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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.88.1-16.88.5

Execution of Lysicles and the Death of Archidamus

Passage 596 of 723 · Greek

Summary

In Athens, the general Lysicles is condemned to death following a severe prosecution speech by the reputable orator Lycurgus. Meanwhile, on the very same day in Italy, the Spartan king Archidamus is killed in battle while aiding the Tarentines, and a succession of rulers takes place in Heracleia of Pontus.

§16.88.1οἱ δʼ Ἀθηναῖοι μετὰ τὴν ἧτταν Λυσικλέους μὲν τοῦ στρατηγοῦ θάνατον κατέγνωσαν Λυκούργου τοῦ ῥήτορος κατηγορήσαντος.
After the defeat, the Athenians condemned the general Lysicles to death on the accusation of Lycurgus the orator.
οὗτος γὰρ τῶν τότε ῥητόρων μέγιστον ἔχων ἀξίωμα καὶ δώδεκα μὲν ἔτη τὰς προσόδους τῆς πόλεως διοικήσας ἐπαινουμένως, βίον δʼ ἐζηκὼς ἐπʼ ἀρετῇ περιβόητον πικρότατος ἦν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις κατήγορος.
For this man, who held the greatest prestige among the orators of that time, and had administered the revenues of the city for twelve years in a praiseworthy manner, and had lived a life celebrated for virtue, was a most bitter accuser in his speeches.
§16.88.2γνοίη δʼ ἄν τις αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις ἀξίαν καὶ πικρίαν ἐν οἷς τοῦ Λυσικλέους κατηγορῶν λέγει, Ἐστρατήγεις, ὦ Λύσικλες, καὶ χιλίων μὲν πολιτῶν τετελευτηκότων, δισχιλίων δʼ αἰχμαλώτων γεγονότων, τροπαίου δὲ κατὰ τῆς πόλεως ἑστηκότος, τῆς δʼ Ἑλλάδος ἁπάσης δουλευούσης, καὶ τούτων ἁπάντων γεγενημένων σοῦ ἡγουμένου καὶ στρατηγοῦντος τολμᾷς ζῆν καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἡλίου φῶς ὁρᾶν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐμβάλλειν, ὑπόμνημα γεγονὼς αἰσχύνης καὶ ὀνείδους τῇ πατρίδι. §16.88.3ἴδιον δέ τι συνέβη γενέσθαι κατὰ τοὺς ὑποκειμένους χρόνους.
One may recognize his ability and bitterness in his speeches in those passages where, in accusing Lysicles, he says: "You were general, O Lysicles, and yet, when a thousand citizens have died, and two thousand have become captives, and a trophy has been set up against the city, and all of Greece is enslaved, and when all these things have happened under your leadership and generalship, do you dare to live, and to look upon the light of the sun, and to intrude into the Agora, having become a memorial of shame and disgrace to your country?" And a certain peculiar thing happened to occur during the times under consideration.
καθʼ ὃν γὰρ καιρὸν ἡ περὶ τὴν Χαιρώνειαν ἐγένετο μάχη, ἑτέρα παράταξις συνέστη κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν τῇ αὐτῇ ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ὥρᾳ διαπολεμούντων μὲν Ταραντίνων πρὸς Λευκανούς, συναγωνιζομένου δὲ τοῖς Ταραντίνοις Ἀρχιδάμου τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίων βασιλέως, ὅτε συνέβη καὶ αὐτὸν ἀναιρεθῆναι τὸν Ἀρχίδαμον.
For at the very same time that the battle of Chaeronea took place, another battle was joined in Italy on the very same day and hour, while the Tarentines were fighting out their war against the Lucanians, and Archidamus the king of the Lacedaemonians was fighting along with the Tarentines, at which time it happened that Archidamus himself was also slain.
§16.88.4οὗτος μὲν οὖν ἦρξε τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων ἔτη εἴκοσι τρία, τὴν δὲ βασιλείαν διαδεξάμενος ὁ υἱὸς Ἄγις ἦρξεν ἔτη ἐννέα.
He, then, ruled over the Lacedaemonians for twenty-three years, and his son Agis, having succeeded to the kingship, ruled for nine years.
§16.88.5ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Τιμόθεος ὁ τῆς Ἡρακλείας τῆς ἐν τῷ Πόντῳ τύραννος ἐτελεύτησε δυναστεύσας ἔτη πεντεκαίδεκα, τὴν δὲ τυραννίδα διαδεξάμενος ὁ ἀδελφὸς Διονύσιος ἦρξεν ἔτη δυσὶ πλείω τῶν τριάκοντα.
At the same time that these things were being done, Timotheus, the tyrant of Heracleia in Pontus, died after having held power for fifteen years, and his brother Dionysius, having succeeded to the tyranny, ruled for thirty-two years.

Notes

  1. 16.88.2Ἐστρατήγεις — The imperfect Ἐστρατήγεις ('you were general') at the beginning and the present τολμᾷς ('do you dare') in the main clause are connected by καὶ with an adversative force ('and yet'), emphasizing the contrast between the past generalship and the current shameless survival amidst various catastrophes detailed by the series of genitive absolutes (τετελευτηκότων, γεγονότων, ἑστηκότος, δουλευούσης, γεγενημένων).
  2. 16.88.3ἴδιον δέ τι συνέβη γενέσθαι — The combination of the impersonal verb συνέβη and the infinitive γενέσθαι ('it happened to occur' or 'it fell out'). It is used here to underscore the remarkable historical 'synchronicity' where on the very same day and hour of the defeat at Chaeronea in Greece, another major battle took place in Italy where the Spartan king fell.
  3. 16.88.5ἔτη δυσὶ πλείω τῶν τριάκοντα — An expression using the dative of degree of difference (δυσὶ) with the comparative (πλείω), meaning literally 'two years more than thirty', i.e., thirty-two years.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.88.1-16.88.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.88.1-16.88.5

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