trumpet his pursuing soldiers.
§15.91.6τῶν δʼ ἱππέων τῶν ὑπολειφθέντων οἱ μὲν πρὸς τὸν Δατάμην ἀποχωρήσαντες ἠξίουν τυχεῖν συγγνώμης, οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, οὐκ ἔχοντες ὅποι τράπωνται, καὶ τέλος εἰς πεντακοσίους ὄντες κυκλωθέντες ὑπὸ Δατάμου κατηκοντίσθησαν.
Of the surviving cavalry, some retreated to Datames and begged for forgiveness, while the rest remained inactive, not knowing where to turn, and finally, being about five hundred in number, were surrounded by Datames and destroyed by javelins.
§15.91.7Δατάμης μὲν οὖν καὶ πρότερον ἐπὶ στρατηγίᾳ θαυμαζόμενος, πολλῷ τότε μᾶλλον ἔσχε περιβόητον τήν τε ἀνδρείαν καὶ τὴν ἐν τῷ στρατηγεῖν σύνεσιν· ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς Ἀρταξέρξης πυθόμενος τὴν στρατηγίαν τοῦ Δατάμου, καὶ σπεύδων ἄρασθαι τοῦτον, διʼ ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτὸν ἐδολοφόνησεν.
Thus Datames, who even before this had been admired for his generalship, then won far greater renown both for his courage and for his wisdom in command; but King Artaxerxes, having learned of Datames' generalship and being eager to remove him, had him assassinated through a plot.

Notes

  1. 15.91.1ἐνιαύσιον μισθόν — An accusative in apposition to `χρήματα` (funds), specifying the exact size and value of the funds as a year's worth of wages for twenty thousand soldiers.
  2. 15.91.3χάριν βουλόμενος καταθέσθαι — The middle idiom `χάριν κατατίθεμαι` means 'to lay up a store of favor' or 'to obligate someone with a favor (for future return).' Here it expresses his intention to win favor with the enemy general Artabazus.
  3. 15.91.4ἀνέζευξε πρὸς τοὺς ἀφεστηκότας — Used intransitively in military contexts, `ἀναζεύγνυμι` means 'to strike camp' or 'to begin a march.' Here it indicates that Datames set his army in motion to pursue the cavalry who had deserted him.
  4. 15.91.5τῶν μὲν ὡς προδότην ἀμυνομένων, τῶν δὲ ὡς παλιμπροδότην τιμωρουμένων — Two coordinated genitive absolute clauses. In this context, the implied subject of the former is Datames' army (defending against him as a traitor) and that of the latter is Artabazus' army (punishing him as a double-crosser), with the grammatical structure directly reflecting Mithrobarzanes' extreme dilemma.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.91.1-15.91.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.91.1-15.91.7

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