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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §20.106.1-20.106.5

Coalition of the Kings against Antigonus

Passage 294 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Fearing Antigonus, Cassander forms an alliance with Lysimachus and successfully coordinates with Ptolemy and Seleucus to establish a joint coalition against Antigonus.

§20.106.1τοῦ δʼ ἐνιαυσίου χρόνου διεληλυθότος Ἀθήνησι μὲν ἦν ἄρχων Νικοκλῆς, ἐν Ῥώμῃ δὲ τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν διεδέξαντο Μάρκος Λίβιος καὶ Μάρκος Αἰμίλιος.
When a year had passed, Nicocles was archon in Athens, and in Rome Marcus Livius and Marcus Aemilius succeeded to the consulship.
ἐπὶ δὲ τούτων Κάσανδρος ὁ Μακεδόνων βασιλεὺς ὁρῶν τὴν δύναμιν τῶν Ἑλλήνων αὐξομένην καὶ πάντα τὸν πόλεμον ἐπὶ τὴν Μακεδονίαν συνιστάμενον περίφοβος ἦν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μέλλοντος.
Under these men, Cassander, the king of the Macedonians, seeing that the power of the Greeks was increasing and that the entire war was converging upon Macedonia, was in great fear for the future.
§20.106.2διόπερ ἐξέπεμψε πρεσβευτὰς πρὸς Ἀντίγονον εἰς τὴν Ἀσίαν, ἀξιῶν διαλύσασθαι πρὸς αὐτόν.
Therefore, he sent envoys to Antigonus in Asia, requesting to come to terms with him.
ἀποκριναμένου δʼ ἐκείνου διότι μίαν γινώσκει διάλυσιν, ἐὰν ὁ Κάσανδρος ἐπιτρέπῃ τὰ καθʼ αὑτόν, καταπλαγεὶς Λυσίμαχον ἐκ τῆς Θρᾴκης μετεπέμψατο πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὅλων κοινοπραγίαν·
But when the latter replied that he knew of only one settlement, if Cassander would submit his affairs to him, Cassander was struck with terror and summoned Lysimachus from Thrace for a joint action on the whole matter.
§20.106.3ἀεὶ γὰρ εἰώθει τοῦτον κατὰ τοὺς μεγίστους φόβους εἰς τὴν βοήθειαν προσλαμβάνεσθαι διά τε τὴν τἀνδρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ διὰ τὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ ὅμορον εἶναι τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ.
For he was always accustomed to call upon this man for help during his greatest fears, both because of the man's valor and because his kingdom bordered on Macedonia.
συνεδρεύσαντες οὖν οἱ βασιλεῖς οὗτοι περὶ τοῦ κοινοῦ συμφέροντος ἐξέπεμψαν πρεσβευτὰς πρός τε Πτολεμαῖον τὸν Αἰγύπτου βασιλέα καὶ πρὸς Σέλευκον τὸν τῶν ἄνω σατραπειῶν κυριεύοντα, περί τε τῆς ὑπερηφανίας τῆς ἐν ταῖς ἀποκρίσεσιν ἐμφανίζοντες καὶ τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου κίνδυνον κοινὸν εἶναι πάντων διδάσκοντες.
Accordingly, these kings, having met in council concerning their common interest, sent envoys both to Ptolemy, the king of Egypt, and to Seleucus, who ruled the upper satrapies, making clear the arrogance in the replies and showing that the danger from the war was common to all.
§20.106.4τῆς γὰρ Μακεδονίας κρατήσαντα τὸν Ἀντίγονον εὐθὺς ἀφελεῖσθαι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τὰς βασιλείας· δεδωκέναι γὰρ αὐτὸν πεῖραν πλεονάκις ὅτι πλεονέκτης ἐστὶ καὶ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν ἀκοινώνητον ποιεῖ.
For if Antigonus should gain control of Macedonia, he would immediately strip the others of their kingdoms as well; for he had repeatedly given proof that he was grasping and made every office of rule unshared.
συμφέρειν οὖν ἅπαντας συμφρονῆσαι καὶ κοινῇ πρὸς Ἀντίγονον ἐπανελέσθαι πόλεμον.
Therefore, it was advantageous for all to be of one mind and together to undertake war against Antigonus.
§20.106.5οἱ μὲν οὖν περὶ Πτολεμαῖον καὶ Σέλευκον δόξαντες ἀληθῆ λέγειν προθύμως ὑπήκουσαν καὶ συνετάξαντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους
Ptolemy and Seleucus, therefore, believing that they spoke the truth, eagerly listened to them and made an agreement with one another.

Notes

  1. 20.106.1ὁρῶν τὴν δύναμιν τῶν Ἑλλήνων αὐξομένην — A participle construction serving as the object/complement of the verb of perception ὁρῶν. The two noun phrases τὴν δύναμιν ... αὐξομένην and πάντα τὸν πόλεμον ... συνιστάμενον are coordinated.
  2. 20.106.2ἀποκριναμένου δʼ ἐκείνου διότι μίαν γινώσκει διάλυσιν — The first part is a genitive absolute. In Hellenistic Greek, the conjunction διότι often functions like ὅτι to introduce a noun clause in indirect discourse, presenting the content of the reply.
  3. 20.106.2ἐὰν ὁ Κάσανδρος ἐπιτρέπῃ τὰ καθʼ αὑτόν — The reflexive pronoun αὑτόν in the conditional clause refers to Cassander, the subject of the main clause. The phrase means 'if Cassander should entrust his own affairs to him (Antigonus),' implying unconditional surrender.
  4. 20.106.3διὰ τὸ τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ ὅμορον εἶναι τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ — An expression of cause consisting of the preposition διὰ and the articular infinitive τὸ εἶναι. The accusative τὴν βασιλείαν is the subject of the infinitive, ὅμορον is the predicate, and τῇ Μακεδονίᾳ is the dative governed by the adjective ὅμορος.
  5. 20.106.4κρατήσαντα — An accusative participle modifying τὸν Ἀντίγονον, which is the subject of the infinitive ἀφελεῖσθαι in indirect discourse. It functions as a circumstantial participle with a conditional force ('if he should gain control').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §20.106.1-20.106.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:20.106.1-20.106.5

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