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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §3.73.1-3.73.8

Founding of Ammon's Oracle and the Fall of the Titans

Passage 234 of 406 · Greek

Summary

Dionysus founded his father Ammon's oracle and city in accordance with the prophecy, established young Zeus as king of Egypt, and civilized the world. Later, cooperating with Zeus and others in Crete, he annihilated the Titans, leading to Zeus's ultimate rule over the universe after the deification of Ammon and Dionysus.

§3.73.1τῶν δὲ Λιβύων εἰρηκότων αὐτῷ πρὸ τῆς μάχης ὅτι καθʼ ὃν καιρὸν ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τῆς βασιλείας Ἄμμων, τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις προειρηκὼς εἴη τεταγμένοις χρόνοις ἥξειν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ Διόνυσον, καὶ τήν τε πατρῴαν ἀνακτήσεσθαι βασιλείαν καὶ πάσης τῆς οἰκουμένης κυριεύσαντα θεὸν νομισθήσεσθαι, ὑπολαβὼν ἀληθῆ γεγονέναι μάντιν τό τε χρηστήριον ἱδρύσατο τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τὴν πόλιν οἰκοδομήσας τιμὰς ὥρισεν ὡς θεῷ καὶ τοὺς ἐπιμελησομένους τοῦ μαντείου κατέστησε.
When the Libyans had told him before the battle that, at the time Ammon was driven out of his kingdom, he had prophesied to the inhabitants that at appointed times his son Dionysus would come, recover his ancestral kingdom, and, after becoming master of the whole inhabited world, be regarded as a god, Dionysus, conceiving that his father had proved a true prophet, established the oracle of his father, and having built the city, ordained honours for him as for a god, and appointed those who should take charge of the temple.
παραδεδόσθαι δὲ τὸν Ἄμμωνα ἔχειν κριοῦ κεφαλὴν τετυπωμένην, παράσημον ἐσχηκότος αὐτοῦ τὸ κράνος κατὰ τὰς στρατείας.
And it has been handed down that Ammon had the head of a ram represented on him, because he had worn a helmet of this distinctive shape during his campaigns.
§3.73.2εἰσὶ δʼ οἱ μυθολογοῦντες αὐτῷ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν γενέσθαι καθʼ ἑκάτερον μέρος τῶν κροτάφων κεράτια· διὸ καὶ τὸν Διόνυσον, υἱὸν αὐτοῦ γεγονότα, τὴν ὁμοίαν ἔχειν πρόσοψιν, καὶ τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων παραδεδόσθαι τὸν θεὸν τοῦτον γεγονότα κερατίαν.
But there are some mythologists who say that in truth he had little horns on each side of his temples; and that for this reason Dionysus also, being his son, had a similar appearance, and that among subsequent generations of men this god has been handed down as having horns.
§3.73.3μετὰ δʼ οὖν τὴν τῆς πόλεως οἰκοδομίαν καὶ τὴν περὶ τὸ χρηστήριον κατάστασιν πρῶτόν φασι τὸν Διόνυσον χρήσασθαι τῷ θεῷ περὶ τῆς στρατείας, καὶ λαβεῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς χρησμὸν ὅτι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους εὐεργετῶν τεύξεται τῆς ἀθανασίας.
At all events, after the building of the city and the establishment of the oracle, they say that Dionysus was the first to consult the god concerning his campaign, and received an oracle from his father that by doing good to mankind he would attain immortality.
§3.73.4διὸ καὶ μετεωρισθέντα τῇ ψυχῇ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπὶ τὴν Αἴγυπτον στρατεῦσαι, καὶ τῆς χώρας καταστῆσαι βασιλέα Δία τὸν Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας, παῖδα τὴν ἡλικίαν ὄντα.
Therefore, being exalted in his spirit, he campaigned first of all against Egypt, and established as king of the land Zeus, the son of Cronus and Rhea, who was still a child in age.
παρακαταστῆσαι δʼ αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπιστάτην Ὄλυμπον, ἀφʼ οὗ τὸν Δία παιδευθέντα καὶ πρωτεύσαντα κατʼ ἀρετὴν Ὀλύμπιον προσαγορευθῆναι.
And he also appointed Olympus as his guardian, from whom Zeus, having been educated and having become pre-eminent in virtue, was called Olympius.
§3.73.5τὸν δʼ οὖν Διόνυσον λέγεται διδάξαι τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους τήν τε τῆς ἀμπέλου φυτείαν καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν καὶ τὴν παράθεσιν τοῦ τε οἴνου καὶ τῶν ἀκροδρύων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων καρπῶν.
So Dionysus is said to have taught the Egyptians the planting of the vine, its use, and the storing of wine, tree-fruits, and other crops.
πάντῃ δὲ διαδιδομένης περὶ αὐτοῦ φήμης ἀγαθῆς μηδένα καθάπερ πρὸς πολέμιον ἀντιτάττεσθαι, πάντας δὲ προθύμως ὑπακούοντας ἐπαίνοις καὶ θυσίαις ὡς θεὸν τιμᾶν.
And since a good report of him was spread everywhere, no one opposed him as if to an enemy, but all willingly obeyed him and honoured him as a god with praises and sacrifices.
