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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.47.1-18.47.5

Burial of Alcetas and Antigonus's Ambition for Asia

Passage 48 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Although the elders of Termessus averted war, they faced the fury of the young men who retaliated by raiding Antigonus's territory and honorably burying Alcetas's desecrated body. Meanwhile, Antigonus marched to Phrygia, where he learned of Antipater's death and resolved to seize supreme power in Asia.

§18.47.1διὰ δὲ τῆς ἰδίας ἐπινοίας ἐκ τῶν κινδύνων ἐξελόμενοι τὴν πατρίδα τὸν μὲν πόλεμον ἀπεστρέψαντο, τὴν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς νέους ἀλλοτριότητα φυγεῖν οὐ κατίσχυσαν· οὗτοι γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς μάχης ἐπανελθόντες καὶ τὸ πεπραγμένον ἀκούσαντες πρὸς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀπηγριώθησαν διὰ τὴν πρὸς Ἀλκέταν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς εὐνοίας.
But although they had delivered their fatherland from dangers by their own device and had averted the war, they were unable to escape the estrangement with the young men; for the latter, returning from the battle and hearing what had been done, became fiercely angry at their own kinsmen because of their exceeding goodwill toward Alcetas.
§18.47.2καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον καταλαβόμενοι μέρος τῆς πόλεως ἐψηφίσαντο τὰς μὲν οἰκίας ἐμπρῆσαι, μετὰ δὲ τῶν ὅπλων ἐκχυθέντας ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῆς ὀρεινῆς ἐχομένους πορθεῖν τὴν ὑπʼ Ἀντίγονον τεταγμένην χώραν, ὕστερον δὲ μετανοήσαντες τοῦ μὲν ἐμπρῆσαι τὴν πόλιν ἀπέσχοντο, δόντες δʼ ἑαυτοὺς εἰς λῃστείας καὶ καταδρομὰς πολλὴν τῆς πολεμίας χώραν κατέφθειραν.
And at first, seizing a part of the city, they voted to set fire to the houses, and then to pour out of the city with their arms, and, holding to the mountainous country, to plunder the territory subject to Antigonus; but later, changing their minds, they abstained from burning the city, but giving themselves up to robbery and raids, they devastated much of the enemy's country.
§18.47.3ὁ δʼ Ἀντίγονος παραλαβὼν τὸ σῶμα καὶ καταικισάμενος ἐπὶ τρεῖς ἡμέρας καὶ τοῦ νεκροῦ σῆψιν λαβόντος ἀφεὶς αὐτὸν ἄταφον ἀνέζευξεν ἐκ τῆς Πισιδικῆς.
Antigonus, having received the body and having mutilated it for three days, left it unburied when the corpse began to decay, and decamped from Pisidia.
οἱ δὲ τῶν Τερμησσέων νέοι φυλάττοντες τὴν πρὸς τὸν ᾐκισμένον εὔνοιαν τό τε σῶμα ἀνείλαντο καὶ λαμπρῶς ἐκήδευσαν.
But the young men of Termessus, keeping their goodwill toward the mutilated man, recovered the body and buried it splendidly.
οὕτως ἡ τῆς εὐεργεσίας φύσις, ἴδιόν τι φίλτρον ἔχουσα πρὸς τοὺς εὖ πεποιηκότας, ἀμετάθετον διαφυλάττει τὴν εἰς αὐτοὺς εὔνοιαν.
Thus the nature of beneficence, having a certain unique attraction toward those who have done good, preserves goodwill toward them unalterable.
§18.47.4ὁ δʼ οὖν Ἀντίγονος ἀναζεύξας ἐκ τῆς Πισιδικῆς προῆγεν ἐπὶ Φρυγίας μετὰ πάσης τῆς δυνάμεως.
Antigonus, at any rate, decamping from Pisidia, advanced toward Phrygia with his entire force.
ὡς δὲ κατήντησεν εἰς Κρητῶν πόλιν, ἧκεν πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἀριστόδημος ὁ Μιλήσιος ἀπαγγέλλων ὅτι Ἀντίπατρος μὲν τετελεύτηκεν, ἡ δὲ τῶν ὅλων ἡγεμονία καὶ τῶν βασιλέων ἡ ἐπιμέλεια μεταπέπτωκεν εἰς Πολυπέρχοντα τὸν Μακεδόνα.
When he arrived at Cretopolis, Aristodemus of Miletus came to him, reporting that Antipater had died, and that the supreme command of the empire and the guardianship of the kings had devolved upon Polyperchon the Macedonian.
§18.47.5ἡσθεὶς δʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγονόσι μετέωρος ἦν ταῖς ἐλπίσι καὶ διενοεῖτο τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἔχεσθαι πραγμάτων καὶ τῆς κατʼ αὐτὴν ἡγεμονίας μηδενὶ παραχωρεῖν.
Elated by these events, he was high in his hopes and resolved to take hold of affairs in Asia and to yield the supreme authority over it to no one.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον ἐν τούτοις ἦν.
Such, then, was the situation of Antigonus.

Notes

  1. §18.47.2τῆς ὀρεινῆς ἐχομένους — The middle participle ἐχομένους takes the genitive and means 'holding to' or 'clinging to'. Here, the noun χώρας ('country' or 'region') is omitted after the feminine singular genitive τῆς ὀρεινῆς, meaning 'holding to the mountainous country'.
  2. §18.47.4Κρητῶν πόλιν — Although literally meaning 'the city of the Cretans', this is a variant variant of the proper noun referring to 'Cretopolis', a historical city located near the border of Phrygia and Pisidia.
  3. §18.47.5τῶν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἔχεσθαι πραγμάτων — The middle infinitive ἔχεσθαι governs the genitive τῶν ... πραγμάτων, meaning 'to take hold of' or 'to grasp'. It functions as a complementary infinitive with the main verb διενοεῖτο ('he resolved' or 'he intended').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.47.1-18.47.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.47.1-18.47.5

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