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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.7.1-16.7.4

Founding of Tauromenium, Euboean War, and the Social War

Passage 515 of 723 · Greek

Summary

The narration covers the founding of Tauromenium by Andromachus, the internal strife in Euboea involving Athens and Boeotia, and the outbreak of the Social War due to the revolt of Athens' allies, leading to the death of General Chabrias.

§16.7.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Ἀνδρόμαχος ὁ Ταυρομενίτης, Τιμαίου μὲν τοῦ τὰς ἱστορίας συγγράψαντος πατὴρ ὤν, πλούτῳ δὲ καὶ ψυχῆς λαμπρότητι διαφέρων ἤθροισε τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Νάξου τῆς κατασκαφείσης ὑπὸ Διονυσίου περιλειφθέντας.
At the same time that these things were happening, Andromachus of Tauromenium, who was the father of Timaeus who wrote the histories, and who excelled in wealth and nobility of soul, gathered together the survivors from Naxos which had been destroyed by Dionysius.
οἰκίσας δὲ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς Νάξου λόφον τὸν ὀνομαζόμενον Ταῦρον καὶ μείνας κατʼ αὐτὸν πλείω χρόνον ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ταύρου μονῆς ὠνόμασε Ταυρομένιον.
And having settled them on the hill above Naxos called Taurus, and having remained there for a considerable time, he named the place Tauromenium after his stay on Taurus.
ταχὺ δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐπίδοσιν λαμβανούσης οἱ μὲν οἰκήτορες μεγάλους περιεποιήσαντο πλούτους, ἡ δὲ πόλις ἀξιόλογον ἀξίωμα περιποιησαμένη τὸ τελευταῖον ἐν τῷ καθʼ ἡμᾶς βίῳ Καίσαρος ἀναστήσαντος τοὺς Ταυρομενίτας ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀποικίαν ἐδέξατο.
As the city rapidly made progress, the inhabitants acquired great wealth, and the city itself, having gained a remarkable reputation, finally in our own lifetime, when Caesar removed the Tauromenians from their native land, received a Roman colony.
§16.7.2ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις οἱ τὴν Εὔβοιαν κατοικοῦντες ἐστασίασαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους καὶ τῶν μὲν τοὺς Βοιωτούς, τῶν δὲ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐπικαλεσαμένων συνέστη πόλεμος κατὰ τὴν Εὔβοιαν.
At the same time that these things were happening, the inhabitants of Euboea fell into strife among themselves, and since some called in the Boeotians and others the Athenians, war broke out throughout Euboea.
γενομένων δὲ πλειόνων συμπλοκῶν καὶ ἀκροβολισμῶν ὁτὲ μὲν οἱ Θηβαῖοι προετέρουν, ὁτὲ δʼ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὴν νίκην ἀπεφέροντο. μεγάλη μὲν οὖν παράταξις οὐδεμία συνετελέσθη· τῆς δὲ νήσου διὰ τὸν ἐμφύλιον πόλεμον καταφθαρείσης καὶ πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων διαφθαρέντων μόγις ταῖς συμφοραῖς νουθετηθέντες εἰς ὁμόνοιαν ἦλθον καὶ τὴν εἰρήνην συνέθεντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους.
Although many skirmishes and minor engagements took place, in which sometimes the Thebans had the upper hand and sometimes the Athenians carried off the victory, no great pitched battle was fought; but when the island had been devastated by the civil war and many men had been destroyed on both sides, having at last been taught a lesson by their misfortunes, they came to an agreement and concluded peace with one another.
οἱ μὲν οὖν Βοιωτοὶ τὴν εἰς οἶκον ἐπάνοδον ποιησάμενοι τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἦγον.
The Boeotians, therefore, made their return home and remained quiet.
§16.7.3οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι Χίων καὶ Ῥοδίων καὶ Κῴων, ἔτι δὲ Βυζαντίων ἀποστάντων ἐνέπεσον εἰς πόλεμον τὸν ὀνομασθέντα συμμαχικόν, ὃς διέμεινεν ἔτη τρία.
But the Athenians, since the Chians, Rhodians, Coans, and also the Byzantines had revolted, fell into the war called the Social War, which lasted for three years.
ἑλόμενοι δὲ στρατηγοὺς Χάρητα καὶ Χαβρίαν ἀπέστειλαν μετὰ δυνάμεως.
Having chosen Chares and Chabrias as generals, they dispatched them with a force.
οὗτοι δὲ πλεύσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν Χίον κατέλαβον παραγεγονότας συμμάχους τοῖς Χίοις παρὰ Βυζαντίων καὶ Ῥοδίων καὶ Κῴων, ἔτι δὲ Μαυσώλου τοῦ Καρῶν δυνάστου.
These men, having sailed to Chios, found that allies had arrived to help the Chians from the Byzantines, Rhodians, and Coans, and also from Mausolus, the ruler of Caria.
ἐκτάξαντες δὲ τὴν δύναμιν ἐπολιόρκουν τὴν πόλιν κατὰ γῆν ἅμα καὶ κατὰ θάλατταν.
Having drawn up their force, they besieged the city by land and sea simultaneously.
ὁ μὲν οὖν Χάρης τοῦ πεζοῦ στρατεύματος ἡγούμενος κατὰ γῆν προσῄει τοῖς τείχεσι καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐκχυθέντας ἐπʼ αὐτὸν διηγωνίζετο· ὁ δὲ Χαβρίας προσπλεύσας τῷ λιμένι ναυμαχίαν καρτερὰν συνεστήσατο καὶ τῆς νεὼς τοῖς ἐμβόλοις ἀναρραγείσης κατεπονεῖτο.
Chares, therefore, leading the land army, approached the walls by land and fought hard against those who poured out from the city against him; but Chabrias, having sailed up to the harbor, engaged in a fierce naval battle and, when his ship was shattered by the rams, was hard pressed.
§16.7.4οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων νεῶν εἴξαντες τῷ καιρῷ διεσώθησαν, ὁ δʼ ἀντὶ τῆς ἥττης ἀλλαξάμενος τὸν εὐκλεᾶ θάνατον ἀγωνιζόμενος ὑπὲρ τῆς νεὼς καὶ τρωθεὶς ἐτελεύτησε.
Now those on the other ships, yielding to the circumstances, saved themselves, but he, having chosen a glorious death instead of defeat, died fighting for his ship and having been wounded.

