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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.3.1-18.3.5

Partition of Babylon and Distribution of Satrapies

Passage 4 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Perdiccas distributes the satrapies in Babylon among the prominent commanders, appointing Seleucus as commander of the Companion cavalry, while the general Arrhidaeus is tasked with preparing the transportation of Alexander's body.

§18.3.1οὗτος δὲ παραλαβὼν τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἡγεμονίαν καὶ συνεδρεύσας μετὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων Πτολεμαίῳ μὲν τῷ Λάγου τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἔδωκεν, Λαομέδοντι δὲ τῷ Μιτυληναίῳ Συρίαν, Φιλώτᾳ δὲ Κιλικίαν καὶ Πίθωνι μὲν Μηδίαν, Εὐμενεῖ δὲ Παφλαγονίαν καὶ Καππαδοκίαν καὶ πάσας τὰς συνοριζούσας ταύταις χώρας, ἃς Ἀλέξανδρος οὐκ ἐπῆλθεν ἐκκλεισθεὶς ὑπὸ τῶν καιρῶν, ὅτε διεπολέμει πρὸς Δαρεῖον, Ἀντιγόνῳ δὲ Παμφυλίαν καὶ Λυκίαν καὶ τὴν μεγάλην καλουμένην Φρυγίαν, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Κασάνδρῳ μὲν Καρίαν, Μελεάγρῳ δὲ Λυδίαν, Λεοννάτῳ δὲ τὴν ἐφʼ Ἑλλησπόντῳ Φρυγίαν.
And he, having assumed the general leadership and having held a council with the commanders, gave Egypt to Ptolemy son of Lagus, Syria to Laomedon of Mitylene, Cilicia to Philotas, Media to Peithon, and to Eumenes Paphlagonia and Cappadocia and all the lands bordering on these, which Alexander did not enter, being shut out by the circumstances when he was waging war against Darius, and to Antigonus Pamphylia, Lycia, and the region called Great Phrygia, and after these, to Cassander Caria, to Meleager Lydia, and to Leonnatus Hellespontine Phrygia.
αὗται μὲν οὖν αἱ σατραπεῖαι τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον ἐμερίσθησαν.
Thus, then, these satrapies were distributed in this manner.
§18.3.2κατὰ δὲ τὴν Εὐρώπην Λυσιμάχῳ μὲν ἐδόθη Θρᾴκη καὶ τὰ συνορίζοντα τῶν ἐθνῶν παρὰ τὴν Ποντικὴν θάλασσαν, ἡ δὲ Μακεδονία καὶ τὰ πλησιόχωρα τῶν ἐθνῶν Ἀντιπάτρῳ προσωρίσθη.
On the side of Europe, Thrace and the adjacent tribes along the Pontic Sea were given to Lysimachus, while Macedonia and the neighboring tribes were assigned to Antipater.
τὰς δὲ κατὰ τὴν Ασίαν παραλελειμμένας σατραπείας ἔδοξε μὴ κινεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐᾶν ὑπὸ τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἡγεμόνας τεταγμένας· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ταξίλην καὶ Πῶρον κυρίους εἶναι τῶν ἰδίων βασιλειῶν, καθάπερ αὐτὸς Ἀλέξανδρος ἦν τεταχώς.
Regarding the remaining satrapies in Asia, they decided not to disturb them, but to leave them ordered under the same commanders; and likewise that Taxiles and Porus should remain masters of their own kingdoms, just as Alexander himself had ordered.
§18.3.3τούτων δὲ τὴν συνορίζουσαν σατραπείαν τοῖς περὶ Ταξίλην βασιλεῦσι συνεχώρησε· τὴν δὲ παρὰ τὸν Καύκασον κειμένην, ὀνομαζομένην δὲ Παροπανισαδῶν προσώρισεν Ὀξυάρτῃ τῷ Βακτριανῷ, οὗ τὴν θυγατέρα Ῥωξάνην γεγαμηκὼς ἦν Ἀλέξανδρος.
And of these, he confirmed the adjacent satrapy to the kings under Taxiles; and the one situated by the Caucasus, called Paropanisadae, he assigned to Oxyartes the Bactrian, whose daughter Roxane Alexander had married.
καὶ Σιβυρτίῳ μὲν ἔδωκεν Ἀραχωσίαν καὶ Κεδρωσίαν, Στασάνορι δὲ τῷ Σολίῳ τὴν Ἀρίαν καὶ Δραγγινήν, Φιλίππῳ δὲ προσώρισε Βακτριανὴν καὶ Σογδιανήν, Φραταφέρνῃ δὲ Παρθυαίαν καὶ Ὑρκανίαν καὶ Πευκέστῃ μὲν Περσίδα, Τληπολέμῳ δὲ Καρμανίαν, Ἀτροπάτῃ δὲ Μηδίαν, Ἄρχωνι δὲ τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν, Ἀρκεσιλάῳ δὲ Μεσοποταμίαν.
To Sibyrtius he gave Arachosia and Gedrosia, to Stasanor of Soli Aria and Drangiana, to Philip he assigned Bactriana and Sogdiana, to Phrataphernes Parthia and Hyrcania, to Peucestas Persis, to Tlepolemus Carmania, to Atropates Media, to Archon Babylonia, and to Arcesilaus Mesopotamia.
§18.3.4Σέλευκον δʼ ἔταξεν ἐπὶ τὴν ἱππαρχίαν τῶν ἑταίρων, οὖσαν ἐπιφανεστάτην· ταύτης γὰρ Ἡφαιστίων πρῶτος μὲν ἡγήσατο, μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον Περδίκκας, τρίτος δʼ ὁ προειρημένος Σέλευκος.
And he appointed Seleucus to the command of the cavalry of the Companions, which was the most illustrious; for of this Hephaestion was the first commander, and after him Perdiccas, and third the aforementioned Seleucus.
§18.3.5ἐπὶ δὲ τὴν κατακομιδὴν τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὴν κατασκευὴν τῆς ἁρμαμάξης τῆς μελλούσης κομίζειν τὸ σῶμα τοῦ τετελευτηκότος βασιλέως εἰς Ἄμμωνα ἔταξαν Ἀρριδαῖον.
And for the transportation of the body and the construction of the carriage which was to convey the body of the deceased king to Ammon, they appointed Arrhidaeus.

Notes

  1. §18.3.2ἔδοξε μὴ κινεῖν ... ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ταξίλην καὶ Πῶρον κυρίους εἶναι — The accusative with infinitive clause Ταξίλην καὶ Πῶρον κυρίους εἶναι ('that Taxiles and Porus should be masters') is coordinated with and depends on the impersonal verb ἔδοξε ('it was decided'), which also governs the preceding infinitives μὴ κινεῖν and ἐᾶν.
  2. §18.3.3τοῖς περὶ Ταξίλην βασιλεῦσι — The idiomatic expression οἱ περί followed by an accusative is used here to mean 'the kings associated with Taxiles' or 'the rulers under Taxiles' domain'.
  3. §18.3.5ἔταξαν Ἀρριδαῖον — The verb switches to the third-person plural ἔταξαν ('they appointed'), in contrast to the singular verbs in previous sections referring to Perdiccas, indicating a collective decision by the commanders or the assembly. Additionally, this 'Arrhidaeus' is the general of that name, not King Philip Arrhidaeus.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.3.1-18.3.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.3.1-18.3.5

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