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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.67.1-16.67.4

Carthaginian Invasion of Sicily and Siege of Entella

Passage 575 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Preparing for a major war in Sicily, the Carthaginians form alliances with the tyrants, especially Hicetas, and transport a massive army to the island. They besiege Entella and annihilate a relief force sent from Galeria.

§16.67.1Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ βραχὺ πρὸ τούτων τῶν καιρῶν πυθόμενοι τὸ μέγεθος τοῦ κατὰ Σικελίαν ἐσομένου πολέμου ταῖς μὲν κατὰ Σικελίαν συμμαχίσι πόλεσι φιλανθρώπως προσεφέροντο καὶ πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ τὴν νῆσον τυράννους τὴν διαφορὰν καταλύσαντες φιλίαν συνέθεντο, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς Ἱκέταν τὸν τῶν Συρακοσίων δυναστεύοντα διὰ τὸ τοῦτον πλεῖον ἰσχύειν,
And the Carthaginians, having learned a short time before these events of the magnitude of the war that was about to take place in Sicily, conducted themselves in a friendly manner toward their allied cities in Sicily, and having resolved their differences with the tyrants throughout the island, they concluded friendships, and especially with Hicetas, the ruler of the Syracusans, because he possessed greater power.
§16.67.2αὐτοὶ δὲ πολλὴν δύναμιν ναυτικήν τε καὶ πεζικὴν παρασκευασάμενοι διεβίβασαν εἰς Σικελίαν, Ἄννωναστρατηγὸν ἐπιστήσαντες.
They themselves, having prepared a large naval and land force, transported it to Sicily, appointing Hannon as general.
εἶχον δὲ μακρὰς ναῦς ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα, στρατιώτας δὲ πεζοὺς μὲν πεντακισμυρίους, ἅρματα δὲ τριακόσια, συνωρίδας δὲ ὑπὲρ τὰς δισχιλίας, χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ὅπλα καὶ βέλη παντοδαπὰ καὶ μηχανὰς πολιορκητικὰς παμπληθεῖς καὶ σίτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐπιτηδείων πλῆθος ἀνυπέρβλητον.
And they had one hundred and fifty warships, fifty thousand infantry soldiers, three hundred chariots, and over two thousand two-horse chariots, and besides these, weapons and missiles of every kind, siege engines in great numbers, and an unsurpassed abundance of grain and other provisions.
§16.67.3ἐπὶ πρώτην δὲ τὴν τῶν Ἐντελλίνων πόλιν ἐλθόντες τήν τε χώραν ἐδῄωσαν καὶ τοὺς ἐγχωρίους εἰς πολιορκίαν συνέκλεισαν.
And having come first to the city of the Entellini, they ravaged the territory and shut up the inhabitants into a siege.
οἱ δὲ τὴν πόλιν κατοικοῦντες Καμπανοὶ καταπλαγέντες τὸ μέγεθος τῆς δυνάμεως ἐξέπεμψαν εἰς τὰς ἄλλας πόλεις τὰς ἀλλοτρίως διακειμένας πρὸς Καρχηδονίους περὶ βοηθείας.
But the Campanians who inhabited the city, being terrified by the magnitude of the force, sent to the other cities that were hostilely disposed toward the Carthaginians, asking for help.
τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων οὐδεὶς ὑπήκουσεν, οἱ δὲ τὴν Γαλερίαν πόλιν οἰκοῦντες ἐξέπεμψαν αὐτοῖς στρατιώτας ὁπλίτας χιλίους.
Now of the others, no one paid heed, but those who inhabited the city of Galeria sent them one thousand hoplite soldiers.
τούτοις δʼ ὑπαντήσαντες οἱ Φοίνικες καὶ περιχυθέντες τῷ πλήθει πάντας κατέκοψαν.
But the Phoenicians, having met these and having surrounded them with their multitude, cut them all to pieces.
§16.67.4οἱ δὲ τὴν Αἴτνην κατοικοῦντες Καμπανοὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον παρεσκευάζοντο συμμαχίαν ἐκπέμπειν εἰς τὴν Ἔντελλαν διὰ τὴν συγγένειαν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τὴν τῶν Γαλερίνων συμφορὰν ἀκούσαντες ἔκριναν ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν.
The Campanians who inhabited Aetna, at first indeed, were preparing to send an allied force to Entella because of their kinship, but after this, having heard of the disaster of the Galerians, they decided to keep quiet.

Notes

  1. 16.67.1διὰ τὸ τοῦτον πλεῖον ἰσχύειν — The accusative pronoun `τοῦτον` serves as the subject of the articular infinitive `τὸ ... ἰσχύειν`. The construction `διὰ τὸ` introduces the cause.
  2. 16.67.2Ἄννωναστρατηγὸν — The textual spelling `Ἄννωναστρατηγὸν` is a compound of the proper name `Ἄννωνα` (accusative) and the title `στρατηγὸν` (appositive, accusative), which should be read as `Ἄννωνα στρατηγὸν` ("Hannon as general"). This forms a double accusative with `ἐπιστήσαντες`.
  3. 16.67.3καταπλαγέντες τὸ μέγεθος — The passive participle `καταπλαγέντες` (aorist passive of `καταπλήττω`) is used with an active/middle meaning ("having been terrified by") and takes a direct object in the accusative (`τὸ μέγεθος`).
  4. 16.67.3τούτοις δʼ ὑπαντήσαντες — The intransitive verb `ὑπαντάω` ("to meet, encounter") governs the dative case (`τούτοις`), which refers to the relief force sent from Galeria.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.67.1-16.67.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.67.1-16.67.4

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