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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §16.91.1-16.91.6

Philip's Persian Preparations and Wedding Festivities

Passage 599 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Having been appointed commander-in-chief of the Greek alliance, King Philip of Macedon prepares for his expedition against Persia, interprets a Delphic oracle in his own favor, and holds grand festivals and a wedding, inviting guests from all over Greece.

§16.91.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Πυθοδώρου Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν κατέστησαν ὑπάτους Κόιντον Πόπλιον καὶ Τιβέριον Αἰμίλιον Μάμερκον, Ὀλυμπιὰς δʼ ἤχθη πρώτη πρὸς ταῖς ἑκατὸν καὶ δέκα, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Κλεόμαντις Κλειτόριος.
When Pythodorus was archon in Athens, the Romans appointed Quintus Publilius and Tiberius Aemilius Mamercus as consuls, and the hundred and eleventh Olympiad was celebrated, in which Cleomantis of Cleitor won the stadium race.
§16.91.2ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Φίλιππος ὁ βασιλεὺς ἡγεμὼν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων καθεσταμένος καὶ τὸν πρὸς Πέρσας πόλεμον ἐνστησάμενος Ἄτταλον μὲν καὶ Παρμενίωνα προαπέστειλεν εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν, μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως δοὺς καὶ προστάξας ἐλευθεροῦν τὰς Ἑλληνίδας πόλεις, αὐτὸς δὲ σπεύδων μὲν μετὰ τῆς τῶν θεῶν γνώμης ἐπανελέσθαι τὸν πόλεμον ἐπηρώτησε τὴν Πυθίαν εἰ κρατήσει τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Περσῶν.
During their term of office, King Philip, having been established as commander-in-chief by the Greeks and having initiated the war against the Persians, sent Attalus and Parmenion ahead into Asia, giving them a part of his forces and ordering them to liberate the Greek cities. He himself, eager to undertake the war with the consent of the gods, inquired of the Pythia whether he would defeat the king of the Persians.
ἡ δʼ ἔχρησεν αὐτῷ τόνδε τὸν χρησμόν· " ἔστεπται μὲν ὁ ταῦρος, ἔχει τέλος, ἔστιν ὁ θύσων. "
And she gave him the following oracle: "The bull is crowned, it has its end, the slayer is at hand.
§16.91.3ὁ μὲν οὖν Φίλιππος σκολιῶς ἔχοντος τοῦ χρησμοῦ πρὸς τὸ ἴδιον συμφέρον ἐξεδέχετο τὸ λόγιον, ὡς τοῦ μαντείου προλέγοντος τὸν Πέρσην ἱερείου τρόπον τυθήσεσθαι·
"Philip, therefore, because the oracle was ambiguous, interpreted the response to his own advantage, as though the oracle were foretelling that the Persian would be slaughtered like a sacrificial victim.
τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς οὐχ οὕτως εἶχεν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐσήμαινεν ἐν πανηγύρει καὶ θεῶν θυσίαις τὸν Φίλιππον ὥσπερ τὸν ταῦρον ἐστεμμένον σφαγήσεσθαι.
But the truth was otherwise; on the contrary, it signified that Philip himself, crowned like the bull, would be slaughtered in the midst of a festival and sacrifices to the gods.
§16.91.4οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ δόξας συμμαχεῖν αὐτῷ τοὺς θεοὺς περιχαρὴς ἦν, ὡς τῆς Ἀσίας ὑπὸ Μακεδόνας ἐσομένης αἰχμαλώτου.
Nevertheless, believing that the gods were allied with him, he was overjoyed, confident that Asia would be made captive under the Macedonians.
εὐθὺς οὖν θυσίας μεγαλοπρεπεῖς ἐπετέλει τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς Κλεοπάτρας τῆς ἐξ Ὀλυμπιάδος συνετέλει γάμους καὶ ταύτην Ἀλεξάνδρῳ συνῴκισε τῷ βασιλεῖ τῶν Ἠπειρωτῶν, ἀδελφῷ δὲ ὄντι γνησίῳ τῆς Ὀλυμπιάδος.
Immediately, therefore, he offered magnificent sacrifices to the gods, and celebrated the wedding of his daughter Cleopatra, whom he had by Olympias, marrying her to Alexander, the king of the Epirotes, who was the full brother of Olympias.
§16.91.5ἅμα δὲ ταῖς τῶν θεῶν τιμαῖς βουλόμενος ὡς πλείστους τῶν Ἑλλήνων μετασχεῖν τῆς εὐωχίας ἀγῶνάς τε μουσικοὺς μεγαλοπρεπεῖς ἐποίει καὶ λαμπρὰς ἑστιάσεις τῶν φίλων καὶ ξένων.
At the same time as the honors paid to the gods, wishing as many Greeks as possible to share in the festivity, he held magnificent musical contests and splendid banquets for his friends and guests.
§16.91.6διόπερ ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς Ἑλλάδος μετεπέμπετο τοὺς ἰδιοξένους καὶ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ φίλοις παρήγγειλε παραλαμβάνειν τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ξένης γνωρίμων ὡς πλείστους.
Therefore, he invited his personal guest-friends from all over Greece and instructed his own friends to bring along as many of their acquaintances from abroad as possible.
σφόδρα γὰρ ἐφιλοτιμεῖτο φιλοφρονεῖσθαι πρὸς τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ διὰ τὰς δεδομένας αὐτῷ τῆς ὅλης ἡγεμονίας τιμὰς ταῖς προσηκούσαις ὁμιλίαις ἀμείβεσθαι.
For he was very eager to show hospitality to the Greeks and to return the honors given to him for the supreme command of all Greece with appropriate friendly intercourse.

Notes

  1. 16.91.2ἔχει τέλος — This phrase carries the characteristic ambiguity of oracles. Philip interpreted it as "is complete" or "is ready (for sacrifice)," whereas the oracle's true intention was "reaches its end (death)," referring to Philip himself. Thus, τέλος double-meaningly implies both completion and death/ruin.
  2. 16.91.3ὡς τοῦ μαντείου προλέγοντος — The genitive absolute with the conjunction ὡς expresses Philip's subjective belief or interpretation. Furthermore, the accusative τὸν Πέρσην functions as the subject of the infinitive τυθήσεσθαι, which reports the content of the prophecy.
  3. 16.91.4ὡς τῆς Ἀσίας ὑπὸ Μακεδόνας ἐσομένης — Similar to the preceding sentence, ὡς with the genitive absolute (τῆς Ἀσίας... ἐσομένης) expresses a subjective expectation. The prepositional phrase ὑπὸ Μακεδόνας with the accusative implies movement or submission under the power of the Macedonians.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §16.91.1-16.91.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:16.91.1-16.91.6

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