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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.78.1-16.78.6

Timoleon's March and the Mutiny of Thrasis

Passage 586 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Timoleon set out with an army of twelve thousand to wage war in Carthaginian territory, but while in the territory of Agrigentum, a mercenary named Thrasis incited a mutiny due to unpaid wages.

§16.78.1ἔδοξε δʼ αὐτῷ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς Φοίνικας ἀγῶνα συστήσασθαι κατὰ τὴν τῶν Καρχηδονίων ἐπικράτειαν, ὅπως τὴν μὲν τῶν συμμάχων χώραν ἀσινῆ διαφυλάξῃ, τὴν δʼ ὑπὸ τοὺς βαρβάρους οὖσαν καταφθείρῃ.
And he decided to join battle against the Phoenicians in the territory of the Carthaginians, in order that he might keep the territory of the allies unharmed, and waste that which was under the barbarians.
§16.78.2εὐθὺς οὖν τούς τε μισθοφόρους καὶ Συρακοσίους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους συμμάχους ἀθροίσας καὶ κοινὴν ἐκκλησίαν συναγαγὼν παρώρμησε τοῖς οἰκείοις λόγοις τὰ πλήθη πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων ἀγῶνα· πάντων δʼ ἀποδεξαμένων τοὺς λόγους καὶ βοώντων ἄγειν τὴν ταχίστην ἐπὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους προῆγεν ἔχων τοὺς σύμπαντας οὐ πλείους τῶν μυρίων καὶ δισχιλίων.
Immediately, therefore, having assembled the mercenaries, the Syracusans, and the other allies, and having called a general assembly, he exhorted the multitude with appropriate words to the struggle for the whole cause; and when all accepted his words and shouted to lead them against the barbarians with the utmost speed, he advanced, having in all no more than twelve thousand men.
§16.78.3ἤδη δʼ αὐτοῦ κατὰ τὴν Ἀκραγαντίνην ὄντος παραδόξως ἐνέπεσε τῇ στρατιᾷ ταραχὴ καὶ στάσις.
When he was already in the territory of Agrigentum, unexpectedly a disturbance and mutiny fell upon the army.
τῶν γὰρ μισθοφόρων τις ὄνομα Θρασίος, σεσυληκὼς τὸ ἐν Δελφοῖς ἱερὸν μετὰ τῶν Φωκέων, ἀπονοίᾳ δὲ καὶ θράσει διαφέρων, ἀκόλουθον τοῖς πρότερον τετολμημένοις πρᾶξιν ἐπετελέσατο.
For one of the mercenaries, named Thrasis, who had plundered the temple at Delphi along with the Phocians, and who was outstanding in madness and audacity, executed an action in keeping with his previous daring deeds.
§16.78.4τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων σχεδὸν ἁπάντων τῶν μετασχόντων τῆς εἰς τὸ μαντεῖον παρανομίας τετευχότων ὑπὸ τοῦ δαιμονίου τῆς προσηκούσης τιμωρίας, καθάπερ μικρῷ πρότερον ἀνεγράψαμεν, μόνος οὗτος διαλεληθὼς τὸ θεῖον ἐπεχείρησε τοὺς μισθοφόρους παρορμᾶν πρὸς ἀπόστασιν.
For while almost all the others who had shared in the lawlessness against the oracle had met with the appropriate punishment from the deity, as we recorded a little earlier, he alone, having escaped the notice of the divine power, attempted to incite the mercenaries to mutiny.
§16.78.5ἔφη γὰρ τὸν Τιμολέοντα παραφρονοῦντα πρὸς ὁμολογουμένην ἀπώλειαν ἄγειν τοὺς στρατιώτας· ἑξαπλασίους γὰρ ὄντας τοὺς Καρχηδονίους καὶ πάσαις ταῖς παρασκευαῖς ἀνυπερβλήτους ὑπάρχοντας ἐπαγγέλλεται νικήσειν, ἐναποκυβεύων ταῖς τῶν μισθοφόρων ψυχαῖς, οὐδὲ τοὺς ὀφειλομένους μισθοὺς πολλοῦ χρόνου διὰ τὴν ἀπορίαν ἀποδεδωκώς.
For he said that Timoleon, out of his mind, was leading the soldiers to certain destruction; for although the Carthaginians were six times their number and unsurpassed in all their preparations, Timoleon was promising to defeat them, gambling with the lives of the mercenaries, even though he had not even paid them their overdue wages for a long time because of his lack of funds.
§16.78.6συνεβούλευεν οὖν ἀνακάμπτειν εἰς τὰς Συρακούσσας καὶ τοὺς μισθοὺς ἀπαιτεῖν, ἐπὶ δὲ στρατείαν ἀπεγνωσμένην μὴ συνακολουθεῖν.
Therefore, he advised them to return to Syracuse and demand their pay, and not to follow along on a hopeless campaign.

Notes

  1. 16.78.1ἔδοξε δʼ αὐτῷ τὸν πρὸς τοὺς Φοίνικας ἀγῶνα συστήσασθαι — The impersonal verb `ἔδοξε` ("it seemed good to", "he decided") is construed with the dative `αὐτῷ` (referring to Timoleon), and the infinitive clause `τὸν πρὸς τοὺς Φοίνικας ἀγῶνα συστήσασθαι` serves as the subject. The subject of the infinitive `συστήσασθαι` ("to initiate", "to bring about") is coreferential with the dative `αὐτῷ`.
  2. 16.78.2βοώντων ἄγειν — Within the genitive absolute construction `πάντων δʼ ἀποδεξαμένων ... καὶ βοώντων`, the verb `βοάω` takes the infinitive `ἄγειν`. The infinitive `ἄγειν` is used intransitively here in the sense of "to march" or "to advance" (with an implied object like `στρατιάν`), or transitively with Timoleon as the implied subject ("to lead [them]"). In this context of soldiers urging their commander, it means "shouting to march [against the enemy]".
  3. 16.78.4διαλεληθὼς τὸ θεῖον — The perfect active participle `διαλεληθώς` from `διαλανθάνω` ("to escape the notice of") takes the accusative `τὸ θεῖον` ("the deity", "the divine power") as its direct object. Verbs of escaping notice like `λανθάνω` and its compounds regularly govern the accusative of the person or thing from whom one is hidden.
  4. 16.78.5ἑξαπλασίους γὰρ ὄντας τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ... ἐπαγγέλλεται νικήσειν — Part of the indirect discourse introduced by `ἔφη` at the beginning of section 5. The subject of `ἐπαγγέλλεται` is Timoleon. The participle `ὄντας` with its accusative subject `τοὺς Καρχηδονίους` functions concessively ("although the Carthaginians are..."). The infinitive `νικήσειν` depends on `ἐπαγγέλλεται` ("promises to defeat"), and its subject, being the same as that of the main verb (Timoleon), is omitted.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.78.1-16.78.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.78.1-16.78.6

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