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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §19.28.1-19.28.4

Eumenes' Deployment of the Silver Shields and Right Wing

Passage 105 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Eumenes completed the deployment of his army by positioning the Silver Shields and hypaspists on the right side of the phalanx with elephants in front, and by drawing up various cavalry units, including the Companions, along with additional elephants on the right wing.

§19.28.1μετὰ δὲ τούτους ἐτάχθησαν οἱ Μακεδόνες ἀργυράσπιδες, ὄντες μὲν πλείους τρισχιλίων, ἀνίκητοι δὲ καὶ διὰ τὰς ἀρετὰς πολὺν φόβον παρεχόμενοι τοῖς πολεμίοις.
After these were stationed the Macedonian Silver Shields, numbering more than three thousand, who were invincible and because of their valour inspired great fear in the enemy.
ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν, ὄντας πλείους τρισχιλίων, ἀφηγουμένου τούτων τε ἅμα καὶ τῶν ἀργυρασπίδων Ἀντιγένους καὶ Τευτάμου.
And at the end of all, those from the hypaspists, numbering more than three thousand, with Antigenes and Teutamus commanding both these and the Silver Shields.
§19.28.2πρὸ δὲ πάσης τῆς φάλαγγος ἔστησεν ἐλέφαντας τεσσαράκοντα καὶ τὰ τούτων διαστήματα τοῖς ψιλικοῖς τάγμασιν ἀνεπλήρωσεν.
In front of the entire phalanx he stationed forty elephants, and filled up the intervals between them with the light-armed units.
§19.28.3ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ δεξιοῦ κέρατος ἐξέταξε τοὺς ἱππεῖς, ἐχομένους μὲν τῆς φάλαγγος τοὺς ἐκ Καρμανίας ὀκτακοσίους, ὧν Τληπόλεμος σατράπης ἡγεῖτο, ἑξῆς δὲ τοὺς καλουμένους ἑταίρους ἐννακοσίους καὶ τὸ Πευκέστου καὶ Ἀντιγένους ἄγημα, τριακοσίους ἔχον ἱππεῖς μιᾷ περιειλημμένους εἴλῃ, ἐπʼ ἄκρου δὲ τοῦ κέρατος τὸ Εὐμενοῦς ἄγημα, τοὺς ἴσους ἔχον ἱππεῖς, καὶ τούτων πρόταγμα τῶν Εὐμενοῦς παίδων εἴλας δύο, συνεστηκυίας ἑκατέρας ἐξ ἱππέων πεντήκοντα, καὶ πλαγίας φυλαττούσας ἔξω τοῦ κέρατος εἴλας τέσσαρας, ἐν αἷς ἦσαν ἱππεῖς ἐπίλεκτοι διακόσιοι.
On the right wing he drew up the cavalry: holding next to the phalanx were the eight hundred from Carmania, whom Tlepolemus the satrap commanded; and next, the so-called Companions, nine hundred, and the squadron of Peucestas and Antigenes, containing three hundred cavalry enclosed in a single troop; and at the extremity of the wing was the squadron of Eumenes, containing an equal number of cavalry; and in front of these as a vanguard, two troops of Eumenes' pages, each consisting of fifty horsemen; and guarding the flank outside the wing, four troops, in which were two hundred select horsemen.
§19.28.4χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ἀπὸ πασῶν τῶν ἱππαρχιῶν ἐπιλελεγμένους τοῖς τάχεσι καὶ ταῖς ῥώμαις ἱππεῖς τριακοσίους ἔστησε κατόπιν τοῦ περὶ αὐτὸν ἀγήματος.
Apart from these, he stationed behind the squadron around himself three hundred horsemen selected from all the cavalry commands for their speed and strength.
παρὰ δὲ τὴν ὅλην τοῦ κέρατος τάξιν προέταξεν ἐλέφαντας τεσσαράκοντα.
And along the entire line of the wing he stationed forty elephants in front.
ἡ δὲ πᾶσα δύναμις ἦν τῶν περὶ τὸν Εὐμενῆ πεζοὶ μὲν τρισμύριοι πεντακισχίλιοι, ἱππεῖς δὲ ἑξακισχίλιοι ἑκατόν, ἐλέφαντες δὲ ἑκατὸν τεσσαρεσκαίδεκα.
The entire force of those with Eumenes was thirty-five thousand infantry, six thousand one hundred cavalry, and one hundred and fourteen elephants.

Notes

  1. 19.28.1τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν — There is an anacoluthon here, as the accusative phrase `τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν...` follows the passive verb `ἐτάχθησαν` (which took the nominative `οἱ Μακεδόνες ἀργυράσπιδες`). It is understood as governed by an omitted active verb of stationing such as `ἔστησεν` or `ἔταξεν`.
  2. 19.28.1ἀφηγουμένου ... Ἀντιγένους καὶ Τευτάμου — In this genitive absolute construction, although there are two subjects (`Ἀντιγένους καὶ Τευτάμου`), the participle `ἀφηγουμένου` is in the singular. This is either because it agrees grammatically with the nearer subject (`Ἀντιγένους`) or because the joint command is conceptualized as a single unit.
  3. 19.28.3τῶν Εὐμενοῦς παίδων — The word `παῖς` (usually 'child' or 'boy') here refers not to the literal children of Eumenes, but to his 'pages' or young attendants, analogous to the Macedonian royal pages, who served as a personal guard.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §19.28.1-19.28.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.28.1-19.28.4

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