Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.58.1-16.58.6

Boeotian Appeal to Philip and Divine Punishment at Abae

Passage 566 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Hard pressed in Boeotia, the Boeotians request aid from Philip of Macedon, who sends only a small force to curb their pride. Later, during a battle at Abae, Phocian refugees in the temple of Apollo are unexpectedly burned alive in an apparent divine punishment.

§16.58.1κατὰ δὲ τὴν Βοιωτίαν οἱ μὲν Φωκεῖς τρεῖς πόλεις ἔχοντες ὠχυρωμένας, Ὀρχομενὸν καὶ Κορώνειαν καὶ Κορσίας, ἐκ τούτων ἐποιοῦντο τὴν ἐπὶ τοὺς Βοιωτοὺς στρατείαν.
In Boeotia, the Phocians, having three fortified cities, Orchomenus, Coroneia, and Corsiae, made these the bases for their campaign against the Boeotians.
εὐπορούμενοι δὲ μισθοφόρων τήν τε χώραν ἐδῄουν καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθέσεις καὶ συμπλοκὰς περιεγίνοντο τῶν ἐγχωρίων.
Being well supplied with mercenaries, they plundered the territory and prevailed over the inhabitants in their attacks and encounters.
§16.58.2διόπερ οἱ Βοιωτοὶ θλιβόμενοι μὲν τῷ πολέμῳ καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπολωλεκότες, χρημάτων δὲ ἀπορούμενοι πρέσβεις ἐξέπεμψαν πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον ἀξιοῦντες βοηθῆσαι.
Therefore, the Boeotians, being hard pressed by the war and having lost many of their soldiers, and being short of funds, sent ambassadors to Philip, requesting him to come to their aid.
§16.58.3ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς ἡδέως ὁρῶν τὴν ταπείνωσιν αὐτῶν καὶ βουλόμενος τὰ Λευκτρικὰ φρονήματα συστεῖλαι τῶν Βοιωτῶν ὀλίγους ἀπέστειλε στρατιώτας, αὐτὸ μόνον φυλαττόμενος τὸ μὴ δοκεῖν περιορᾶν τὸ μαντεῖον σεσυλημένον.
But the king, gladly seeing their humiliation and wishing to curtail the proud spirit that the Boeotians had kept since Leuctra, sent only a few soldiers, guarding himself solely against appearing to overlook the plundered oracle.
§16.58.4τῶν δὲ Φωκέων οἰκοδομούντων φρούριον περὶ τὰς ὀνομαζομένας Ἄβας, καθʼ ἅς ἐστιν Ἀπόλλωνος ἅγιον ἱερόν, ἐστράτευσαν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς οἱ Βοιωτοί.
While the Phocians were building a fortress around the place named Abae, where there is a holy temple of Apollo, the Boeotians marched against them.
εὐθὺ δʼ αὐτῶν οἱ μὲν εἰς τὰς ἔγγιστα πόλεις φυγόντες διεσπάρησαν, οἱ δʼ εἰς τὸν νεὼ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος καταφυγόντες εἰς πεντακοσίους ἀπώλοντο.
Immediately, some of them fled to the nearest cities and were scattered, while others, who had fled for refuge into the temple of Apollo, perished to the number of about five hundred.
§16.58.5πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλα θεῖα περὶ τοὺς Φωκεῖς συνέβη γενέσθαι περὶ τούτους τοὺς χρόνους, μάλιστα δὲ τὸ μέλλον λέγεσθαι.
Now, many other divine events happened to befall the Phocians around this time, but most of all the one about to be told.
οἱ γὰρ εἰς τὸν νεὼ καταφυγόντες ὑπέλαβον διὰ τῆς τῶν θεῶν ἐπικουρίας σωθήσεσθαι, τοὐναντίον δὲ θείᾳ τινὶ προνοίᾳ τῆς προσηκούσης τοῖς ἱεροσύλοις τιμωρίας ἔτυχον·
For those who had fled for refuge into the temple supposed that they would be saved through the help of the gods, but on the contrary, by some divine providence, they met with the punishment fitting for temple-robbers.
§16.58.6πολλῆς γὰρ οὔσης στιβάδος περὶ τὸν νεὼ καὶ πυρὸς ἐν ταῖς σκηναῖς τῶν πεφευγότων ἀπολελειμμένου συνέβη τῆς στιβάδος ἐκκαυθείσης τοσαύτην ἐξαφθῆναι φλόγα παραδόξως ὥστε τὸν ναὸν καὶ τοὺς καταπεφευγότας εἰς αὐτὸν Φωκεῖς ζῶντας καταφλεχθῆναι.
For since there was a great deal of straw around the temple and fire had been left in the tents of those who had fled, it happened that, the straw catching fire, so great a flame was unexpectedly kindled that the temple and the Phocians who had fled into it were burned alive.
τοῖς γὰρ ἱεροσύλοις ἔδοξε τὸ θεῖον μὴ διδόναι τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἱκεσίας συγχωρουμένην ἀσφάλειαν.
For the divine power, it seems, decreed not to grant to temple-robbers the safety allowed by supplication.

Notes

  1. §16.58.1περιεγίνοντο τῶν ἐγχωρίων — The verb `περιγίνομαι` ("to overcome", "to prevail over") governs the genitive of comparison (`τῶν ἐγχωρίων`).
  2. §16.58.3τὰ Λευκτρικὰ φρονήματα — "The proud spirit from Leuctra". The adjective `Λευκτρικά` refers to the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, denoting the arrogant, hegemonic pride the Boeotians (Thebans) had maintained since that victory.
  3. §16.58.3αὐτὸ μόνον φυλαττόμενος τὸ μὴ δοκεῖν — `αὐτὸ μόνον` is an adverbial accusative anticipating and emphasizing the following articular infinitive clause `τὸ μὴ δοκεῖν` ("not to appear..."), which is the direct object of `φυλαττόμενος`. The negation `μή` in the infinitive clause is characteristic after verbs of guarding or avoiding.
  4. §16.58.6ἔδοξε τὸ θεῖον μὴ διδόναι — While `ἔδοξε` can be taken impersonally ("it seemed fit to the divine power not to grant"), it is more natural here to interpret `τὸ θεῖον` as the subject of the personal verb `ἔδοξε` in the sense of "the divine power resolved/decreed not to grant."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.58.1-16.58.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.58.1-16.58.6

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.