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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.12.1-18.12.4

Antipater's Defeat and Retreat to Lamia

Passage 13 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Antipater, upon learning of Alexander's death, requests reinforcements from Craterus and Philotas and marches into Thessaly. However, since the allied Thessalian cavalry defects to the Athenian side, Antipater is defeated in battle and retreats to the city of Lamia.

§18.12.1Ἀντίπατρος δʼ ἀπολελειμμένος ὑπʼ Ἀλεξάνδρου στρατηγὸς τῆς Εὐρώπης ὡς ἐπύθετο τήν τε τοῦ βασιλέως ἐν Βαβυλῶνι τελευτὴν τήν τε τῶν σατραπειῶν διαίρεσιν, πρὸς μὲν Κρατερὸν εἰς Κιλικίαν διεπέμπετο παρακαλῶν τὴν ταχίστην βοηθῆσαι ʽοὗτος γὰρ προαπεσταλμένος εἰς Κιλικίαν ἤμελλε κατάγειν εἰς Μακεδονίαν τοὺς ἀπολελυμένους τῆς στρατείας Μακεδόνας, ὄντας ὑπὲρ τοὺς μυρίουσʼ, πρὸς δὲ Φιλώταν τὸν εἰληφότα σατραπείαν τὴν ἐφʼ Ἑλλησπόντῳ Φρυγίαν, ὁμοίως ἀξιῶν καὶ τοῦτον βοηθῆσαι καὶ μίαν τῶν ἑαυτοῦ θυγατέρων συνοικιεῖν ἐπαγγελλόμενος.
Antipater, who had been left by Alexander as general of Europe, when he learned of both the king's death in Babylon and the division of the satrapies, sent messengers to Craterus in Cilicia, urging him to come to his aid as quickly as possible (for the latter, having been sent ahead to Cilicia, was about to lead back to Macedonia the Macedonians who had been discharged from service, being over ten thousand in number). He also sent to Philotas, who had received the satrapy of Phrygia on the Hellespont, likewise asking him to bring help and promising to give him one of his own daughters in marriage.
§18.12.2πυθόμενος δὲ τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλλήνων συνδρομὴν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν γεγενημένην, τῆς μὲν Μακεδονίας ἀπέλιπε στρατηγὸν Σίππαν, δοὺς στρατιώτας τοὺς ἱκανοὺς καὶ παραγγείλας στρατολογεῖν ὡς πλείστους·
And when he learned of the assembly of the Greeks that had taken place against him, he left Sippas as general of Macedonia, giving him sufficient soldiers and ordering him to enlist as many as possible.
αὐτὸς δʼ ἀναλαβὼν Μακεδόνας μὲν μυρίους καὶ τρισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ ἑξακοσίους ʽἐσπάνιζε γὰρ ἡ Μακεδονία στρατιωτῶν πολιτικῶν διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἀπεσταλμένων εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἐπὶ διαδοχὴν τῆς στρατείασʼ ἀνέζευξεν ἐκ τῆς Μακεδονίας εἰς Θετταλίαν, συμπαραπλέοντος αὐτῷ τοῦ στόλου παντός, ὃν ἀπεσταλκὼς ἦν Ἀλέξανδρος παραπέμψοντα πλῆθος χρημάτων ἐκ τῶν βασιλικῶν θησαυρῶν εἰς τὴν Μακεδονίαν, οὐσῶν τῶν πασῶν τριήρων ἑκατὸν καὶ δέκα.
He himself, taking thirteen thousand Macedonian infantry and six hundred cavalry (for Macedonia was short of citizen soldiers because of the multitude of those who had been sent to Asia as recruits for the campaign), set out from Macedonia for Thessaly, while the entire fleet sailed along with him, which Alexander had sent to escort a large amount of money from the royal treasuries to Macedonia, the total number of triremes being one hundred and ten.
§18.12.3οἱ δὲ Θετταλοὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον συμμαχοῦντες τῷ Ἀντιπάτρῳ πολλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ἱππεῖς ἐξέπεμψαν αὐτῷ· ὕστερον δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων μεταπεισθέντες ἀφίππευσαν πρὸς Λεωσθένην καὶ μετὰ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ταχθέντες διεπολέμουν ὑπὲρ τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐλευθερίας.
The Thessalians, at first allied with Antipater, dispatched to him many excellent cavalrymen; but later, being won over by the Athenians, they rode away to Leosthenes and, being drawn up with the Athenians, fought through the war for the freedom of the Greeks.
§18.12.4μεγάλης δὲ δυνάμεως ταύτης τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις προσγεγενημένης οἱ μὲν Ἕλληνες ἐκράτουν πολὺ τῶν Μακεδόνων ὑπερέχοντες, ὁ δὲ Ἀντίπατρος μάχῃ λειφθεὶς καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν οὔτε παρατάξασθαι τολμῶν οὔτʼ εἰς τὴν Μακεδονίαν ἐπανελθεῖν ἀσφαλῶς δυνάμενος κατέφυγεν εἰς πόλιν Λάμιαν.
When this great force had been added to the Athenians, the Greeks prevailed, far surpassing the Macedonians, while Antipater, defeated in battle and thereafter neither daring to offer battle nor being able to return safely to Macedonia, fled for refuge into the city of Lamia.
ἐν ταύτῃ δὲ τὴν δύναμιν συνέχων καὶ τὰ τείχη κατασκευάζων, ἔτι δὲ παρασκευὰς ὅπλων καὶ καταπελτῶν καὶ σίτου ποιούμενος ἐκαραδόκει τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀσίας συμμάχους.
Keeping his force together in this city and repairing the walls, and furthermore making preparations of weapons, catapults, and food, he awaited the allies from Asia.

Notes

  1. 18.12.1διεπέμπετο — Imperfect tense of the verb διαπέμπω (to send messengers). Rather than a single completed action, it conveys the ongoing or repeated nature of the diplomatic efforts directed toward both Craterus and Philotas.
  2. 18.12.1τὴν ταχίστην — Adverbial accusative of manner with the noun ὁδόν (way, manner) omitted. It is an idiomatic expression meaning 'by the quickest way' or 'as quickly as possible'.
  3. 18.12.2συμπαραπλέοντος αὐτῷ τοῦ στόλου παντός — Genitive absolute construction. The logical subject is τοῦ στόλου παντός (the entire fleet), which is distinct from the subject of the main verb ἀνέζευξεν (Antipater), describing the accompanying circumstance of the land army's march.
  4. 18.12.3ἀφίππευσαν πρὸς Λεωσθένην — Indicative aorist of the compound verb ἀφιππεύω (to ride away). Rather than a simple verb of motion, it dynamically visualizes the Thessalian cavalry physically departing from Antipater's side to join Leosthenes' camp.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.12.1-18.12.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.12.1-18.12.4

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