Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §4.58.1-4.58.8
Death of Hyllus and Dispersion of the Heracleidae
Summary
Following the death of Eurystheus, the Heracleidae campaign against the Peloponnesus but are forced to retreat after Hyllus is defeated in a single combat. Subsequently, the diverse fates of Heracles' descendants are described, including the deification of Alcmene, and Tlepolemus' migration to Rhodes where he establishes three cities.
§4.58.1μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα οἱ μὲν Ἡρακλεῖδαι πάντες περιβοήτῳ μάχῃ νενικηκότες τὸν Εὐρυσθέα, καὶ διὰ τὴν εὐημερίαν συμμάχων εὐπορήσαντες, ἐστράτευσαν ἐπὶ τὴν Πελοπόννησον Ὕλλου στρατηγοῦντος.
After this, all the Heracleidae, having defeated Eurystheus in a famous battle and having secured an abundance of allies because of their success, campaigned against the Peloponnesus under the leadership of Hyllus.
§4.58.2Ἀτρεὺς δὲ μετὰ τὴν Εὐρυσθέως τελευτὴν καταλαβόμενος τὴν ἐν Μυκήναις βασιλείαν, καὶ προσλαβόμενος συμμάχους Τεγεάτας καί τινας ἄλλους, ἀπήντησε τοῖς Ἡρακλείδαις.
But Atreus, having seized the kingdom in Mycenae after the death of Eurystheus and having taken the Tegeans and some others as allies, went to meet the Heracleidae.
§4.58.3κατὰ δὲ τὸν Ἰσθμὸν τῶν στρατοπέδων ἀθροισθέντων, Ὕλλος μὲν ὁ Ἡρακλέους εἰς μονομαχίαν προεκαλέσατο τῶν πολεμίων τὸν βουλόμενον, ὁμολογίας θέμενος τοιαύτας, εἰ μὲν Ὕλλος νικήσαι τὸν ἀντιταχθέντα, παραλαβεῖν Ἡρακλείδας τὴν Εὐρυσθέως βασιλείαν, εἰ δʼ Ὕλλος λειφθείη, μὴ κατιέναι τοὺς Ἡρακλείδας εἰς Πελοπόννησον ἐντὸς ἐτῶν πεντήκοντα.
When the camps had assembled at the Isthmus, Hyllus, the son of Heracles, challenged any of the enemy who wished to a single combat, making the following agreements: if Hyllus should defeat the opponent drawn against him, the Heracleidae should receive the kingdom of Eurystheus; but if Hyllus should be defeated, the Heracleidae should not return to the Peloponnesus within fifty years.
§4.58.4καταβάντος δʼ εἰς τὴν πρόκλησιν Ἐχέμου τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Τεγεατῶν, καὶ τῆς μονομαχίας γενομένης, ὁ μὲν Ὕλλος ἀνῃρέθη, οἱ δʼ Ἡρακλεῖδαι κατὰ τὰς ὁμολογίας ἀπέστησαν τῆς καθόδου καὶ τὴν εἰς Τρικόρυθον ἐπάνοδον ἐποιήσαντο.
When Echemus, the king of the Tegeans, came down to meet the challenge and the single combat took place, Hyllus was slain, and the Heracleidae, in accordance with the agreements, desisted from their return and made their way back to Tricorythus.
§4.58.5μετὰ δέ τινας χρόνους Λικύμνιος μὲν μετὰ τῶν παίδων καὶ Τληπολέμου τοῦ Ἡρακλέους, ἑκουσίως τῶν Ἀργείων αὐτοὺς προσδεξαμένων, ἐν Ἀργει κατῴκησαν, οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι πάντες ἐν Τρικορύθῳ· ὡς δʼ ὁ πεντηκονταετὴς χρόνος διῆλθε, κατῆλθον εἰς Πελοπόννησον·
After some time, Licymnius with his children and Tlepolemus, the son of Heracles, since the Argives received them voluntarily, settled in Argos, while all the others dwelt in Tricorythus; and when the fifty-year period had passed, they returned to the Peloponnesus.
ὧν τὰς πράξεις ἀναγράψομεν, ὅταν εἰς ἐκείνους τοὺς χρόνους παραγενηθῶμεν.
