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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §19.59.1-19.59.6

Subjugation of Joppa and Gaza and Praise for Phila

Passage 136 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Following reports from Cyprus, Antigonus subdues Joppa and Gaza before resuming the siege of Tyre. Meanwhile, the bones of Craterus are delivered to his wife Phila, whose remarkable intelligence and virtue are introduced.

§19.59.1ὄντος δʼ αὐτοῦ περὶ ταῦτα παρῆν Ἀγησίλαος ὁ πεμφθεὶς εἰς Κύπρον πρεσβευτής, ἀπαγγέλλων ὅτι Νικοκρέων μὲν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οἱ κράτιστοι βασιλεῖς πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον πεποίηνται συμμαχίαν, ὁ δὲ Κιτιεὺς καὶ Λαπίθιος, ἔτι δὲ Μαριεὺς καὶ Κερυνίτης τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν φιλίαν συντέθεινται.
While Antigonus was occupied with these things, Agesilaus, who had been sent as an ambassador to Cyprus, arrived, reporting that Nicocreon and the other most powerful kings had made an alliance with Ptolemy, but that the rulers of Citium and Lapithus, and also of Marium and Ceryneia, had established friendship with him.
§19.59.2ἀκούσας δὲ ταῦτα τρισχιλίους μὲν στρατιώτας καὶ στρατηγὸν Ἀνδρόνικον κατέλιπεν ἐπὶ τῆς πολιορκίας, αὐτὸς δὲ μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως ἀναζεύξας τήν τʼ Ἰόππην καὶ Γάζαν ἀπειθούσας κατὰ κράτος εἷλε καὶ τοὺς μὲν καταληφθέντας Πτολεμαίου στρατιώτας ἐπιδιεῖλεν εἰς τὰς ἰδίας τάξεις, εἰς δὲ τὰς πόλεις παρεισήγαγε φρουρὰν τὴν ἀναγκάσουσαν πειθαρχεῖν τοὺς ἐνοικοῦντας.
Having heard this, he left three thousand soldiers and the general Andronicus for the siege, while he himself marched with his army and took Joppa and Gaza by storm, which had refused to obey; and he distributed the captured soldiers of Ptolemy into his own units, and introduced into the cities a garrison that would force the inhabitants to obey.
§19.59.3αὐτὸς δʼ ἐπανελθὼν εἰς τὴν πρὸς Παλαιτύρῳ στρατοπεδείαν παρεσκευάζετο τὰ πρὸς τὴν πολιορκίαν.
He himself returned to the camp near Palaetyrus and prepared for the siege.
Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν καιρῶν τούτων Ἀρίστων ὁ πιστευθεὶς ὑπʼ Εὐμενοῦς τῶν ὀστῶν τῶν Κρατεροῦ παρέδωκεν εἰς ταφὴν αὐτὰ Φίλᾳ τῇ πρότερον μὲν Κρατερῷ συνοικούσῃ, τότε δὲ Δημητρίῳ τῷ Ἀντιγόνου.
At this time, Ariston, who had been entrusted by Eumenes with the bones of Craterus, delivered them for burial to Phila, who had formerly been married to Craterus, but was then married to Demetrius, the son of Antigonus.
§19.59.4αὕτη δʼ ἡ γυνὴ συνέσει δοκεῖ διενηνοχέναι· τούς τε γὰρ ταραχώδεις τῶν ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ κατέπαυεν ἁρμοζόντως πολιτευομένη πρὸς ἕκαστον, τάς τε ἀδελφὰς καὶ θυγατέρας τῶν ἀπόρων ἐξεδίδου τοῖς ἰδίοις δαπανήμασι, πολλοὺς δὲ καὶ τῶν διαβολαῖς περιπιπτόντων μὴ δικαίαις ἀπήλλασσε τῶν κινδύνων.
This woman seems to have excelled in intelligence; for she quieted the turbulent elements in the camp by acting appropriately toward each, and she married off the sisters and daughters of the needy at her own expense, and also delivered many of those who fell into unjust slanders from dangers.
§19.59.5λέγεται δὲ καὶ Ἀντίπατρον τὸν πατέρα αὐτῆς, ὃς δοκεῖ γεγονέναι φρονιμώτατος τῶν ἐν δυναστείαις γεγονότων κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν, κόρης οὔσης ἔτι τῆς Φίλας συμβουλεύεσθαι πρὸς ταύτην περὶ τῶν μεγίστων.
It is also said that her father Antipater, who seems to have been the wisest of the rulers of his time, consulted her on the most important matters while Phila was still a girl.
§19.59.6μηνύσει δʼ ἀκριβέστερον τὸ τῆς γυναικὸς ἦθος προϊὼν ὁ λόγος καὶ τὰ πράγματα λαμβάνοντα μεταβολὴν καὶ κρίσιν ἐσχάτην τῆς περὶ Δημήτριον βασιλείας.
The character of this woman will be revealed more accurately as the narrative proceeds and as events undergo change and the ultimate crisis of the kingship of Demetrius.
καὶ τὰ μὲν περὶ Ἀντίγονον καὶ Φίλαν τὴν Δημητρίου γυναῖκα τοιαῦτʼ ἦν.
Such, then, were the matters concerning Antigonus and Phila, the wife of Demetrius.

Notes

  1. 19.59.1ὁ δὲ Κιτιεὺς καὶ Λαπίθιος — The singular gentiles (the Citian and the Lapithian) with the definite article `ὁ` refer to the individual rulers (kings) of those respective cities.
  2. 19.59.2τὴν ἀναγκάσουσαν — Future participle in the feminine accusative singular modifying `φρουράν`, expressing purpose ("a garrison that would force...").
  3. 19.59.5κόρης οὔσης ἔτι τῆς Φίλας — Genitive absolute construction with the noun `κόρη` (girl) and the present participle `οὔσης`, expressing time ("while Phila was still a girl").
  4. 19.59.6λαμβάνοντα — Neuter plural nominative participle modifying `τὰ πράγματα`. It functions either as a secondary subject parallel to `ὁ λόγος` with the future verb `μηνύσει`, or as a nominative absolute expressing a concomitant circumstance ("as events undergo change").

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §19.59.1-19.59.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:19.59.1-19.59.6

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