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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.79.1-16.79.6

The Omen of Celery and the Attack at the Crimisus

Passage 587 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Timoleon resolves the mutiny by sending the rebellious mercenaries back to Syracuse, inspires his troops with the omen of wild celery, and charges the Carthaginians crossing the Crimisus River.

§16.79.1τῶν δὲ μισθοφόρων ἀσμένως τοὺς λόγους δεχομένων καὶ νεωτερίζειν ἐπιχειρούντων μόγις πολλὰ δεηθεὶς αὐτῶν ὁ Τιμολέων καὶ δωρεὰς ἐπαγγελλόμενος κατέπαυσε τὴν ταραχήν.
But since the mercenaries welcomed his words and attempted to mutiny, Timoleon, by pleading with them earnestly and promising rewards, managed with difficulty to quiet the disturbance.
ὅμως δὲ τῷ Θρασίῳ χιλίων συνακολουθησάντων τὴν μὲν τούτων κόλασιν εἰς ἕτερον ἀνεβάλετο καιρόν, γράψας δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν Συρακούσσαις φίλους προσδέξασθαι αὐτοὺς φιλοφρόνως καὶ τοὺς μισθοὺς ἀποδοῦναι τὴν μὲν ταραχὴν πᾶσαν εἰς τέλος κατέσβεσε, τῶν δʼ ἀπειθησάντων ἀφείλατο τὴν ἐκ τῆς νίκης εὐδοξίαν.
Nevertheless, when a thousand men followed Thrasis, he postponed their punishment to another time, and by writing to his friends in Syracuse to receive them kindly and pay them their wages, he completely quenched the entire disturbance, and deprived those who had disobeyed of the glory resulting from the victory.
§16.79.2αὐτὸς δὲ τοὺς ἄλλους ταῖς φιλανθρώποις ἐντεύξεσιν εἰς τὴν προϋπάρχουσαν εὔνοιαν ἀποκαταστήσας προῆγεν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους οὐ μακρὰν στρατοπεδεύοντας.
He himself, having restored the rest of the soldiers to their former goodwill through friendly conversations, advanced against the enemy, who were encamped not far away.
συναγαγὼν δʼ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοὺς στρατιώτας καὶ διὰ τῶν λόγων θάρσος παραστήσας τοῖς πλήθεσι διῆλθε μὲν τὴν τῶν Φοινίκων ἀνανδρίαν, ὑπέμνησε δὲ τῆς Γέλωνος εὐημερίας.
Having gathered the soldiers into an assembly and inspired courage in the multitude through his words, he detailed the cowardice of the Phoenicians and reminded them of the success of Gelon.
§16.79.3πάντων δὲ καθάπερ τινὶ μιᾷ φωνῇ βοώντων ἐπιθέσθαι τοῖς βαρβάροις καὶ κατάρχεσθαι τῆς μάχης, κατὰ τύχην ὑποζυγίων σέλινα κομιζόντων εἰς τὰς στιβάδας ὁ Τιμολέων ἔφη δέχεσθαι τὸν οἰωνὸν τῆς νίκης· τὸν γὰρ Ἰσθμιακὸν στέφανον ἐκ σελίνου συνίστασθαι.
When all, as if with one voice, shouted to attack the barbarians and begin the battle, by chance, as pack animals were bringing wild celery for their bedding, Timoleon said that he accepted this as an omen of victory; for the Isthmian crown was made of wild celery.
§16.79.4οἱ δὲ στρατιῶται παραγγείλαντος τοῦ Τιμολέοντος ἐκ τῶν σελίνων πλέξαντες στεφάνους καὶ ταῖς κεφαλαῖς περιθέντες προῆγον μετὰ χαρᾶς, ὡς τῶν θεῶν προσημαινόντων αὐτοῖς τὴν νίκην· ὅπερ καὶ συνέβη γενέσθαι·
And the soldiers, when Timoleon gave the order, wove crowns from the wild celery and placed them on their heads, and advanced with joy, as though the gods were foretelling victory to them; which indeed came to pass.
§16.79.5περιεγένοντο γὰρ ἀνελπίστως τῶν πολεμίων οὐ μόνον διὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἀνδραγαθίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν θεῶν συνεργίαν.
For they unexpectedly prevailed over the enemy, not only through their own bravery but also through the cooperation of the gods.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ Τιμολέων ἐκτάξας τὴν δύναμιν κατέβαινεν ἀπό τινων λόφων ἐπὶ τὸν Κρίμισον ποταμὸν καὶ μυρίων ἤδη διαβεβηκότων ἐξ ἐφόδου τούτοις ἐπέρραξε, τεταγμένος αὐτὸς ἐπὶ μέσης τῆς φάλαγγος.
For Timoleon, having drawn up his force, was descending from some hills toward the Crimisus River, and when ten thousand of the enemy had already crossed, he immediately charged them, having positioned himself in the center of the phalanx.
§16.79.6γενομένης δὲ μάχης καρτερᾶς καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ὑπερεχόντων ταῖς τε ἀρεταῖς καὶ ταῖς εὐχειρίαις πολὺς ἐγίνετο φόνος τῶν βαρβάρων.
When a fierce battle took place and the Greeks excelled both in bravery and in skill of hand, there was a great slaughter of the barbarians.
ἤδη δὲ φευγόντων τῶν διαβεβηκότων ἡ πᾶσα δύναμις τῶν Καρχηδονίων περαιωθεῖσα τὸ ῥεῖθρον διωρθώσατο τὴν τῶν ἰδίων ἧτταν.
And while those who had crossed were already fleeing, the entire force of the Carthaginians, having crossed the stream, restored the defeat of their own men.

Notes

  1. §16.79.1τῶν δὲ μισθοφόρων ἀσμένως τοὺς λόγους δεχομένων καὶ νεωτερίζειν ἐπιχειρούντων — A genitive absolute clause with the noun τῶν μισθοφόρων acting as the subject. It causally explains how the mercenaries' enthusiastic reception of Thrasis's words immediately led to their attempt to mutiny.
  2. §16.79.1τῶν δʼ ἀπειθησάντων ἀφείλατο τὴν ἐκ τῆς νίκης εὐδοξίαν — The verb ἀφαιρέομαι (to deprive) can take a double accusative, or an accusative of the thing taken (τὴν εὐδοξίαν) and a genitive of the person from whom it is taken (τῶν ἀπειθησάντων). Here, the genitive acts as a genitive of separation, indicating that he excluded those who disobeyed from the glory of the coming victory.
  3. §16.79.3κατὰ τύχην ὑποζυγίων σέλινα κομιζόντων εἰς τὰς στιβάδας — A genitive absolute clause with ὑποζυγίων as the subject. The prepositional phrase εἰς τὰς στιβάδας indicates purpose ('for bedding' or 'to serve as mattresses'), setting up the context in which a chance occurrence is interpreted as a positive omen.
  4. §16.79.5μυρίων ἤδη διαβεβηκότων ἐξ ἐφόδου τούτοις ἐπέρραξε — The phrase μυρίων ἤδη διαβεβηκότων (when ten thousand had already crossed) is a genitive absolute modifying the main verb ἐπέρραξε (charged). The dative pronoun τούτοις refers back to those ten thousand who had crossed and serves as the object of the verb.
  5. §16.79.6ἤδη δὲ φευγόντων τῶν διαβεβηκότων — A genitive absolute clause with τῶν διαβεβηκότων as the subject. It establishes a temporal overlap where, while the vanguard that had crossed was already in retreat, the main Carthaginian force crossed the river to stabilize the battle.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.79.1-16.79.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.79.1-16.79.6

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