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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.73.1-16.73.3

Timoleon's Expansion and Carthage's War Preparations

Passage 581 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Timoleon secures military funds through plundering Carthaginian territory and expands his influence by restoring autonomy to other cities. In response, the Carthaginians decide to appoint new generals and launch a massive military preparation.

§16.73.1ἀπορούμενος δὲ χρημάτων εἰς τὰς τῶν ξένων μισθοδοσίας ἐξαπέστειλε στρατιώτας χιλίους μετὰ τῶν ἀξιολογωτάτων ἡγεμόνων εἰς τὴν τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἐπικράτειαν.
And being in want of money for the pay of his mercenaries, Timoleon sent out a thousand soldiers with his most distinguished officers into the territory under the Carthaginian rule.
οὗτοι δὲ πολλὴν χώραν πορθήσαντες καὶ λαφύρων πλῆθος κομίσαντες παρέδωκαν τῷ Τιμολέοντι.
These men plundered a large extent of country and, bringing back a great quantity of booty, delivered it to Timoleon.
ὁ δὲ λαφυροπωλήσας τὴν λείαν καὶ χρημάτων πλῆθος ἀθροίσας ἔδωκε τοῖς μισθοφόροις εἰς πλείω χρόνον τοὺς μισθούς.
Having sold the booty and collected a large amount of money, he paid his mercenaries their wages for a longer period.
§16.73.2ἐκράτησε δὲ καὶ τῆς Ἐντέλλης καὶ τοὺς τὰ Καρχηδονίων μάλιστα φρονοῦντας πεντεκαίδεκα θανατώσας τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀπένειμε τὴν ἐλευθερίαν.
He also made himself master of Entella, and after putting to death fifteen of the citizens who were most in favor of the Carthaginians, he granted freedom to the rest.
τοῦ δὲ Τιμολέοντος αὐξομένου τῇ τε δυνάμει καὶ τῇ κατὰ τὴν στρατηγίαν δόξῃ αἱ μὲν Ἑλληνίδες πόλεις αἱ κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ἅπασαι προθύμως ὑπετάγησαν τῷ Τιμολέοντι διὰ τὸ πάσαις τὰς αὐτονομίας ἀποδιδόναι, τῶν δὲ Σικελῶν καὶ Σικανῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν ὑπὸ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους τεταγμένων πολλαὶ διεπρεσβεύοντο πόλεις, σπεύδουσαι παραληφθῆναι πρὸς τὴν συμμαχίαν.
As Timoleon grew in power and in reputation for his generalship, all the Greek cities in Sicily eagerly submitted to him because he restored autonomy to all of them; and on the part of the Sicels, Sicani, and the others who were subject to the Carthaginians, many cities sent embassies, anxious to be received into the alliance.
§16.73.3Καρχηδόνιοι δὲ τοὺς κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν στρατηγοὺς ὁρῶντες ἀγεννῶς τὸν πόλεμον διοικοῦντας ἔκριναν ἑτέρους ἀποστέλλειν μετὰ δυνάμεων μεγάλων.
But the Carthaginians, seeing that their generals in Sicily were conducting the war in a spiritless manner, decided to send out others with great forces.
εὐθὺς οὖν τῶν πολιτῶν κατέλεγον τοὺς ἀρίστους εἰς τὴν στρατείαν καὶ τῶν Λιβύων τοὺς εὐθέτους ἐστρατολόγουν, χωρὶς δὲ τούτων προχειρισάμενοι χρημάτων πλῆθος μισθοφόρους ἐξενολόγουν Ἴβηρας καὶ Κελτοὺς καὶ Λίγυας·
Immediately, therefore, they enrolled the best of their citizens for the campaign, and recruited suitable men among the Libyans; and besides these, having prepared a vast amount of money, they enlisted mercenaries, Iberians, Celts, and Ligurians.
ἐναυπηγοῦντο δὲ καὶ ναῦς μακρὰς καὶ φορτηγοὺς πολλὰς ἤθροιζον καὶ τὴν ἄλλην παρασκευὴν ἀνυπέρβλητον ἐποιοῦντο.
They also built warships, collected many merchant vessels, and made all other preparations on an unsurpassed scale.

Notes

  1. §16.73.1ἀπορούμενος — Present middle participle modifying the subject of the main clause (Timoleon), expressing cause ("since he was in want of..."). It governs the genitive `χρημάτων`.
  2. §16.73.2τοὺς τὰ Καρχηδονίων μάλιστα φρονοῦντας — The verb `φρονέω` combined with the neuter plural articular phrase `τὰ Καρχηδονίων` (the affairs/interests of the Carthaginians) means "those who favored the Carthaginian cause" or "were pro-Carthaginian."
  3. §16.73.2διὰ τὸ πάσαις τὰς αὐτονομίας ἀποδιδόναι — The preposition `διὰ` is followed by the articular infinitive `τὸ ... ἀποδιδόναι`. The subject of the infinitive is omitted but understood from the context to be `Timoleon` (the subject of the preceding genitive absolute `Τιμολέοντος`).
  4. §16.73.3ὁρῶντες ... διοικοῦντας — The participle of the verb of perception `ὁράω` (`ὁρῶντες`) governs the accusative noun `τοὺς ... στρατηγοὺς` and the participle `διοικοῦντας`, forming the construction "seeing that the generals were conducting (the war...)."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.73.1-16.73.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.73.1-16.73.3

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