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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §17.62.1-17.62.8

Sparta Forms an Anti-Macedonian Coalition in Greece

Passage 667 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Fearing Macedonian expansion after the battle of Arbela, the Greek cities seized the opportunity of Memnon's revolt in Thrace to form a coalition led by Sparta and prepare for war.

§17.62.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησιν Ἀριστοφῶντος ἐν Ῥώμῃ διεδέξαντο τὴν ὑπατικὴν ἀρχὴν Γάιος Δομέττιος καὶ Αὖλος Κορνήλιος.
When Aristophon was archon at Athens, in Rome Gaius Domitius and Aulus Cornelius succeeded to the consulship.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα τῆς περὶ Ἄρβηλα μάχης διαδοθείσης πολλαὶ τῶν πόλεων ὑφορώμεναι τὴν αὔξησιν τῶν Μακεδόνων ἔγνωσαν, ἕως ἔτι τὰ Περσῶν πράγματα διαμένει, τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀντέχεσθαι·
Under these, when the news of the battle around Arbela spread to Greece, many of the cities, viewing with suspicion the growth of the Macedonians, decided to hold fast to their freedom while the affairs of the Persians still endured.
§17.62.2βοηθήσειν γὰρ αὐτοῖς Δαρεῖον καὶ χρημάτων τε πλῆθος χορηγήσειν πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι ξενικὰς μεγάλας δυνάμεις συνίστασθαι καὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον μὴ δυνήσεσθαι διαιρεῖν τὰς δυνάμεις.
For they thought that Darius would help them and supply an abundance of funds so that they could assemble great mercenary forces, and that Alexander would not be able to divide his forces.
§17.62.3εἰ δὲ περιόψονται τοὺς Πέρσας καταπολεμηθέντας, μονωθήσεσθαι τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ μηκέτι δυνήσεσθαι φροντίσαι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἐλευθερίας.
And if they should look on while the Persians were completely defeated, the Greeks would be left isolated and would no longer be able to care for their own freedom.
§17.62.4προεκαλέσατο δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀπόστασιν τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ ὁ περὶ τὴν Θρᾴκην νεωτερισμὸς κατὰ τοὺς ὑποκειμένους καιροὺς γενόμενος·
The revolt that occurred in Thrace during these underlying times also urged the Greeks toward rebellion.
§17.62.5Μέμνων γὰρ ὁ καθεσταμένος στρατηγὸς τῆς Θρᾴκης, ἔχων δύναμιν καὶ φρονήματος ὢν πλήρης, ἀνέσεισε μὲν τοὺς βαρβάρους, ἀποστάτης δὲ γενόμενος Ἀλεξάνδρου καὶ ταχὺ μεγάλης δυνάμεως κυριεύσας φανερῶς ἀπεκαλύψατο πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον.
For Memnon, who had been appointed general of Thrace, having a force and being full of pride, stirred up the barbarians, and having revolted from Alexander and quickly gained control of a large force, he openly revealed himself for war.
§17.62.6διόπερ Ἀντίπατρος πᾶσαν ἀναλαβὼν τὴν δύναμιν προῆλθε διὰ Μακεδονίας εἰς Θρᾴκην καὶ διεπολέμει πρὸς τὸν Μέμνονα.
Therefore Antipater, taking his entire force, advanced through Macedonia into Thrace and was waging war against Memnon.
τούτου δὲ περὶ ταῦτʼ ὄντος οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καιρὸν ἔχειν ὑπολαβόντες τοῦ παρασκευάσασθαι τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον παρεκάλουν τοὺς Ἕλληνας συμφρονῆσαι περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας.
While he was occupied with these matters, the Lacedaemonians, conceiving that they had an opportunity to prepare for war, urged the Greeks to join in common purpose for their freedom.
§17.62.7Ἀθηναῖοι μὲν οὖν, παρὰ πάντας τοὺς ἄλλους Ἕλληνας ὑπʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου προτιμώμενοι, τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἦγον· Πελοποννησίων δʼ οἱ πλείους καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τινὲς συμφρονήσαντες ἀπεγράψαντο πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον καὶ κατὰ δύναμιν τῶν πόλεων καταγράφοντες τῶν νέων τοὺς ἀρίστους κατέλεξαν στρατιώτας πεζοὺς μὲν οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν δισμυρίων, ἱππεῖς δὲ περὶ δισχιλίους.
Now the Athenians, being preferred by Alexander above all other Greeks, kept quiet; but most of the Peloponnesians and some of the others, joining in common purpose, registered for the war, and enrolling the best of the young men according to the capacity of each city, they enlisted no fewer than twenty thousand infantry and about two thousand cavalry.
§17.62.8τὴν δʼ ἡγεμονίαν ἔχοντες Λακεδαιμόνιοι πανδημεὶ πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων κίνδυνον ὥρμησαν, Ἄγιδος τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν πάντων ἔχοντος ἡγεμονίαν.
The Lacedaemonians, holding the leadership, set out with all their people for the hazard that concerned the whole, with King Agis holding the leadership over all.

Notes

  1. 17.62.1τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀντέχεσθαι — The verb ἀντέχομαι takes the genitive and means 'to cling to' or 'to hold fast to'. Here it expresses the determination of the cities to maintain their original freedom and autonomy against Macedonian hegemony.
  2. 17.62.2βοηθήσειν γὰρ αὐτοῖς Δαρεῖον — This is an infinitive of indirect discourse (accusative with infinitive construction) representing their thoughts that led to the decision (ἔγνωσαν) in the preceding sentence. The subsequent infinitives χορηγήσειν and μὴ δυνήσεσθαι are in the same construction.
  3. 17.62.3εἰ δὲ περιόψονται τοὺς Πέρσας καταπολεμηθέντας — The future indicative (περιόψονται) is used in the protasis of the conditional clause, indicating a strong concern or realistic probability. The verb περιοράω is accompanied by the participle (καταπολεμηθέντας), meaning 'to overlook or look on while someone is being defeated'.
  4. 17.62.8ὑπὲρ τῶν ὅλων κίνδυνον — The phrase τὰ ὅλα refers to 'the whole state' or 'the entire interest'. Therefore, 'the hazard concerning the whole' means a decisive battle upon which the very existence of the state or the collective liberty of Greece depended.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §17.62.1-17.62.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:17.62.1-17.62.8

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