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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.30.1-16.30.4

Seizure of Temple Treasures and Philomelus' Recruitment

Passage 538 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Philomelus plunders the temple treasures to hire a large mercenary army and defeats the Locrian and Thessalian forces, but the arrival of the Boeotians brings both armies to a standoff.

§16.30.1φανεροῦ δʼ ὄντος ὅτι Βοιωτοὶ μεγάλῃ δυνάμει στρατεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τοὺς Φωκεῖς ὁ Φιλόμηλος ἔκρινε μισθοφόρων ἀθροίζειν πλῆθος.
Since it was clear that the Boeotians would campaign against the Phocians with a large force, Philomelus decided to collect a multitude of mercenaries.
προσδεομένου δὲ τοῦ πολέμου χρημάτων πλειόνων ἠναγκάζετο τοῖς ἱεροῖς ἀναθήμασιν ἐπιβάλλειν τὰς χεῖρας καὶ συλᾶν τὸ μαντεῖον.
But as the war required more funds, he was forced to lay his hands on the sacred dedications and plunder the oracle.
ὑποστησαμένου δʼ αὐτοῦ τοῖς ξένοις μισθοὺς ἡμιολίους ταχὺ πλῆθος ἠθροίσθη μισθοφόρων, πολλῶν ὑπακουόντων πρὸς τὴν στρατείαν διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν μισθῶν.
When he promised the foreigners one and a half times the regular pay, a multitude of mercenaries was quickly assembled, with many answering the call to the campaign because of the greatness of the pay.
§16.30.2τῶν μὲν οὖν ἐπιεικῶν ἀνδρῶν οὐδεὶς ἀπεγράψατο πρὸς τὴν στρατείαν διὰ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς θεοὺς εὐσέβειαν, οἱ δὲ πονηρότατοι καὶ θεῶν διὰ τὴν πλεονεξίαν καταφρονοῦντες προθύμως συνέτρεχον πρὸς τὸν Φιλόμηλον καὶ ταχὺ δύναμις ἰσχυρὰ συνέστη τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἱεροσυλίαν ὁρμωμένων.
Now, none of the decent men registered themselves for the campaign because of their piety toward the gods, but the most wicked, who despised the gods out of greed, eagerly flocked to Philomelus, and quickly a strong force was constituted of those who were driven to temple-robbing.
§16.30.3ὁ μὲν οὖν Φιλόμηλος διὰ τὸ μέγεθος τῆς εὐπορίας ταχὺ δύναμιν ἀξιόχρεων κατεσκευάσατο.
So Philomelus, because of the abundance of his resources, quickly prepared a sufficient force.
εὐθὺς οὖν ἐστράτευσεν εἰς τὴν τῶν Λοκρῶν χώραν ἔχων στρατιώτας ἱππεῖς τε καὶ πεζοὺς πλείους τῶν μυρίων.
He immediately campaigned into the territory of the Locrians, having more than ten thousand soldiers, both cavalry and infantry.
ἀντιταχθέντων δὲ τῶν Λοκρῶν καὶ τῶν Βοιωτῶν βοηθησάντων τοῖς Λοκροῖς ἱππομαχία συνέστη, καθʼ ἣν προετέρησαν οἱ Φωκεῖς.
When the Locrians drew up in opposition and the Boeotians came to the aid of the Locrians, a cavalry battle took place, in which the Phocians had the upper hand.
§16.30.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα οἱ μὲν Θετταλοὶ μετὰ τῶν πλησιοχώρων συμμάχων ἀθροισθέντες εἰς ἑξακισχιλίους ἧκον εἰς τὴν Λοκρίδα καὶ συνάψαντες μάχην τοῖς Φωκεῦσι περὶ λόφον Ἀργόλαν ὀνομαζόμενον ἡττήθησαν.
After this, the Thessalians, having assembled with their neighboring allies to the number of about six thousand, came into Locris, and joining battle with the Phocians near a hill called Argolas, they were defeated.
ἐπιφανέντων δὲ Βοιωτῶν μυρίοις καὶ τρισχιλίοις στρατιώταις καὶ τῶν ἐκ Πελοποννήσου Ἀχαιῶν χιλίοις καὶ πεντακοσίοις βοηθησάντων τοῖς Φωκεῦσιν ἀντεστρατοπέδευσαν αἱ δυνάμεις, ἀμφοτέρων ἀθροισθέντων εἰς ἕνα τόπον.
But when the Boeotians appeared with thirteen thousand soldiers, and fifteen hundred of the Achaeans from the Peloponnese came to the aid of the Phocians, the forces encamped opposite one another, both having assembled in one place.

Notes

  1. §16.30.1φανεροῦ δʼ ὄντος ὅτι — This is a genitive absolute of an impersonal construction using the impersonal adjective φανερόν (it is clear), meaning "since it was clear that...". While a genitive absolute typically consists of a noun and a participle, impersonal verbs or phrases are expressed by the neuter singular participle alone (here, ὄντος followed by a ὅτι clause).
  2. §16.30.1προσδεομένου δὲ τοῦ πολέμου χρημάτων πλειόνων — A genitive absolute with the verb προσδέομαι (to require besides, need more), which governs the genitive case (χρημάτων πλειόνων), meaning "as the war required more funds." It sets up a situation whose subject "the war" (ὁ πόλεμος) is different from the main subject of the sentence (Philomelus).
  3. §16.30.4ἐπιφανέντων δὲ Βοιωτοὶ... καὶ... Ἀχαιῶν... βοηθησάντων... — Two genitive absolutes are connected by καί. In the first, Βοιωτῶν is the subject of ἐπιφανέντων, accompanied by an associative dative (μυρίοις καὶ τρισχιλίοις στρατιώταις, "with thirteen thousand soldiers"). In the second, Ἀχαιῶν is the subject of βοηθησάντων, which governs the dative object τοῖς Φωκεῦσιν ("helping the Phocians"). Both act as genitive absolutes, distinct from the main subject of the clause, αἱ δυνάμεις (the forces).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.30.1-16.30.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.30.1-16.30.4

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