Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.35.1-16.35.6

Philip's Campaign in Thessaly and the Defeat of Onomarchus

Passage 543 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Philip II intervened in Thessaly, and after initially suffering defeats against the Phocian general Onomarchus, he launched another campaign and won a decisive victory, subsequently executing Onomarchus.

§16.35.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦθʼ ὁ Φίλιππος ὑπὸ Θετταλῶν μετακληθεὶς ἧκεν εἰς Θετταλίαν μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως, καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον πρὸς Λυκόφρονα τὸν Φερῶν τύραννον διεπολέμει βοηθῶν τοῖς Θετταλοῖς· μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ Λυκόφρονος μεταπεμψαμένου παρὰ τῶν Φωκέων συμμαχίαν ἀπεστάλη Φάυλλος ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ὀνομάρχου μετὰ στρατιωτῶν ἑπτακισχιλίων.
After these things, Philip, having been summoned by the Thessalians, came into Thessaly with his forces, and at first, by assisting the Thessalians, carried on war against Lycophron, the tyrant of Pherae; but after this, when Lycophron had summoned an alliance from the Phocians, Phayllus, the brother of Onomarchus, was dispatched with seven thousand soldiers.
ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος τοὺς Φωκεῖς νικήσας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τῆς Θετταλίας.
Philip, having defeated the Phocians, drove them out of Thessaly.
§16.35.2Ὀνόμαρχος δʼ ἀναλαβὼν πᾶσαν τὴν δύναμιν καὶ νομίζων ὅλης τῆς Θετταλίας κυριεύσειν ἧκεν ἐν τάχει βοηθήσων τοῖς περὶ τὸν Λυκόφρονα.
Onomarchus, having taken up his entire force and thinking that he would master the whole of Thessaly, came in haste to assist Lycophron and his men.
τοῦ δὲ Φιλίππου μετὰ τῶν Θετταλῶν ἀντιπαραταξαμένου τοῖς Φωκεῦσιν Ὀνόμαρχος ὑπερέχων τοῖς πλήθεσι δυσὶ μάχαις ἐνίκησε καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν Μακεδόνων ἀνεῖλεν.
When Philip, along with the Thessalians, drew up his forces against the Phocians, Onomarchus, being superior in numbers, was victorious in two battles and slew many of the Macedonians.
Φίλιππος δʼ εἰς τοὺς ἐσχάτους κινδύνους περικλεισθεὶς καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν διὰ τὴν ἀθυμίαν καταλιπόντων αὐτὸν παραθαρσύνας τὸ πλῆθος μόγις ἐποίησεν αὐτοὺς εὐπειθεῖς.
Philip, having been shut up in the greatest dangers, and since his soldiers were abandoning him because of despondency, encouraged the multitude and with difficulty made them obedient.
§16.35.3μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ὁ Φίλιππος μὲν ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς Μακεδονίαν, Ὀνόμαρχος δὲ στρατεύσας εἰς Βοιωτίαν ἐνίκησε μάχῃ τοὺς Βοιωτοὺς καὶ πόλιν εἷλε Κορώνειαν.
After these things, Philip indeed withdrew to Macedonia, but Onomarchus, having marched into Boeotia, defeated the Boeotians in battle and captured the city of Coroneia.
κατὰ δὲ τὴν Θετταλίαν Φίλιππος μὲν ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἄρτι κατηντηκὼς ἐστράτευσεν ἐπὶ Λυκόφρονα τὸν Φερῶν τύραννον.
Meanwhile, in Thessaly, Philip, having just arrived from Macedonia with his forces, marched against Lycophron, the tyrant of Pherae.
§16.35.4οὗτος δʼ οὐκ ὢν ἀξιόμαχος μετεπέμψατο συμμαχίαν παρὰ Φωκέων, ἐπαγγελλόμενος συγκατασκευάσειν αὐτοῖς τὰ κατὰ τὴν Θετταλίαν.
Since the latter was not a match in battle, he summoned an alliance from the Phocians, promising to help them establish their affairs in Thessaly.
διόπερ Ὀνομάρχου σπουδῇ βοηθήσαντος μετὰ πεζῶν δισμυρίων καὶ πεντακοσίων ἱππέων ὁ μὲν Φίλιππος πείσας τοὺς Θετταλοὺς κοινῇ τὸν πόλεμον ἄρασθαι συνήγαγε τοὺς πάντας πεζοὺς μὲν ὑπὲρ τοὺς δισμυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τρισχιλίους.
Therefore, when Onomarchus came in haste to assist with twenty thousand infantry and five hundred cavalry, Philip, having persuaded the Thessalians to undertake the war in common, assembled in all more than twenty thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry.
§16.35.5γενομένης δὲ παρατάξεως ἰσχυρᾶς καὶ τῶν Θετταλῶν ἱππέων τῷ πλήθει καὶ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς διαφερόντων ἐνίκησεν ὁ Φίλιππος.
When a fierce battle took place and the Thessalian cavalry excelled both in number and in valour, Philip was victorious.
τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Ὀνόμαρχον καταφυγόντων εἰς τὴν θάλατταν καὶ τυχικῶς παραπλέοντος τοῦ Ἀθηναίου Χάρητος μετὰ πολλῶν τριήρων πολὺς ἐγένετο φόνος τῶν Φωκέων· οἱ γὰρ φεύγοντες ῥίψαντες τὰς πανοπλίας διενήχοντο πρὸς τὰς τριήρεις, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς Ὀνόμαρχος.
Since Onomarchus and his men fled to the sea, and Chares the Athenian happened by chance to be sailing past with many triremes, a great slaughter of the Phocians took place; for those who were fleeing cast off their armor and swam toward the triremes, among whom was Onomarchus himself.
§16.35.6τέλος δὲ τῶν Φωκέων καὶ μισθοφόρων ἀνῃρέθησαν μὲν ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἑξακισχιλίους, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ στρατηγός, ἥλωσαν δὲ οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν τρισχιλίων.
Finally, of the Phocians and mercenaries, more than six thousand were slain, among whom was the general himself, and no fewer than three thousand were captured.
ὁ δὲ Φίλιππος τὸν μὲν Ὀνόμαρχον ἐκρέμασε, τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους ὡς ἱεροσύλους κατεπόντισεν.
Philip hanged Onomarchus, and the rest he drowned in the sea as temple-robbers.

Notes

  1. 16.35.2νομίζων ὅλης τῆς Θετταλίας κυριεύσειν — The verb κυριεύω (to master or rule) governs the genitive case; hence ὅλης τῆς Θετταλίας is placed in the genitive as its direct object.
  2. 16.35.2βοηθήσων — The future active participle βοηθήσων is used in an adverbial sense to express the purpose ("in order to assist") of the main verb ἧκεν.
  3. 16.35.5τῶν δὲ περὶ τὸν Ὀνόμαρχον καταφυγόντων — This clause and the subsequent παραπλέοντος τοῦ Ἀθηναίου Χάρητος are both genitive absolute constructions, introducing background circumstances with subjects distinct from the main clause's subject (φόνος).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.35.1-16.35.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.35.1-16.35.6

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.