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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §15.95.1-15.95.4

Alexander of Pherae's Naval Victory and Conclusion of Book 15

Passage 507 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The tyrant Alexander of Pherae defeats the Athenian fleet, leading Athens to dispatch Chares, who instead causes trouble in allied Corcyra. Diodorus notes the completion of works by Boeotian historians and concludes Book 15, looking forward to the next book covering King Philip's reign.

§15.95.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Νικοφήμου τὴν ὑπατικὴν ἀρχὴν ἐν Ῥώμῃ διέλαβε Γάιος Σολπίκιος καὶ Γάιος Λικίνιος. ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Ἀλέξανδρος μὲν ὁ Φερῶν τύραννος λῃστρίδας ναῦς ἐκπέμψας ἐπὶ τὰς Κυκλάδας νήσους, τινὰς μὲν ἐκπολιορκήσας πολλῶν σωμάτων ἐκυρίευσεν, εἰς δὲ τὴν Πεπάρηθον ἀποβιβάσας μισθοφόρους στρατιώτας ἐπολιόρκει τὴν πόλιν.
When Nicophemus was archon in Athens, and in Rome Gaius Sulpicius and Gaius Licinius entered upon the consular office, during their term of office Alexander, the tyrant of Pherae, having dispatched pirate ships to the Cyclades islands, besieged and captured some of them, taking possession of many persons, and having landed mercenary soldiers on Peparethus, laid siege to the city.
§15.95.2Ἀθηναίων δὲ βοηθησάντων τοῖς Πεπαρηθίοις, καὶ στρατηγὸν Λεωσθένην ἀπολιπόντων, ἐπέθετο τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις· ἐτύγχανον δʼ οὗτοι παραφυλάττοντες τοὺς ἐν τῷ Πανόρμῳ διατρίβοντας τῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου στρατιωτῶν.
Although the Athenians had aided the Peparethians and left behind Leosthenes as general, Alexander attacked the Athenians; they happened to be keeping watch over those of Alexander's soldiers who were stationed in Panormus.
ἀπροσδοκήτως δὲ ἐπιθεμένων τῶν τοῦ δυνάστου, παράδοξος εὐημερία περὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον ἐγένετο.
But when the ruler's men made an unexpected attack, an unexpected success fell to Alexander.
οὐ μόνον γὰρ τοὺς ἀπεσταλμένους ἐν τῷ Πανόρμῳ διέσωσεν ἐκ τῶν μεγίστων κινδύνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τριήρεις μὲν Ἀττικὰς πέντε, μίαν δὲ Πεπαρηθίαν εἷλε, καὶ σωμάτων ἐκυρίευσεν ἑξακοσίων.
For he not only rescued from the greatest dangers his men who had been sent to Panormus, but also captured five Attic triremes and one Peparethian, and took possession of six hundred persons.
§15.95.3οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι παροξυνθέντες τοῦ μὲν Λεωσθένους ὡς προδότου θάνατον κατέγνωσαν καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν ἐδήμευσαν, ἑλόμενοι δὲ στρατηγὸν Χάρητα καὶ ναυτικὴν δύναμιν δόντες ἐξέπεμψαν.
The Athenians, provoked by this, condemned Leosthenes to death as a traitor and confiscated his property, and having chosen Chares as general and given him a naval force, dispatched him.
οὗτος δὲ τοὺς μὲν πολεμίους εὐλαβούμενος, τοὺς δὲ συμμάχους ἀδικῶν διετέλει.
He, however, continued to be wary of the enemy while doing wrong to the allies.
καταπλεύσας γὰρ εἰς Κόρκυραν συμμαχίδα πόλιν, στάσεις ἐν αὐτῇ μεγάλας ἐκίνησεν, ἐξ ὧν συνέπεσε γενέσθαι σφαγὰς πολλὰς καὶ ἁρπαγάς, διʼ ἃς συνέβη τὸν δῆμον τῶν Ἀθηναίων διαβληθῆναι παρὰ τοῖς συμμάχοις.
For having sailed into the allied city of Corcyra, he stirred up great factions within it, from which it happened that many massacres and plunders occurred, through which it came about that the Athenian demos was brought into disrepute among the allies.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Χάρης καὶ ἕτερα τοιαῦτα παρανομῶν ἀγαθὸν μὲν οὐδὲν διεπράξατο, τῇ δὲ πατρίδι διαβολάς.
Chares, therefore, committing other such unlawful acts, achieved nothing good, but brought slanders upon his homeland.
§15.95.4τῶν δὲ συγγραφέων Διονυσόδωρος καὶ Ἄναξις οἱ Βοιωτοὶ τὴν τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ἱστορίαν εἰς τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν κατεστρόφασι τὰς συντάξεις.
Among the historians, Dionysodorus and Anaxis, the Boeotians, brought their histories of Greek affairs to an end with this year, completing their works.
ἡμεῖς δὲ τὰς πρὸ Φιλίππου τοῦ βασιλέως πράξεις διεληλυθότες, ταύτην μὲν τὴν βύβλον κατὰ τὴν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρόθεσιν αὐτοῦ περιγράφομεν, τὴν δʼ ἐχομένην ἀπὸ τῆς Φιλίππου παραλήψεως τῆς βασιλείας ἀρξάμενοι πάσας διέξιμεν τὰς τοῦ βασιλέως τούτου πράξεις μέχρι τῆς τελευτῆς, συμπεριλαμβάνοντες καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τὰς γεγενημένας ἐν τοῖς γνωριζομένοις μέρεσι τῆς οἰκουμένης.
As for us, having gone through the events prior to King Philip, we bring this book to a close in accordance with our initial plan; and beginning the next book from Philip's assumption of the kingship, we shall relate all the deeds of this king until his death, incorporating also the other events that occurred in the known parts of the inhabited world.

Notes

  1. §15.95.2ἐτύγχανον δʼ οὗτοι παραφυλάττοντες — The verb τυγχάνω combined with the present participle παραφυλάττοντες forms a periphrastic construction indicating a coincidental or ongoing action at that time: "they happened to be guarding" or "were just then keeping watch."
  2. §15.95.3ἀδικῶν διετέλει — The verb διατελέω takes supplementary participles (here εὐλαβούμενος and ἀδικῶν) to express a continuous state or action: "he continued to be wary of [the enemy], while doing wrong [to the allies]."
  3. §15.95.3τῇ δὲ πατρίδι διαβολάς — There is an ellipsis of the verb (such as περιέστησε or ἐποίησε) in the second half of the μὲν... δέ contrast. Responding to ἀγαθὸν μὲν οὐδὲν διεπράξατο, the dative τῇ πατρίδι ("to his homeland") and the accusative διαβολάς ("slanders/disgrace") imply "[he brought] disgrace upon his homeland."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §15.95.1-15.95.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:15.95.1-15.95.4

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