Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §17.96.1-17.96.5

Voyage Southward and Subjugation of the Siboi and Neighbors

Passage 701 of 723 · Greek

Summary

Alexander begins his voyage down the river toward the southern Ocean, arrives at the territory of the Siboi, whom he declares free, but violently subdues other resisting Indian tribes such as the Agalasseis.

§17.96.1αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῶν φίλων ἐμβὰς εἰς τὰς ναῦς τὸν διὰ τοῦ ποταμοῦ πλοῦν ἐπὶ τὸν Ὠκεανὸν τὸν κατὰ μεσημβρίαν ἐποιεῖτο.
He himself, having embarked on the ships with his friends, made the voyage down the river toward the southern Ocean.
τὸ δὲ πολὺ μέρος τῆς δυνάμεως παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν ὡδοιπόρει, προηγουμένου Κρατεροῦ καὶ Ἡφαιστίωνος.
The greater part of the army, however, marched by land along the river, led by Craterus and Hephaestion.
ὡς δʼ ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀκεσίνου καὶ Ὑδάσπου συμβολήν, ἐκβιβάσας τοὺς στρατιώτας προῆγεν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὀνομαζομένους Σίβους.
When they came to the confluence of the Acesines and Hydaspes rivers, he disembarked the soldiers and led them against the people called Siboi.
§17.96.2τούτους δέ φασιν ἀπογόνους εἶναι τῶν μεθʼ Ἡρακλέους ἐπὶ τὴν Ἄορνον πέτραν στρατευσάντων καὶ τῆς μὲν πολιορκίας ἀποτυχόντων, ἐν τούτῳ δὲ τῷ τόπῳ κατοικισθέντων ὑφʼ Ἡρακλέους.
These people are said to be descendants of those who had campaigned with Heracles against the rock of Aornos and, having failed in the siege, were settled in this place by Heracles.
τοῦ δʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου καταστρατοπεδεύσαντος πλησίον ἐπιφανεστάτης πόλεως προῆλθον οἱ δόξῃ πρωτεύοντες τῶν πολιτῶν.
When Alexander encamped near their most illustrious city, the citizens foremost in reputation came forward.
ἐντυχόντες δὲ τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ τὴν συγγένειαν ἀνανεωσάμενοι πάντα ποιήσειν ἔφασαν μετὰ προθυμίας ὡς ἂν συγγενεῖς ὄντες καὶ δῶρα προσεκόμισαν μεγαλοπρεπῆ.
Meeting the king and renewing their kinship, they said they would do everything with zeal, as was fitting for kinsmen, and brought him magnificent gifts.
§17.96.3ὁ δὲ Ἀλέξανδρος ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτῶν τὴν εὔνοιαν καὶ τὰς πόλεις ἀποδείξας ἐλευθέρας προῆγεν ἐπὶ τὰ συνορίζοντα τῶν ἐθνῶν.
Alexander, accepting their goodwill and declaring their cities free, advanced to the borders of the neighboring nations.
καταλαβὼν δὲ τοὺς ὀνομαζομένους Ἀγαλασσεῖς ἠθροικότας πεζοὺς μὲν τετρακισμυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τρισχιλίους, συνάψας αὐτοῖς μάχην καὶ νικήσας τοὺς μὲν πλείστους κατέκοψεν, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς συμφυγόντας εἰς τὰς πλησίον πόλεις ἐκπολιορκήσας ἐξηνδραποδίσατο.
Finding that the people called Agalasseis had assembled forty thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry, he joined battle with them and, having won, cut down most of them, and having besieged and captured the rest who had fled into the neighboring cities, he enslaved them.
§17.96.4τῶν δὲ ἄλλων ἐγχωρίων συναθροισθέντων δισμυρίους μὲν καταφυγόντας εἰς πόλιν μεγάλην κατὰ κράτος εἷλε, τῶν δʼ Ἰνδῶν διαφραξάντων τοὺς στενωποὺς καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκιῶν μαχομένων εὐρώστως βιαζόμενος ἀπέβαλε τῶν Μακεδόνων οὐκ ὀλίγους.
When the other inhabitants assembled, he took by storm twenty thousand who had fled into a large city; but as the Indians blocked the narrow streets and fought vigorously from their houses, he lost not a few of the Macedonians while forcing his way.
§17.96.5διὰ δὲ τὴν ὀργὴν ἐμπρήσας τὴν πόλιν συγκατέκαυσε τοὺς πλείστους· τῶν δʼ ὑπολειπομένων εἰς τρισχιλίους συμφυγόντας εἰς τὴν ἀκρόπολιν καὶ μεθʼ ἱκετηριῶν δεηθέντας ἀπέλυσεν.
Because of his anger, he set fire to the city and burned most of them along with it; but of those who remained, about three thousand who had fled together to the acropolis and begged him with suppliant branches, he released.

Notes

  1. 17.96.2ὡς ἂν συγγενεῖς ὄντες — The combination of the conjunction ὡς with ἄν and the participle ὄντες expresses a conditional comparison or reason, interpreted as 'as is natural for those who are kinsmen' or 'as if they were kinsmen.'
  2. 17.96.2ἀπογόνους εἶναι τῶν ... στρατευσάντων καὶ ... ἀποτυχόντων, ... κατοικισθέντων — This is an accusative and infinitive construction introduced by φασίν, where ἀπογόνους serves as the predicate accusative of the infinitive εἶναι. The subsequent genitive participles (στρατευσάντων, ἀποτυχόντων, κατοικισθέντων), substantivized by the article τῶν, function as 'those who campaigned..., failed..., and were settled...' and depend on the noun ἀπογόνους ('descendants of...').
  3. 17.96.4τῶν δʼ Ἰνδῶν διαφραξάντων ... καὶ ... μαχομένων ... βιαζόμενος ἀπέβαλε — A genitive absolute construction (διαφραξάντων and μαχομένων) with τῶν Ἰνδῶν as its subject. The subject of the main clause is Alexander (implied), with the participle βιαζόμενος ('forcing his way') agreeing with him and modifying the main verb ἀπέβαλε.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §17.96.1-17.96.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc4:17.96.1-17.96.5

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.