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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.69.1-18.69.4

Cassander's Siege of Salamis and Autonomy in the Peloponnese

Passage 70 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Cassander besieges Salamis and drives it to the brink, but is forced to retreat by Polyperchon's reinforcements. Polyperchon then orders the restoration of autonomy in the Peloponnese and decides to besiege Megalopolis, which refuses to comply.

§18.69.1τοῦ δὲ Πολυπέρχοντος περὶ ταῦτα διατρίβοντος ὁ Κάσανδρος ἀναλαβὼν τὸν στόλον Αἰγινήτας μὲν προσηγάγετο, τοὺς δὲ Σαλαμινίους ἀλλότρια φρονοῦντας εἰς πολιορκίαν συνέκλεισε.
While Polyperchon was occupied with these matters, Cassander, taking the fleet, won over the Aeginetans, and shut up the Salaminians, who were hostile to him, in a siege.
καθʼ ἡμέραν δὲ συνεχεῖς ποιούμενος προσβολὰς καὶ βελῶν καὶ στρατιωτῶν εὐπορῶν εἰς τοὺς ἐσχάτους κινδύνους ἤγαγε τοὺς Σαλαμινίους.
By making continuous attacks day after day and having an abundance of missiles and soldiers, he brought the Salaminians into extreme danger.
§18.69.2κινδυνευούσης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἁλῶναι κατὰ κράτος ὁ Πολυπέρχων ἐξέπεμψε δύναμιν ἀξιόλογον πεζικήν τε καὶ ναυτικὴν τὴν ἐπιθησομένην τοῖς πολιορκοῦσι.
Since the city was in danger of being taken by storm, Polyperchon sent out a considerable force of both infantry and navy to attack the besiegers.
διόπερ ὁ Κάσανδρος καταπλαγεὶς καὶ λύσας τὴν πολιορκίαν ἀπέπλευσεν εἰς τὸν Πειραιᾶ.
Therefore, Cassander was terrified and, raising the siege, sailed back into the Piraeus.
§18.69.3Πολυπέρχων δὲ βουλόμενος τὰ κατὰ τὴν Πελοπόννησον διοικῆσαι συμφερόντως παρῆλθε καὶ συναγαγὼν ἐκ τῶν πόλεων συνέδρους διελέχθη περὶ τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν συμμαχίας.
Polyperchon, wishing to manage the affairs in the Peloponnese to his own advantage, went there and, having gathered delegates from the cities, discussed with them the alliance with himself.
ἐξέπεμψε δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰς πόλεις πρεσβευτάς, προστάττων τοὺς μὲν διʼ Ἀντιπάτρου καθεσταμένους ἄρχοντας ἐπὶ τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας θανατῶσαι, τοῖς δὲ δήμοις ἀποδοῦναι τὴν αὐτονομίαν.
He also sent envoys to the cities, ordering them to put to death the magistrates who had been established in the oligarchy by Antipater, and to restore autonomy to the democracies.
§18.69.4πολλῶν δʼ ὑπακουσάντων καὶ κατὰ τὰς πόλεις φόνων γινομένων καί τινων φυγαδευομένων οἱ μὲν Ἀντιπάτρου φίλοι διεφθάρησαν, τὰ δὲ πολιτεύματα τὴν ἐκ τῆς αὐτονομίας παρρησίαν ἀπέλαβον καὶ συνεμάχουν τοῖς περὶ τὸν Πολυπέρχοντα.
Since many complied and massacres took place in the cities and some were banished, the friends of Antipater were destroyed, while the governments recovered the freedom of speech that comes from autonomy and allied themselves with Polyperchon's forces.
μόνων δὲ τῶν Μεγαλοπολιτῶν διατηρούντων τὴν πρὸς Κάσανδρον φιλίαν ἔκρινε πολιορκῆσαι τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν.
Since the Megalopolitans alone maintained their friendship with Cassander, he decided to besiege their city.

Notes

  1. §18.69.2κινδυνευούσης δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἁλῶναι — A genitive absolute construction (κινδυνευούσης τῆς πόλεως) in which ἁλῶναι functions as a complementary infinitive of the verb κινδυνεύω. The word ἁλῶναι is the aorist infinitive of the irregular verb ἁλίσκομαι, which has a passive meaning ('to be captured, fall'), describing the state of the subject τῆς πόλεως.
  2. §18.69.2τὴν ἐπιθησομένην — An attributive future participle with an article modifying the feminine noun δύναμιν (force). In Greek, a future participle with an article can function as an adjectival relative clause expressing purpose or intention ('in order to attack', 'destined to attack').
  3. §18.69.4τὴν ἐκ τῆς αὐτονομίας παρρησίαν — An attributive position where the prepositional phrase ἐκ τῆς αὐτονομίας is sandwiched between the article τὴν and the noun παρρησίαν. Consequently, the prepositional phrase modifies the noun adjectivally, meaning 'the freedom of speech arising from autonomy.'

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.69.1-18.69.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.69.1-18.69.4

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