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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.16.1-18.16.5

Conquest of Cappadocia and Craterus' Arrival

Passage 17 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Perdiccas defeats and executes Ariarathes of Cappadocia, handing the satrapy over to Eumenes. Meanwhile, Craterus arrives in Macedonia with reinforcements from Cilicia and joins forces with Antipater.

§18.16.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Περδίκκας, ἔχων μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ τόν τε βασιλέα Φίλιππον καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν δύναμιν, ἐστράτευσεν ἐπὶ Ἀριαράθην τὸν Καππαδοκίας δυνάστην.
While these things were being done, Perdiccas, having with him King Philip and the royal army, marched against Ariarathes, the ruler of Cappadocia.
οὗτος γὰρ οὐ προσέχων τοῖς Μακεδόσιν ὑπὸ μὲν Ἀλεξάνδρου παρεωράθη διὰ τοὺς περὶ Δαρεῖον ἀγῶνας καὶ περισπασμούς, ἀναστροφὴν δὲ πολυχρόνιον εἶχε κυριεύων τῆς Καππαδοκίας.
For this man, paying no attention to the Macedonians, had been overlooked by Alexander because of the struggles and distractions concerning Darius, and had enjoyed a long period of independent activity while ruling Cappadocia.
§18.16.2διὸ καὶ πολλὰ μὲν ἐκ τῶν προσόδων χρήματα ἤθροισε, δυνάμεις δʼ ἐγχωρίους καὶ ξενικὰς μεγάλας συνεστήσατο.
For this reason, he gathered a large amount of money from the revenues and established large domestic and mercenary forces.
διὸ καὶ βασιλείας ἀντιποιούμενος ἕτοιμος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Περδίκκαν διαγωνίζεσθαι, πεζοὺς μὲν ἔχων τρισμυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ μυρίους πεντακισχιλίους.
Consequently, claiming the kingship for himself, he was ready to contend against Perdiccas, having thirty thousand infantry and fifteen thousand cavalry.
ὁ δὲ Περδίκκας συνάψας αὐτῷ μάχην καὶ τῇ παρατάξει νικήσας ἀνεῖλε μὲν εἰς τετρακισχιλίους, ἐζώγρησε δὲ ὑπὲρ τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους, ἐν οἷς ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἀριαράθης.
But Perdiccas, joining battle with him and conquering him in the engagement, slew about four thousand and took more than five thousand prisoners, among whom was Ariarathes himself.
§18.16.3τοῦτον μὲν οὖν καὶ τοὺς συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ πάντας αἰκισάμενος ἀνεσταύρωσε· τοῖς δʼ ἡττηθεῖσι συγχωρήσας τὴν ἀσφάλειαν καὶ καταστήσας τὰ κατὰ τὴν Καππαδοκίαν παρέδωκε τὴν σατραπείαν Εὐμενεῖ τῷ Καρδιανῷ, καθάπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἦν μεμερισμένος.
Perdiccas, then, after torturing him and all his relatives, crucified them; but granting safety to those who had been defeated and settling the affairs of Cappadocia, he handed over the satrapy to Eumenes of Cardia, just as it had been allotted from the beginning.
§18.16.4ὑπὸ δὲ τοὺς αὐτοὺς καιροὺς καὶ Κρατερὸς ἐκ Κιλικίας ἀναζεύξας ἧκεν εἰς Μακεδονίαν, βοηθήσων τοῖς περὶ τὸν Ἀντίπατρον καὶ διορθωσόμενος τὰς γεγενημένας ἥττας τῶν Μακεδόνων.
About the same time, Craterus also, setting out from Cilicia, arrived in Macedonia to aid the forces of Antipater and to retrieve the defeats that the Macedonians had suffered.
ἦγε δὲ πεζοὺς μὲν τῶν εἰς Ἀσίαν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ συνδιαβεβηκότων ἑξακισχιλίους, τῶν δʼ ἐν παρόδῳ προσειλημμένων τετρακισχιλίους, Πέρσας δὲ τοξότας καὶ σφενδονήτας χιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ χιλίους καὶ πεντακοσίους.
He led six thousand of the infantry who had crossed over into Asia with Alexander, four thousand of those recruited on the march, one thousand Persian archers and slingers, and fifteen hundred cavalry.
§18.16.5παρελθὼν δʼ εἰς τὴν Θετταλίαν καὶ τοῦ πρωτείου παραχωρήσας ἑκουσίως Ἀντιπάτρῳ κοινῇ μετʼ αὐτοῦ κατεστρατοπέδευσε παρὰ τὸν Πηνειὸν ποταμόν.
Entering Thessaly, and voluntarily yielding the chief command to Antipater, he encamped jointly with him near the Peneus River.
οἱ δὲ πάντες ἠθροίσθησαν σὺν τοῖς μετὰ Λεοννάτου παραγεγενημένοις πεζοὶ μὲν πλείους τῶν τετρακισμυρίων ἐν τοῖς βαρέσιν ὅπλοις, τοξόται δὲ καὶ σφενδονῆται τρισχίλιοι,
When all these had been assembled along with those who had arrived with Leonnatus, they numbered more than forty thousand heavy-armed infantry, three thousand archers and slingers,

Notes

  1. §18.16.1οὐ προσέχων τοῖς Μακεδόσιν — The present participle `προσέχων` (here meaning 'submitting to' or 'paying attention to') modifies the subject `οὗτος` and describes Ariarathes' non-compliant attitude toward the Macedonians, leading to the passive verb `παρεωράθη` (was overlooked).
  2. §18.16.1ἀναστροφὴν δὲ πολυχρόνιον εἶχε — Although `ἀναστροφή` usually means 'delay' or 'residence', here it signifies a 'period of independent activity' or 'free hand' without external interference, with the participle `κυριεύων` (ruling) describing the circumstance.
  3. §18.16.3ἦν μεμερισμένος — A periphrastic pluperfect passive formed by `ἦν` and the perfect passive participle of `μερίζω` (to allot). Although the semantic referent is the satrapy (`ἡ σατραπεία`, feminine), the participle is masculine (`μεμερισμένος`), likely due to grammatical attraction to Eumenes (`Εὐμενεῖ`) or an implied masculine concept like `κλῆρος` (allotment). It refers to the original partition of Babylon.
  4. §18.16.4βοηθήσων... καὶ διορθωσόμενος — The two future participles `βοηθήσων` and `διορθωσόμενος`, connected by `καί`, express the purpose of the main verb `ἧκεν` ('arrived in order to aid... and to retrieve...').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.16.1-18.16.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.16.1-18.16.5

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