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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §17.73.1-17.73.6

Assassination of Darius and the Defeat of Sparta

Passage 678 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Alexander subdues Persis and pursues Darius, only to find him assassinated by Bessus, whom he buries with royal honors. Meanwhile in Greece, Sparta is defeated, and the decision on the peace terms is referred to Alexander.

§17.73.1Ἀλέξανδρος δὲ ἀπὸ τούτων γενόμενος τὰς κατὰ τὴν Περσίδα πόλεις ἐπῆλθεν καὶ τὰς μὲν βίᾳ χειρωσάμενος, τὰς δὲ διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιείκειαν προσαγόμενος ἀνέζευξεν ἐπὶ τὸν Δαρεῖον.
Having finished these matters, Alexander marched against the cities throughout Persis; subduing some by force and winning over others through his own clemency, he broke camp to go against Darius.
§17.73.2οὗτος δʼ ἐπεβάλετο μὲν ἀθροίζειν τὰς ἐκ τῆς Βακτριανῆς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων σατραπειῶν δυνάμεις, καταταχούμενος δὲ καὶ μετὰ τρισμυρίων Περσῶν τε καὶ μισθοφόρων Ἑλλήνων τὴν φυγὴν εἰς Βάκτρα ποιούμενος ὑπὸ Βήσσου τοῦ Βάκτρων σατράπου κατὰ τὴν ἀναχώρησιν συλληφθεὶς ἐδολοφονήθη.
The latter had undertaken to assemble the forces from Bactria and the other satrapies, but being hard-pressed and making his flight to Bactra with thirty thousand Persians and Greek mercenaries, he was seized during the retreat by Bessus, the satrap of Bactria, and treacherously murdered.
§17.73.3ἄρτι δʼ αὐτοῦ τετελευτηκότος Ἀλέξανδρος μετὰ τῶν ἱππέων ἐπιδιώκων καὶ τὸν Δαρεῖον τετελευτηκότα καταλαβὼν τῆς βασιλικῆς ταφῆς ἠξίωσεν.
Just after he had died, Alexander, pursuing with the cavalry and finding Darius dead, deemed him worthy of a royal burial.
§17.73.4ὡς δʼ ἔνιοι γεγράφασιν, ἔμπνουν ἔτι καταλαβὼν τοῖς μὲν ἀτυχήμασιν αὐτοῦ συνήλγησε, παρακληθεὶς δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Δαρείου μετελθεῖν τὸν φόνον καὶ καθομολογήσας ἐδίωξε τὸν Βῆσσον.
But as some have written, finding him still breathing, he commiserated with his misfortunes, and being exhorted by Darius to avenge the murder, and having promised to do so, he pursued Bessus.
ἐκείνου δὲ πολὺ προειληφότος καὶ συμφυγόντος εἰς τὴν Βακτριανὴν ἐπανῆλθεν ἀπογνοὺς τὸν τῶν πολεμίων διωγμόν.
However, since the latter had gained a great head start and fled into Bactria, he returned, having given up the pursuit of the enemy.
καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
And such was the state of affairs in Asia.
§17.73.5κατὰ δὲ τὴν Εὐρώπην Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν ἐπταικότες μεγάλῃ παρατάξει διὰ τὴν συμφορὰν ἠναγκάσθησαν διαπρεσβεύεσθαι πρὸς Ἀντίπατρον·
Meanwhile in Europe, the Lacedaemonians, having been defeated in a great pitched battle, were forced by the disaster to negotiate by sending embassies to Antipater.
ἐκείνου δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ κοινὸν τῶν Ἑλλήνων συνέδριον τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ἀποστείλαντος οἱ μὲν σύνεδροι συνήχθησαν εἰς Κόρινθον καὶ πολλῶν ῥηθέντων λόγων πρὸς ἑκάτερον μέρος ἔδοξεν αὐτοῖς ἀκέραιον τὴν κρίσιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον ἀναπέμψαι.
But since the latter referred the answer to the common council of the Greeks, the councilors assembled in Corinth, and after many speeches had been delivered on both sides, they decided to refer the decision, undecided, to Alexander.
§17.73.6ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἀντίπατρος ὁμήρους ἔλαβε τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν Σπαρτιατῶν πεντήκοντα, οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι πρέσβεις ἐξέπεμψαν εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν,ἀξιοῦντες αὑτοῖς δοῦναι συγγνώμην ἐπὶ τοῖς ἠγνοημένοις.
So Antipater took fifty of the most distinguished of the Spartans as hostages, and the Lacedaemonians dispatched envoys to Asia, requesting that they be granted forgiveness for their errors.

Notes

  1. 17.73.1ἀπὸ τούτων γενόμενος — The participle `γενόμενος` used with the preposition `ἀπό` means "getting away from these things" or "having finished these matters" (referring to the burning of the palace and the banquet in the previous chapter).
  2. 17.73.2καταταχούμενος — Present passive participle of `καταταχέω` (to speed up, press hard). Here it describes Darius being "pressed hard" or "driven by urgency" due to Alexander's rapid pursuit, forcing him into flight.
  3. 17.73.5ἀκέραιον τὴν κρίσιν — The adjective `ἀκέραιος` (unhurt, untouched) is used predicatively with the noun `τὴν κρίσιν` (decision, judgment), meaning "the decision untouched" or "the judgment undecided."
  4. 17.73.6ἐπὶ τοῖς ἠγνοημένοις — The perfect passive participle neuter plural of `ἀγνοέω` (to be ignorant, to err) used substantively. Combined with the preposition `ἐπί` (governing the dative of cause/reason), it means "for the errors committed (out of ignorance)."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §17.73.1-17.73.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:17.73.1-17.73.6

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