§3.73.6τῷ δʼ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ φασὶν ἐπελθεῖν τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἐξημεροῦντα μὲν τὴν χώραν ταῖς φυτείαις, εὐεργετοῦντα δὲ τοὺς λαοὺς μεγάλαις τιμαῖς καὶ χάρισι πρὸς τὸν αἰῶνα.
In the same manner they say he traversed the inhabited world, reclaiming the land by means of cultivation, and benefiting the peoples with great honours and favours for all time.
διὸ καὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους θεοὺς τιμαῖς οὐχ ὁμοίαν ἔχοντας προαίρεσιν ἀλλήλοις σχεδὸν ἐπὶ μόνου τοῦ Διονύσου συμφωνουμένην ἀποδεικνύειν μαρτυρίαν τῆς ἀθανασίας· οὐδένα γὰρ οὔθʼ Ἑλλήνων οὔτε βαρβάρων ἄμοιρον εἶναι τῆς τούτου δωρεᾶς καὶ χάριτος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀπηγριωμένην ἔχοντας χώραν ἢ πρὸς φυτείαν ἀμπέλου παντελῶς ἀπηλλοτριωμένην μαθεῖν τὸ κατασκευαζόμενον ἐκ τῶν κριθῶν πόμα βραχὺ λειπόμενον τῆς περὶ τὸν οἶνον εὐωδίας.
For this reason, although all mankind do not hold the same opinion as one another regarding the honours paid to the other gods, they display a nearly unanimous testimony to the immortality of Dionysus alone; for there is no one, either of Greeks or barbarians, who has no share in his gift and favour, but even those who possess a wild country or one completely unsuited to the planting of the vine learned to make a drink prepared from barley which is only slightly inferior to the fragrance of wine.
§3.73.7τὸν δʼ οὖν Διόνυσόν φασι τὴν κατάβασιν ἐκ τῆς Ἰνδικῆς ἐπὶ τὴν θάλατταν ποιησάμενον καταλαβεῖν ἅπαντας τοὺς Τιτᾶνας ἠθροικότας δυνάμεις καὶ διαβεβηκότας εἰς Κρήτην ἐπʼ Ἄμμωνα.
At all events, they say that Dionysus, having made his descent from India to the sea, learned that all the Titans had assembled their forces and crossed over to Crete against Ammon.
προσβεβοηθηκότος δὲ καὶ τοῦ Διὸς ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἄμμωνα, καὶ πολέμου μεγάλου συνεστῶτος ἐν τῇ νήσῳ, ταχέως καὶ τοὺς περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον καὶ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν καί τινας τῶν ἄλλων θεῶν νομισθέντων συνδραμεῖν εἰς Κρήτην.
And Zeus also having come from Egypt to aid Ammon and his followers, and a great war having broken out on the island, Dionysus and Athena and some of the others who were regarded as gods quickly hastened to Crete.
§3.73.8γενομένης δὲ παρατάξεως μεγάλης ἐπικρατῆσαι τοὺς περὶ τὸν Διόνυσον καὶ πάντας ἀνελεῖν τοὺς Τιτᾶνας.
And when a great battle took place, Dionysus and his followers prevailed and slew all the Titans.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Ἄμμωνος καὶ Διονύσου μεταστάντων ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως εἰς τὴν ἀθανασίαν, τὸν Δία φασὶ βασιλεῦσαι τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου, κεκολασμένων τῶν Τιτάνων, καὶ μηδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ τολμήσοντος δι’ ἀσέβειαν ἀμφισβητῆσαι τῆς ἀρχῆς.
After this, when Ammon and Dionysus had departed from human nature into immortality, they say that Zeus became king of the entire universe, since the Titans had been punished and there was no one who would dare through impiety to dispute his rule.

Notes

  1. 3.73.1προειρηκὼς εἴη — A periphrastic perfect optative consisting of the perfect active participle and the optative present of εἰμί (εἴη). It functions as the oblique optative in indirect discourse introduced by ὅτι after the historical genitive absolute εἰρηκότων, representing Ammon's past announcement.
  2. 3.73.4παῖδα τὴν ἡλικίαν ὄντα — The noun τὴν ἡλικίαν is an accusative of respect (or specification), meaning 'in respect to age.' Combined with the participle ὄντα and its complement παῖδα, it characterizes Zeus as still being a child in terms of his age at that time.
  3. 3.73.6βραχὺ λειπόμενον τῆς περὶ τὸν οἶνον εὐωδίας — The participle λειπόμενον (falling short of, inferior to) governs the genitive of comparison τῆς ... εὐωδίας. This phrase elegantly describes beer (the barley drink) as being 'only slightly inferior' to the aroma of grape wine.
  4. 3.73.7νομισθέντων — A passive aorist participle modifying or standing with θεῶν, meaning 'those who were regarded as gods.' It reflects Diodorus' rationalizing, Euhemeristic approach to mythology, where the gods are seen as historically outstanding humans who were later deified.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §3.73.1-3.73.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:3.73.1-3.73.8

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