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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §17.19.1-17.19.6

Crossing of the Granicus, Deployment, and Onset of Battle

Passage 624 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Alexander confronts the Persian army across the Granicus River and launches an assault by crossing it. The forces on both sides are deployed, and a fierce battle begins, spearheaded by the cavalry.

§17.19.1ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος πυθόμενος τὴν συνδρομὴν τῶν βαρβαρικῶν δυνάμεων προῆγε καὶ σύντομον τὴν πορείαν ποιησάμενος ἀντεστρατοπέδευσε τοῖς πολεμίοις, ὥστε ἀνὰ μέσον ῥεῖν τῶν παρεμβολῶν τὸν Γρανικόν.
Alexander, having learned of the concentration of the barbarian forces, advanced and, having made a rapid march, encamped opposite the enemy, so that the Granicus flowed between the camps.
§17.19.2οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι τὴν ὑπώρειαν κατειλημμένοι τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, κεκρικότες τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπιθέσθαι κατὰ τὴν διάβασιν τοῦ ποταμοῦ· καὶ διεσπασμένης τῆς τῶν Μακεδόνων φάλαγγος ῥᾳδίως προτερήσειν ὑπελάμβανον ἐν τῇ μάχῃ·
Now the barbarians, having occupied the foothills, remained quiet, having decided to attack the enemy during their crossing of the river; and they assumed that they would easily gain the upper hand in the battle once the phalanx of the Macedonians was disrupted.
§17.19.3ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος τεθαρρηκὼς ἅμʼ ἡμέρᾳ περαιώσας τὴν δύναμιν ἔφθασε τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκτάξας τὴν δύναμιν ἡρμοσμένως πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα.
But Alexander, full of confidence, crossed with his army at daybreak and anticipated the enemy by drawing up his force in a manner suited for the struggle.
οἱ δὲ βάρβαροι πρὸς ὅλην τὴν τάξιν τῶν Μακεδόνων ἔστησαν τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἱππέων καὶ διὰ τούτων προκινεῖν τὴν μάχην διεγνώκεισαν.
The barbarians, on their part, stationed their multitude of cavalry against the entire array of the Macedonians and had resolved to open the battle with them.
§17.19.4τὸ μὲν οὖν εὐώνυμον μέρος εἶχε Μέμνων ὁ Ῥόδιος καὶ Ἀρσαμένης ὁ σατράπης ἔχοντες τοὺς ἰδίους ἱππεῖς, μετὰ δὲ τούτους Ἀρσίτης ἐτέτακτο τοὺς ἐκ Παφλαγονίας ἔχων ἱππεῖς, ἔπειτα Σπιθροβάτης ὁ Ἰωνίας σατράπης Ὑρκανῶν ἱππέων ἡγούμενος·
The left wing was held by Memnon the Rhodian and Arsamnes the satrap, having their own cavalry; after them was stationed Arsites, having the cavalry from Paphlagonia; then Spithrobates, the satrap of Ionia, leading the Hyrcanian cavalry.
τὸ δὲ δεξιὸν κέρας ἐπεῖχον χίλιοι μὲν Μῆδοι, δισχίλιοι δὲ οἱ μετὰ Ῥεομίθρους ἱππεῖς καὶ Βακτριανοὶ τούτοις ἴσοι·
The right wing was occupied by a thousand Medes, two thousand cavalry under Rheomithres, and an equal number of Bactrians.
τὸν δὲ μέσον τόπον ἐπεῖχον οἱ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν ἱππεῖς, πολλοὶ μὲν τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες, ἐπίλεκτοι δὲ ταῖς ἀρεταῖς.
The center was occupied by the cavalry of the other nations, being many in number and elite in their valor.
οἱ δὲ πάντες ἱππεῖς ὑπῆρχον πλείους τῶν μυρίων.
The total number of cavalry was over ten thousand.
§17.19.5οἱ δὲ πεζοὶ τῶν Περσῶν ἦσαν μὲν οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν δέκα μυριάδων, ὄπισθεν δʼ ἐπιτεταγμένοι τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, ὡς τῶν ἱππέων ἱκανῶν ὄντων καταπονῆσαι τοὺς Μακεδόνας.
The Persian infantry numbered no fewer than one hundred thousand, but being drawn up behind, they remained quiet, since they thought the cavalry was sufficient to defeat the Macedonians.
§17.19.6τῶν δʼ ἱππέων παρʼ ἀμφοτέροις προθύμως εἰς τὸν κίνδυνον συμπεσόντων τὸ μὲν εὐώνυμον μέρος ἐπέχοντες οἱ τῶν Θετταλῶν ἱππεῖς Παρμενίωνος ἡγουμένου τεθαρρηκότως ἐδέχοντο τὴν ἐπιφορὰν τῶν καθʼ αὑτοὺς τεταγμένων, Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ τοὺς ἀρίστους τῶν ἱππέων κατὰ τὸ δεξιὸν κέρας ἔχων μεθʼ αὑτοῦ πρῶτος ἐφίππευσε τοῖς Πέρσαις καὶ συμπλακεὶς τοῖς πολεμίοις πολὺν ἐποιεῖτο φόνον.
When the cavalry on both sides eagerly joined battle, the Thessalian cavalry, who held the left wing under the command of Parmenion, courageously received the charge of those drawn up opposite them; while Alexander, having with himself the finest of the cavalry on the right wing, was the first to charge the Persians on horseback, and joining battle with the enemy, wrought great slaughter.

Notes

  1. 17.19.1ὥστε ἀνὰ μέσον ῥεῖν τῶν παρεμβολῶν τὸν Γρανικόν — Result clause with ὥστε. The subject accusative of the infinitive ῥεῖν is τὸν Γρανικόν, and the prepositional phrase ἀνὰ μέσον takes the genitive τῶν παρεμβολῶν, meaning 'between the camps.'
  2. 17.19.2διεσπασμένης τῆς τῶν Μακεδόνων φάλαγγος — Genitive absolute construction. It functions temporally or conditionally ('when/if the phalanx of the Macedonians was disrupted') modifying the main verb of thinking, ὑπελάμβανον.
  3. 17.19.3ἔφθασε τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκτάξας — An idiomatic construction of the verb φθάνω with supplementary participles (ἐκτάξας and the preceding περαιώσας), meaning 'to anticipate the enemy in doing something' or 'to do something before the enemy does.'
  4. 17.19.5ὡς τῶν ἱππέων ἱκανῶν ὄντων — Genitive absolute with the particle ὡς, expressing a subjective cause or belief ('on the ground that the cavalry were sufficient'), explaining the reason for the infantry's inaction.
  5. 17.19.6τῶν καθʼ αὑτοὺς τεταγμένων — The perfect participle τεταγμένων substantivized by the article τῶν, modified by the prepositional phrase καθʼ αὑτοὺς ('opposite them'), referring to 'those drawn up opposite them' (and their charge).

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §17.19.1-17.19.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:17.19.1-17.19.6

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