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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §5.8.1-5.8.3

Rule of the Sons of Aeolus over Sicily and Italy

Passage 330 of 406 · Greek

Summary

This section describes how the six sons of Aeolus ruled over various regions of Sicily and Italy, gaining voluntary obedience from the locals due to their virtues, and how their dynasties eventually came to an end after many generations.

§5.8.1τοῦ δʼ Αἰόλου υἱοὺς γενέσθαι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἕξ, Ἀστύοχον καὶ Ξοῦθον καὶ Ἀνδροκλέα, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις Φεραίμονα καὶ Ἰόκαστον καὶ Ἀγάθυρνον· πάντας δὲ τούτους διά τε τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς δόξαν καὶ διὰ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἀποδοχῆς μεγάλης τυχεῖν·
They say that six sons in number were born to Aeolus, namely Astyochus, Xuthus, and Androcles, and in addition to these, Pheraimon, Iocastus, and Agathyrnus; and that all of these, because of the reputation of their father and because of their own virtues, met with great acceptance.
τούτων δʼ Ἰόκαστος μὲν τῆς Ἰταλίας ἀντεχόμενος ἐβασίλευσε τῆς παραλίας μέχρι τῶν κατὰ τὸ Ῥήγιον τόπων, Φεραίμων δὲ καὶ Ἀνδροκλῆς ἐδυνάστευσαν τῆς Σικελίας ἀπὸ πορθμοῦ μέχρι τῶν κατὰ τὸ Λιλύβαιον τόπων.
Of these, Iocastus, holding onto Italy, ruled over the coast as far as the regions around Rhegion, while Pheraimon and Androcles ruled over Sicily from the strait as far as the regions around Lilybaeum.
ταύτης δὲ τῆς χώρας τὰ μὲν πρὸς ἕω κεκλιμένα μέρη κατῴκουν Σικελοί, τὰ δὲ πρὸς δυσμὰς Σικανοί.
Now, of this territory, the parts sloping toward the east were inhabited by the Sicels, and those toward the west by the Sicans.
§5.8.2ταῦτα δὲ τὰ ἔθνη πρὸς ἄλληλα διεφέροντο, τοῖς δʼ Αἰόλου παισὶ τοῖς προειρημένοις ἑκουσίως ὑπήκουον διά τε τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς Αἰόλου διαβεβοημένην εὐσέβειαν καὶ διὰ τὴν αὐτῶν ἐκείνων ἐπιείκειαν.
These nations, though they were at variance with one another, voluntarily obeyed the aforementioned sons of Aeolus, because of both the celebrated piety of their father Aeolus and the mildness of those men themselves.
ἐβασίλευσε δὲ καὶ Ξοῦθος τῆς περὶ τοὺς Λεοντίνους χώρας, ἥτις ἀπʼ ἐκείνου μέχρι τοῦ νῦν χρόνου Ξουθία προσαγορεύεται.
And Xuthus also ruled over the territory around Leontini, which from him up to the present time is called Xuthia.
Ἀγάθυρνος δὲ βασιλεύσας τῆς νῦν ὀνομαζομένης Ἀγαθυρνίτιδος χώρας ἔκτισε πόλιν τὴν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ κληθεῖσαν Ἀγάθυρνον.
And Agathyrnus, having ruled over the country now called Agathyrnitis, founded the city named Agathyrnus after him.
Ἀστύοχος δὲ τῆς Λιπάρας ἔσχε τὴν ἡγεμονίαν.
Astyochus held the leadership of Lipara.
§5.8.3πάντες δʼ οὗτοι μιμησάμενοι τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς εὐσέβειάν τε καὶ δικαιοσύνην μεγάλης ἐτύγχανον ἀποδοχῆς.
All these, by imitating the piety and justice of their father, met with great acceptance.
ἐπὶ πολλὰς δὲ γενεὰς τῶν ἐκγόνων διαδεχομένων τὰς δυναστείας, τὸ τελευταῖον οἱ ἀπʼ Αἰόλου γεγονότες βασιλεῖς κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν διελύθησαν.
And when their descendants succeeded to their principalities for many generations, at last the kings descended from Aeolus in Sicily were dissolved.

Notes

  1. 5.8.1τοῦ δʼ Αἰόλου υἱοὺς γενέσθαι — The infinitive γενέσθαι, as well as the subsequent τυχεῖν, is an accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction in indirect discourse, depending on the implicit verb of saying (such as φασί or λέγουσι from the previous chapters).
  2. 5.8.1ἀντεχόμενος — The middle participle ἀντεχόμενος governs the genitive τῆς Ἰταλίας, meaning "clinging to" or "holding onto." Here it indicates that Iocastus established his power on the side adjacent to or bordering mainland Italy.
  3. 5.8.3τῶν ἐκγόνων διαδεχομένων τὰς δυναστείας — A genitive absolute construction consisting of the genitive noun τῶν ἐκγόνων and the genitive participle διαδεχομένων. It functions adverbially to indicate the passage of time ("while their descendants were succeeding to the principalities") relative to the main clause.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §5.8.1-5.8.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc5:5.8.1-5.8.3

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