Humanitext Reader

Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §18.73.1-18.73.4

Antigonus's Advance and Eumenes's March to Persis

Passage 74 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Antigonus increases his fame and advances to Cilicia to destroy Eumenes. Meanwhile, Eumenes escapes various attacks, including a flood caused by Seleucus, reaches Persis, and requests aid from the satraps of the upper provinces.

§18.73.1Ἀντίγονος μὲν οὖν τηλικαύτῃ συμφορᾷ περιβαλὼν τοὺς πολεμίους μεγάλην ἐπὶ στρατηγίᾳ καὶ συνέσει δόξαν ἀπηνέγκατο.
Antigonus, indeed, having inflicted so great a disaster upon the enemy, won great renown for generalship and sagacity.
θαλασσοκρατῆσαι δὲ ἔσπευδε καὶ τὴν τῆς Ἀσίας ἡγεμονίαν ἀδήριτον περιποιήσασθαι.
He was eager to rule the sea and to acquire the undisputed hegemony of Asia.
διόπερ ἐξ ἁπάσης τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπιλέξας εὐζώνους πεζοὺς μὲν δισμυρίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τετρακισχιλίους προῆγεν ἐπὶ Κιλικίας, σπεύδων τοὺς περὶ τὸν Εὐμενῆ κατακόψαι πρὸ τοῦ δύναμιν ἁδροτέραν ἀθροῖσαι.
For this reason, having selected from his entire force twenty thousand light-armed infantry and four thousand cavalry, he advanced toward Cilicia, hastening to cut to pieces Eumenes and his men before he could assemble a stronger force.
§18.73.2Εὐμενὴς δὲ πυθόμενος τὴν ὁρμὴν τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἀντίγονον ἐπεβάλετο μὲν τὴν Φοινίκην ἀνακτᾶσθαι τοῖς βασιλεῦσι, κατειλημμένην ἀδίκως ὑπὸ Πτολεμαίου, καταταχούμενος δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν καιρῶν ἀνέζευξεν ἐκ τῆς Φοινίκης καὶ διὰ τῆς Κοίλης Συρίας προῆγε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως, σπεύδων τῶν ἄνω λεγομένων σατραπειῶν ἅψασθαι.
Eumenes, having learned of the onset of Antigonus and his men, attempted to recover Phoenicia, which had been unjustly seized by Ptolemy, for the kings; but being hard pressed by the circumstances, he withdrew from Phoenicia and advanced with his force through Coele-Syria, hastening to reach the so-called upper satrapies.
§18.73.3περὶ δὲ τὸν Τίγριν ποταμὸν ἐπιθεμένων αὐτῷ τῶν ἐγχωρίων νυκτὸς ἀπέβαλέ τινας τῶν στρατιωτῶν.
But around the Tigris River, when the natives attacked him by night, he lost some of his soldiers.
παραπλησίως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν ἐπιθεμένου τοῦ Σελεύκου παρὰ τὸν Εὐφράτην ποταμὸν ἐκινδύνευσε μὲν ἅπασαν ἀποβαλεῖν τὴν δύναμιν, διώρυγός τινος ῥαγείσης καὶ τῆς στρατοπεδείας ὅλης συγκλυσθείσης, ὅμως δὲ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας στρατηγίας, ἐπί τι χῶμα καταφυγὼν καὶ τὴν διώρυγα πάλιν ἀποστρέψας, §18.73.4διέσωσεν αὑτόν τε καὶ τὴν δύναμιν.
Similarly, also in Babylonia, when Seleucus attacked him along the Euphrates River, he ran the risk of losing his entire force, as a certain canal had burst and the whole encampment was flooded; nevertheless, through his own generalship, having fled to a certain embankment and having turned back the canal again, he saved both himself and his force.
παραδόξως δὲ τὰς τοῦ Σελεύκου χεῖρας διαφυγὼν διήνυσεν εἰς τὴν Περσίδα μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως, ἔχων πεζοὺς μὲν μυρίους καὶ πεντακισχιλίους, ἱππεῖς δὲ τρισχιλίους καὶ τριακοσίους.
Having unexpectedly escaped from the hands of Seleucus, he arrived in Persis with his force, having fifteen thousand infantry and three thousand three hundred cavalry.
ἀναλαβὼν δὲ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκ τῆς κακοπαθίας διεπέμπετο πρός τε τοὺς σατράπας καὶ στρατηγοὺς τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἄνω σατραπείαις, μεταπεμπόμενος στρατιώτας τε καὶ χρήματα.
Having recovered his soldiers from their distress, he sent messengers to the satraps and generals in the upper satrapies, summoning both soldiers and funds.
καὶ τὰ μὲν κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν μέχρι τούτου προέβη κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν.
And the affairs in Asia progressed up to this point during this year.

Notes

  1. §18.73.1πρὸ τοῦ δύναμιν ἁδροτέραν ἀθροῖσαι — An infinitive clause introduced by the preposition `πρό` and the genitive article `τοῦ`. The implied subject of the active aorist infinitive `ἀθροῖσαι` is Eumenes (or those around him), acting as the omitted accusative subject.
  2. §18.73.3ὅμως δὲ διὰ τῆς ἰδίας στρατηγίας, ἐπί τι χῶμα καταφυγὼν καὶ τὴν διώρυγα πάλιν ἀποστρέψας, — This participial phrase (with `καταφυγὼν` and `ἀποστρέψας`) concludes section 3, but syntactically it modifies the main verb `διέσωσεν` at the beginning of section 4. Although separated by section divisions, it must be read as part of a single continuous sentence.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §18.73.1-18.73.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:18.73.1-18.73.4

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.