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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §17.3.1-17.3.6

Unrest in Greece and Alexander's Swift Pacification

Passage 608 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Upon Philip's death, various Greek cities and neighboring barbarian tribes move toward revolt and autonomy, throwing the young Alexander into anxiety; however, he quickly and unexpectedly resolves all difficulties using persuasion, intimidation, and force.

§17.3.1Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ πυθόμενος πολλοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων μετεώρους εἶναι πρὸς καινοτομίαν εἰς πολλὴν ἀγωνίαν ἐνέπιπτεν.
When Alexander learned that many of the Greeks were in suspense, leaning toward political change, he fell into great anxiety.
§17.3.2Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν γὰρ Δημοσθένους δημαγωγοῦντος κατὰ τῶν Μακεδόνων τήν τε Φιλίππου τελευτὴν ἀσμένως ἤκουσαν καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας τῶν Ἑλλήνων οὐκ ἐξεχώρουν τοῖς Μακεδόσι, διαπρεσβευσάμενοι δὲ πρὸς Ἄτταλον ἐν ἀπορρήτοις συνετίθεντο κοινοπραγίαν καὶ πολλὰς τῶν πόλεων προετρέποντο τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀντέχεσθαι·
For the Athenians, under the demagogic leadership of Demosthenes against the Macedonians, gladly heard of Philip's death and would not cede the hegemony of the Greeks to the Macedonians; sending embassies to Attalus, they secretly agreed on a joint action and urged many of the cities to hold fast to their freedom.
§17.3.3Αἰτωλοὶ δὲ κατάγειν τοὺς ἐξ Ἀκαρνανίας φυγάδας ἐψηφίσαντο διὰ Φιλίππου πεῖραν εἰληφότας τῆς φυγῆς.
The Aetolians voted to restore the exiles from Acarnania who had experienced exile because of Philip.
Ἀμβρακιῶται δὲ πεισθέντες Ἀριστάρχῳ τὴν μὲν ὑπὸ Φιλίππου κατασταθεῖσαν φρουρὰν ἐξέβαλον, τὴν δὲ πόλιν ἐποίησαν δημοκρατεῖσθαι·
The Ambraciots, persuaded by Aristarchus, expelled the garrison established by Philip and established a democracy in their city.
§17.3.4ὁμοίως δὲ τούτοις Θηβαῖοι τὴν μὲν ἐν τῇ Καδμείᾳ φρουρὰν ἐκβαλεῖν ἐψηφίσαντο, τῷ δʼ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ μὴ συγχωρεῖν τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἡγεμονίαν.
In like manner to these, the Thebans voted to expel the garrison in the Cadmeia and not to concede the hegemony of the Greeks to Alexander.
Ἀρκάδες δὲ οὔτε Φιλίππῳ συνεχώρησαν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν μόνοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων οὔτʼ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ προσέσχον·
The Arcadians, alone of the Greeks, had neither conceded the hegemony to Philip nor did they pay attention to Alexander.
§17.3.5τῶν δʼ ἄλλων Πελοποννησίων Ἀργεῖοι καὶ Ἠλεῖοι καὶ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καί τινες ἕτεροι πρὸς τὴν αὐτονομίαν ὥρμησαν.
Among the other Peloponnesians, the Argives, Eleans, Lacedaemonians, and certain others rose up for autonomy.
τῶν δὲ ὑπεροικούντων τὴν Μακεδονίαν ἐθνῶν οὐκ ὀλίγα πρὸς ἀπόστασιν ὥρμα καὶ πολλὴ ταραχὴ κατεῖχε τοὺς τῇδε κατοικοῦντας βαρβάρους.
Of the nations dwelling beyond the borders of Macedonia, not a few were rushing toward rebellion, and great confusion held the barbarians inhabiting those regions.
§17.3.6ἀλλʼ ὅμως τηλικούτων πραγμάτων καὶ τοσούτων φόβων κατεχόντων τὴν βασιλείαν Ἀλέξανδρος νέος ὢν παντελῶς ἅπαντα τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν δυσχερῆ παραδόξως καὶ συντόμως κατεστήσατο· οὓς μὲν γὰρ πειθοῖ διὰ τῆς ὁμιλίας προσηγάγετο, οὓς δὲ φόβῳ διωρθώσατο, τινὰς δὲ βίᾳ χειρωσάμενος ὑπηκόους ἐποιήσατο.
But nevertheless, though such grave troubles and so many fears beset the kingdom, Alexander, completely young as he was, settled all the difficulties of his rule in an unexpected and rapid manner; for some he won over to goodwill by persuasion in conversation, others he brought to order through fear, and some he subdued by force and made them his subjects.

Notes

  1. 17.3.1μετεώρους — The adjective means 'suspended,' 'excited,' or 'unsettled,' here referring to a state of political unrest or inclination toward revolt. It functions as a predicate with εἶναι in the accusative with infinitive construction.
  2. 17.3.3διὰ Φιλίππου πεῖραν εἰληφότας τῆς φυγῆς — The idiom πεῖραν λαμβάνω with a genitive (τῆς φυγῆς) means 'to experience.' διὰ Φιλίππου expresses cause or agency ('because of Philip' or 'through the agency of Philip').
  3. 17.3.6τηλικούτων πραγμάτων καὶ τοσούτων φόβων κατεχόντων — A genitive absolute construction with the present participle κατεχόντων, yielding a concessive meaning ('although such grave issues and so many fears beset...').
  4. 17.3.6οὓς μὲν... οὓς δὲ... τινὰς δὲ... — The correlative relative pronouns οὓς μὲν ... οὓς δὲ ('some ... others') are followed by τινὰς δὲ ('and certain ones'), classifying the objects of Alexander's different approaches into three distinct groups.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §17.3.1-17.3.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:17.3.1-17.3.6

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