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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.66.1-16.66.7

Timoleon's Voyage and Arrival in Italy

Passage 574 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Timoleon departs from Corinth and, encouraged by a divine omen in the sky and the protection of Demeter and Kore, arrives at Metapontium in Italy. Evading the protests of Carthaginian envoys who seek to block his crossing to Sicily, he hastens toward Rhegium, which offered him alliance.

§16.66.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος γὰρ Ἀθήνησιν Εὐβούλου Ῥωμαῖοι κατέστησαν ὑπάτους Μάρκον Φάβιον καὶ Σερούιον Σουλπίκιον.
When Eubulus was archon in Athens, the Romans appointed Marcus Fabius and Servius Sulpicius as consuls.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Τιμολέων ὁ Κορίνθιος προκεχειρισμένος ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐν Συρακούσσαις στρατηγίαν παρεσκευάζετο πρὸς τὸν εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν ἔκπλουν.
During their term of office, Timoleon the Corinthian, who had been chosen by his fellow citizens for the generalship in Syracuse, was preparing for his voyage to Sicily.
§16.66.2ἑπτακοσίους μὲν οὖν ξένους ἐμισθώσατο, στρατιωτῶν δὲ τέσσαρας τριήρεις πληρώσας καὶ ταχυναυτούσας τρεῖς ἐξέπλευσεν ἐκ Κορίνθου.
He hired seven hundred mercenaries, and having manned four triremes of soldiers and three fast-sailing vessels, he sailed out from Corinth.
ἐν παράπλῳ δὲ παρὰ Λευκαδίων καὶ Κορκυραίων τρεῖς ναῦς προσλαβόμενος ἐπεραιοῦτο δέκα ναυσὶ τὸν Ἰόνιον καλούμενον πόρον.
Along the coast, having received three additional ships from the Leucadians and Corcyraeans, he crossed the so-called Ionian Strait with ten ships.
§16.66.3ἴδιον δέ τι καὶ παράδοξον συνέβη γενέσθαι τῷ Τιμολέοντι κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν, τοῦ δαιμονίου συνεπιλαβομένου τῆς ἐπιβολῆς καὶ προσημαίνοντος τὴν ἐσομένην περὶ αὐτὸν εὐδοξίαν καὶ λαμπρότητα τῶν πράξεων· διʼ ὅλης γὰρ τῆς νυκτὸς προηγεῖτο λαμπὰς καιομένη κατὰ τὸν οὐρανὸν μέχρι οὗ συνέβη τὸν στόλον εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν καταπλεῦσαι.
And a peculiar and unexpected thing happened to befall Timoleon during the voyage, as the deity assisted his enterprise and foretold the future renown and splendor of his deeds that would be his; for through the whole night a burning torch led them in the sky until the fleet happened to put in at Italy.
§16.66.4ὁ δὲ Τιμολέων προακηκοὼς ἦν ἐν Κορίνθῳ τῶν τῆς Δήμητρος καὶ Κόρης ἱερειῶν ὅτι κατὰ τὸν ὕπνον αὐταῖς αἱ θεαὶ προήγγειλαν συμπλεύσεσθαι τοῖς περὶ τὸν Τιμολέοντα κατὰ τὸν πλοῦν τὸν εἰς τὴν ἱερὰν αὐτῶν νῆσον.
Now Timoleon had previously heard in Corinth from the priestesses of Demeter and Kore that the goddesses had announced to them in their sleep that they would sail along with Timoleon and his men on the voyage to their sacred island.
§16.66.5διόπερ ὁ Τιμολέων καὶ οἱ συμπλέοντες περιχαρεῖς ἦσαν, ὡς τῶν θεῶν συνεργουσῶν αὐτοῖς.
Therefore, Timoleon and those who sailed with him were overjoyed, believing that the goddesses were cooperating with them.
τὴν δʼ ἀρίστην τῶν νεῶν καθιερώσας ταῖς θεαῖς ὁ Τιμολέων ὠνόμασεν αὐτὴν Δήμητρος καὶ Κόρης ἱεράν. καταπλεύσαντος δὲ τοῦ στόλου χωρὶς κινδύνων εἰς Μεταπόντιον τῆς Ἰταλίας ἐπικατέπλευσε Καρχηδονία τριήρης ἔχουσα πρεσβευτὰς Καρχηδονίους.
Timoleon dedicated the best of the ships to the goddesses and named it "Sacred to Demeter and Kore." When the fleet had sailed into Metapontium in Italy without danger, a Carthaginian trireme arrived, carrying Carthaginian envoys.
§16.66.6οὗτοι δʼ ἐντυχόντες τῷ Τιμολέοντι διεμαρτύραντο μὴ κατάρχειν πολέμου μηδʼ ἐπιβαίνειν τῇ Σικελίᾳ.
These men, having met Timoleon, protested against his starting a war or setting foot in Sicily.
ὁ δὲ Τιμολέων, ἐπικαλουμένων αὐτὸν τῶν Ῥηγίνων καὶ συμμαχήσειν ἐπαγγελλομένων, ἐξέπλευσεν εὐθέως ἐκ τοῦ Μεταποντίου σπεύδων φθάσαι τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν φήμην· §16.66.7σφόδρα γὰρ εὐλαβεῖτο μήποτε Καρχηδόνιοι θαλασσοκρατοῦντες κωλύσωσιν αὐτὸν εἰς Σικελίαν διαπλεῦσαι.
But Timoleon, since the Rhegians were calling upon him and promising to ally with him, sailed immediately from Metapontium, hastening to outrun the report of his arrival; for he was exceedingly cautious lest the Carthaginians, holding command of the sea, might prevent him from crossing over to Sicily.
οὗτος μὲν οὖν κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐτέλει τὸν εἰς Ῥήγιον πλοῦν.
Thus he made his voyage to Rhegium in haste.

Notes

  1. 16.66.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος γὰρ Ἀθήνησιν Εὐβούλου — The preposition ἐπί followed by the genitive noun (ἄρχοντος) and a proper name is a classic formula used to designate the eponymous archon of Athens, thereby establishing the historical date of the events.
  2. 16.66.3τοῦ δαιμονίου συνεπιλαβομένου — A genitive absolute construction where the neuter noun δαιμόνιον functions as the logical subject. The verb συνεπιλαμβάνομαι ('to take part in helping') takes its object in the genitive case (τῆς ἐπιβολῆς).
  3. 16.66.4τῶν τῆς Δήμητρος καὶ Κόρης ἱερειῶν ὅτι — The verb προακούω ('to hear beforehand') takes the source of information in the genitive case (τῶν ... ἱερειῶν) and the content of the message in the following ὅτι clause.
  4. 16.66.5ὡς τῶν θεῶν συνεργουσῶν αὐτοῖς — A genitive absolute construction introduced by the particle ὡς, expressing the subjective belief or perceived reason of the sailors ('believing that the goddesses were helping them').
  5. 16.66.6σπεύδων φθάσαι τὴν περὶ αὐτὸν φήμην — The verb φθάνω ('to anticipate, outrun') takes a direct object in the accusative (τὴν ... φήμην). The infinitive φθάσαι complements the participle σπεύδων ('hastening') to express purpose, meaning 'hastening to forestall the rumor about him'.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.66.1-16.66.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.66.1-16.66.7

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