Notes

  1. 16.7.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις — The preposition `ἅμα` functioning as a conjunction with the dative demonstrative pronoun and participle `τούτοις πραττομένοις` forms an adverbial phrase of time, meaning 'at the same time that these things were being done.'
  2. 16.7.1Καίσαρος ἀναστήσαντος — Genitive absolute construction. The noun `Καίσαρος` acts as the logical subject and the participle `ἀναστήσαντος` (aorist active participle of `ἀνίστημι`) as the logical predicate, indicating a temporal or circumstantial clause ('when Caesar removed them') distinct from the subject of the main clause (`ἡ πόλις`).
  3. 16.7.2τῶν μὲν ... τῶν δὲ ... ἐπικαλεσαμένων — Genitive absolute construction. The partitive expressions `τῶν μὲν... τῶν δὲ...` ('some... others...') serve as the logical subjects of the participle `ἐπικαλεσαμένων` (aorist middle participle genitive plural of `ἐπικαλέομαι`). This construction subdivides the preceding nominative subject `οἱ τὴν Εὔβοιαν κατοικοῦντες` into two factions.
  4. 16.7.4ἀντὶ τῆς ἥττης ἀλλαξάμενος τὸν εὐκλεᾶ θάνατον — The middle participle of the verb `ἀλλάσσομαι` ('to exchange, acquire') takes an accusative object (`τὸν εὐκλεᾶ θάνατον`) and `ἀντί` with a genitive (`τῆς ἥττης`), meaning 'having exchanged defeat for a glorious death' (i.e., choosing a glorious death instead of defeat).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.7.1-16.7.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.7.1-16.7.4

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