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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.53.1-16.53.3

Bribery and Capture of Olynthus by Philip II

Passage 561 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Philip II's campaign against Olynthus, its capture through the bribery of its leaders, and his expansion of the kingdom by the power of gold.

§16.53.1τοῦ δʼ ἔτους τούτου διελθόντος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦρχε Θεόφιλος, ἐν Ῥώμῃ δὲ κατεστάθησαν ὕπατοι Γάιος Σουλπίκιος καὶ Γάιος Κοΐντιος, Ὀλυμπιὰς δʼ ἤχθη ὀγδόη πρὸς ταῖς ἑκατόν, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Πολυκλῆς Κυρηναῖος.
When this year had passed, Theophilus was archon in Athens, and in Rome Gaius Sulpicius and Gaius Quintius were appointed consuls, and the one hundred and eighth Olympiad was celebrated, in which Polycles of Cyrene won the stadium race.
§16.53.2ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Φίλιππος μὲν σπεύδων τὰς ἐφʼ Ἑλλησπόντῳ πόλεις χειρώσασθαι Μηκύβερναν μὲν καὶ Τορώνην χωρὶς κινδύνων διὰ προδοσίας παρέλαβεν, ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν μεγίστην τῶν περὶ τοὺς τόπους τούτους πόλεων Ὄλυνθον στρατεύσας μετὰ πολλῆς δυνάμεως τὸ μὲν πρῶτον νικήσας τοὺς Ὀλυνθίους δυσὶ μάχαις συνέκλεισεν εἰς πολιορκίαν, προσβολὰς δὲ συνεχεῖς ποιούμενος πολλοὺς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπέβαλεν ἐν ταῖς τειχομαχίαις· τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον φθείρας χρήμασι τοὺς προεστηκότας τῶν Ὀλυνθίων, Εὐθυκράτην τε καὶ Λασθένην, διὰ τούτων προδοθεῖσαν τὴν Ὄλυνθον εἷλεν.
During their term, Philip, being eager to subdue the cities on the Hellespont, took over Mecyberna and Torone without danger through treachery; and marching with a large force against Olynthus, the greatest of the cities in these regions, he first defeated the Olynthians in two battles and shut them up in a siege, but by making continuous assaults he lost many of his soldiers in the battles at the walls; finally, however, by bribing Euthycrates and Lasthenes, the leading men of the Olynthians, with money, he captured Olynthus, which was betrayed through them.
§16.53.3διαρπάσας δʼ αὐτὴν καὶ τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας ἐξανδραποδισάμενος ἐλαφυροπώλησε.
Having plundered it and enslaved the inhabitants, he sold them as booty.
τοῦτο δὲ πράξας χρημάτων τε πολλῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον εὐπόρησε καὶ τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις τὰς ἐναντιουμένας κατεπλήξατο.
By doing this, he both obtained abundant funds for the war and terrified the other opposing cities.
τοὺς δὲ ἀνδραγαθήσαντας τῶν στρατιωτῶν κατὰ τὴν μάχην ἀξίαις δωρεαῖς τιμήσας καὶ χρημάτων πλῆθος διαδοὺς τοῖς ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἰσχύουσι πολλοὺς ἔσχε προδότας τῶν πατρίδων.
Having honored those of the soldiers who had acted bravely in the battle with worthy gifts and distributed a large amount of money to those who held power in the cities, he gained many betrayers of their native lands.
καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ἀπεφαίνετο διὰ χρυσίου πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ διὰ τῶν ὅπλων ηὐξηκέναι τὴν ἰδίαν βασιλείαν.
And he himself used to declare that he had increased his own kingdom far more by gold than by arms.

Notes

  1. 16.53.2διὰ τούτων προδοθεῖσαν — The aorist passive participle προδοθεῖσαν modifies τὴν Ὄλυνθον either attributively or predicatively to express result. Although literally meaning "Olynthus which had been betrayed through them," in this context it implies a causal relationship: "he captured Olynthus because it was betrayed through them."
  2. 16.53.3ἀπεφαίνετο ... ηὐξηκέναι — The verb ἀποφαίνομαι (to declare) takes the perfect infinitive ηὐξηκέναι (to have increased). Since the subject of the infinitive is identical to the subject of the main verb (Philip), it is not expressed in the accusative, and αὐτός is added in the nominative to emphasize the subject.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.53.1-16.53.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.53.1-16.53.3

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