We shall record their deeds when we come to those times.
§4.58.6Ἀλκμήνη δʼ εἰς Θήβας καταντήσασα, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτʼ ἄφαντος γενομένη, τιμῶν ἰσοθέων ἔτυχε παρὰ τοῖς Θηβαίοις.
Alcmene, having arrived at Thebes and after this having disappeared, received godlike honors among the Thebans.
τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους Ἡρακλείδας φασὶν ἐλθόντας παρʼ Αἰγίμιον τὸν Δώρου τὴν πατρῴαν τῆς χώρας παρακαταθήκην ἀπαιτήσαντας μετὰ Δωριέων κατοικῆσαι.
As for the other Heracleidae, they say that they went to Aegimius, the son of Dorus, and having demanded back the ancestral pledge of the territory, they settled with the Dorians.
§4.58.7Τληπόλεμον δὲ τὸν Ἡρακλέους ἐν Ἄργει κατοικοῦντα λέγουσιν ἀνελεῖν Λικύμνιον τὸν Ἠλεκτρύωνος ἐρίσαντα περί τινων, διὰ δὲ τὸν φόνον τοῦτον ἐξ Ἄργους φυγόντα εἰς Ῥόδον μετοικῆσαι· τὴν δὲ νῆσον ταύτην τότε κατῴκουν Ἕλληνες οἱ ὑπὸ Τριόπα τοῦ Φόρβαντος κατοικισθέντες.
And they say that Tlepolemus, the son of Heracles, while dwelling in Argos, slew Licymnius, the son of Electryon, after quarreling over certain matters, and because of this murder he fled from Argos and migrated to Rhodes; at that time, Greeks who had been settled by Triopas, the son of Phorbas, were inhabiting this island.
§4.58.8τὸν δʼ οὖν Τληπόλεμον κοινῇ μετὰ τῶν ἐγχωρίων τριμερῆ ποιῆσαι τὴν Ῥόδον, καὶ τρεῖς ἐν αὐτῇ καταστῆσαι πόλεις, Λίνδον, Ἰήλυσον, Κάμειρον· βασιλεῦσαι δʼ αὐτὸν πάντων τῶν Ῥοδίων διὰ τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς Ἡρακλέους δόξαν, καὶ κατὰ τοὺς ὕστερον χρόνους μετʼ Ἀγαμέμνονος ἐπὶ τὴν Τροίαν στρατεῦσαι.
In any case, Tlepolemus, jointly with the local inhabitants, divided Rhodes into three parts, and established three cities in it, Lindus, Ialysus, and Camirus; and he himself ruled over all the Rhodians because of the glory of his father Heracles, and in later times campaigned with Agamemnon against Troy.
Notes
- ¦p.v.1.p.489¦εἰ μὲν Ὕλλος νικήσαι ... παραλαβεῖν — A construction where the protasis is in the optative (νικήσαι, λειφθείη) and the apodosis is in the infinitive (παραλαβεῖν, μὴ κατιέναι). This expresses the contents of the agreement (ὁμολογίας) in indirect discourse or as infinitives of command/decision, establishing the context 'on the condition that...'.
- §4.58.5Λικύμνιος μὲν μετὰ τῶν παίδων καὶ Τληπολέμου ... κατῴκησαν — Although the grammatical subject is the third-person singular noun Λικύμνιος, the verb is in the plural form κατῴκησαν because it is accompanied by the prepositional phrase of accompaniment μετὰ τῶν παίδων καὶ Τληπολέμου. This is a classic example of grammatical agreement based on semantic plurality (constructio ad sensum).
- §4.58.6τοὺς δʼ ἄλλους Ἡρακλείδας φασὶν ἐλθόντας ... κατοικῆσαι — An accusative with infinitive (A.c.I.) construction introduced by φασίν ('they say'). The accusative subject τοὺς ἄλλους Ἡρακλείδας is modified by the accusative participles ἐλθόντας and ἀπαιτήσαντας, which lead to the infinitive κατοικῆσαι. This indirect discourse construction continues with λέγουσιν ἀνελεῖν in §4.58.7 and ποιῆσαι, etc., in §4.58.8.
Cite this passage
Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §4.58.1-4.58.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:4.58.1-4.58.8
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