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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.30.1-18.30.6

Defeat and Death of Craterus in Battle with Eumenes

Passage 31 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Eumenes strengthens his cavalry to face the enemy and clashes with Craterus. During the battle, Craterus falls from his horse and is trampled to death unrecognized, forcing his pressed right wing to retreat.

§18.30.1Εὐμενὴς δὲ πυνθανόμενος προάγειν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν τοὺς πολεμίους ἤθροισε πανταχόθεν τὰς δυνάμεις καὶ μάλιστα τὴν ἱππικήν· τοῖς γὰρ πεζοῖς οὐ δυνάμενος ἐξισωθῆναι τῇ Μακεδονικῇ φάλαγγι κατεσκεύαζεν ἀξιόλογον σύστημα τῶν ἱππέων, διʼ ὧν ἤλπιζε κρατήσειν τῶν ἐναντίων.
Eumenes, learning that the enemy were advancing against him, gathered his forces from all sides and especially the cavalry; for since he was unable to equal the Macedonian phalanx with his infantry, he organized a noteworthy body of horsemen, through whom he hoped to prevail over his opponents.
§18.30.2ὡς δʼ ἤγγισαν ἀλλήλαις αἱ δυνάμεις, ὁ μὲν Κρατερὸς συναγαγὼν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ παρορμήσας εἰς τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῖς οἰκείοις λόγοις ἔφησε διδόναι τοῖς στρατιώταις, ἐὰν κρατήσωσι τῇ μάχῃ, διαρπάσαι τῶν πολεμίων πάσας τὰς ἀποσκευάς.
When the forces drew near to one another, Craterus, having gathered the multitude into an assembly and urged them to the struggle with appropriate words, said that he would give to the soldiers, if they should conquer in the battle, all the baggage of the enemy to plunder.
§18.30.3πάντων δὲ προθύμων γενομένων ἐξέταξε τὴν δύναμιν, τοῦ μὲν δεξιοῦ κέρατος αὐτὸς ἡγούμενος, τοῦ δʼ εὐωνύμου τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παραδοὺς Νεοπτολέμῳ.
When all had become eager, he drew up his force, leading the right wing himself, and delivering the command of the left wing to Neoptolemus.
§18.30.4εἶχε δὲ τοὺς σύμπαντας πεζοὺς μὲν δισμυρίους, ὧν ἦσαν οἱ πλείους Μακεδόνες, διαβεβοημένοι ταῖς ἀνδραγαθίαις, ἐν οἷς εἶχε μάλιστα τὰς ἐλπίδας τῆς νίκης· ἱππεῖς δὲ συνηκολούθουν πλείους τῶν δισχιλίων.
He had in all twenty thousand infantry, of whom the greater part were Macedonians, renowned for their brave deeds, in whom he had his chief hopes of victory; and there followed with him more than two thousand cavalry.
§18.30.5Εὐμενὴς δʼ εἶχε πεζοὺς μὲν δισμυρίους, παντοδαποὺς τοῖς γένεσιν, ἱππεῖς δὲ πεντακισχιλίους, δι’ ὧν τὸν κίνδυνον κρίνειν διεγνώκει.
Eumenes, on the other hand, had twenty thousand infantry of all kinds of nationalities, and five thousand cavalry, by means of whom he had decided to decide the issue of the battle.
ἀμφοτέρων δὲ τοὺς ἱππεῖς διελομένων ἐπὶ τὰ κέρατα καὶ πολὺ πρὸ τῆς φάλαγγος προϊππευσάντων ὁ μὲν Κρατερὸς πρῶτος μετὰ τῶν ἐπιλέκτων ἐπιρράξας τοῖς πολεμίοις ἠγωνίσατο μὲν περιβλέπτως, σφαλέντος δὲ τοῦ ἵππου ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, διὰ δὲ τὸν φυρμὸν καὶ τὴν πυκνότητα τῶν ἐφιππευόντων ἀγνοηθεὶς ὃς ἦν συνεπατήθη καὶ τὸν βίον ἀλόγως κατέστρεψεν.
When both sides had divided their cavalry on the wings and had ridden far in advance of the phalanx, Craterus, charging first with his elite troops upon the enemy, fought conspicuously, but his horse having stumbled he fell to the ground, and because of the confusion and density of those riding over him, unrecognized as to who he was, he was trampled and ended his life ingloriously.
§18.30.6τῇ δὲ τούτου τελευτῇ τῶν πολεμίων ἐπαρθέντων καὶ τῷ πλήθει πανταχόθεν περιχεομένων πολὺς ἐγίνετο φόνος.
At his death the enemy were encouraged, and as they poured in from all sides in great numbers, a great slaughter took place.
καὶ τὸ μὲν δεξιὸν κέρας τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον θλιβόμενον ἠναγκάσθη καταφυγεῖν πρὸς τὴν τῶν πεζῶν φάλαγγα,
And the right wing, being hard pressed in this manner, was forced to flee for refuge to the phalanx of the infantry,

Notes

  1. §18.30.1διʼ ὧν — The antecedent of the relative pronoun `ὧν` is `τῶν ἱππέων` (the horsemen) or `σύστημα τῶν ἱππέων` (the body of horsemen). Accompanied by the preposition `διά` (+ genitive, "by means of, through"), it indicates that Eumenes regarded his cavalry as the primary means to secure victory.
  2. §18.30.2ἔφησε διδόναι τοῖς στρατιώταις ... διαρπάσαι — In the accusative with infinitive construction governed by `ἔφησε`, the present infinitive `διδόναι` serves as the governing infinitive (with the subject omitted as it refers back to Craterus). The active infinitive `διαρπάσαι` ("to plunder") depends on `διδόναι` ("to give, permit"), forming a construction meaning "he said that he would permit the soldiers to plunder...".
  3. §18.30.5ἀγνοηθεὶς ὃς ἦν — The passive participle `ἀγνοηθείς` ("having been unrecognized") is accompanied by the indirect question clause `ὃς ἦν` ("who he was"). It refers to the subject of the main clause, Craterus, meaning "unrecognized as to who he was."

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.30.1-18.30.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.30.1-18.30.6

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