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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §19.47.1-19.47.4

Revolt and Suppression of Peithon's Partisans in Media

Passage 124 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Peithon's supporters gathered remnants to revolt and caused confusion in Media, including a night attack on the enemy camp, but they were eventually cornered and suppressed.

§19.47.1τοῦ δʼ Ἀντιγόνου καθʼ ὁδὸν ὄντος οἱ τοῦ Πίθωνος φίλοι καὶ μετεσχηκότες τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς, ὧν ἦσαν ἐπιφανέστατοι Μελέαγρος καὶ Μενοίτας, ἤθροισαν τοὺς πλανωμένους τῶν Εὐμενοῦς τε καὶ Πίθωνος συνήθων, εἰς ὀκτακοσίους ἱππεῖς.
While Antigonus was on his way, the friends of Peithon who had shared in the plot, of whom the most prominent were Meleager and Menoitas, gathered those of the associates of Eumenes and Peithon who were wandering about, to the number of about eight hundred horsemen.
§19.47.2καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον τὴν χώραν ἐλεηλάτουν τῶν μὴ βουλομένων συναφίστασθαι Μήδων, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πυθόμενοι καταπεφρονηκότως στρατοπεδεύειν τόν τε Ἱππόστρατον καὶ τὸν Ὀροντοβάτην ἐπέθεντο νυκτὸς τῇ παρεμβολῇ.
And at first they plundered the territory of those Medes who did not wish to join in the revolt, but after this, learning that Hippostratus and Orontobates were encamped carelessly, they attacked their camp by night.
καὶ παρʼ ὀλίγον μὲν ἐκράτησαν τῆς ἐπιβολῆς, ὑπὸ δὲ τοῦ πλήθους κατισχυόμενοι καί τινας τῶν στρατιωτῶν πείσαντες συναποστῆναι πάλιν ἀπεχώρησαν.
And they almost succeeded in their attempt, but being overpowered by numbers, and after persuading some of the soldiers to revolt with them, they retreated again.
§19.47.3εὔζωνοι δʼ ὄντες καὶ πάντες ἵπποις χρώμενοι τάς τε καταδρομὰς ἀπροσδοκήτους ἐποιοῦντο καὶ τὴν χώραν ταραχῆς ἐπλήρωσαν.
Since they were light-armed and all used horses, they made unexpected raids and filled the country with confusion.
μετὰ δέ τινα χρόνον συγκλεισθέντες εἴς τινα τόπον κρημνοῖς περιεχόμενον οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἀνῃρέθησαν, οἱ δʼ ἐζωγρήθησαν.
But after some time, being hemmed into a place surrounded by cliffs, some of them were killed and others were taken alive.
§19.47.4τῶν δὲ ἡγεμόνων Μελέαγρος καὶ Ὀκράνης ὁ Μῆδος καί τινες τῶν ἀξιολόγων ἀνδρῶν ὑποστάντες ἀνῃρέθησαν.
Among the leaders, Meleager and Ocranes the Mede, and some of the noteworthy men, made a stand and were killed.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ τοὺς ἀποστάντας ἐν Μηδίᾳ τοιαύτην ἔσχε τὴν κατάστασιν.
And such was the outcome of the affair concerning the rebels in Media.

Notes

  1. 19.47.1τῶν Εὐμενοῦς τε καὶ Πίθωνος συνήθων — Partitive genitive, limiting the scope of the preceding substantival participle τοὺς πλανωμένους (those wandering about).
  2. 19.47.2παρʼ ὀλίγον — An adverbial idiom formed by the preposition παρά and the accusative neuter adjective ὀλίγον, meaning "almost" or "all but."
  3. 19.47.4ὑποστάντες — Aorist active participle of the verb ὑφίστημι, here expressing a circumstantial or modal meaning of "making a stand" or "resisting" instead of fleeing.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §19.47.1-19.47.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.47.1-19.47.4

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