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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §20.37.1-20.37.7

Ptolemy's Greek Campaign and the Murder of Cleopatra

Passage 225 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Ptolemy frees Andros and takes Sicyon and Corinth before returning to Egypt, and Cleopatra, sought in marriage by all the rival successors, is assassinated on the orders of Antigonus.

§20.37.1ἐπʼ ἄρχοντος δʼ Ἀθήνησι Χαρίνου Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν παρέδοσαν Ποπλίῳ Δεκίῳ καὶ Κοΐντῳ Φαβίῳ, παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ἠλείοις ὀλυμπιὰς ἤχθη ὀγδόη πρὸς ταῖς ἑκατὸν δέκα, καθʼ ἣν ἐνίκα στάσιον Ἀπολλωνίδης Τεγεάτης.
When Charinus was archon in Athens, the Romans handed over the consular authority to Publius Decius and Quintus Fabius, and among the Eleians the one hundred and eighteenth Olympiad was celebrated, in which Apollonides of Tegea won the stadion.
κατὰ δὲ τούτους τοὺς χρόνους Πτολεμαῖος μὲν ἐκ τῆς Μύνδου πλεύσας ἁδρῷ στόλῳ διὰ νήσων ἐν παράπλῳ τὴν Ἄνδρον ἠλευθέρωσε καὶ τὴν φρουρὰν ἐξήγαγε.
At this time, Ptolemy, sailing from Myndus with a strong fleet through the islands, on his voyage freed Andros and expelled its garrison.
κομισθεὶς δʼ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσθμὸν Σικυῶνα καὶ Κόρινθον παρέλαβεν παρὰ Κρατησιπόλεως.
And having crossed to the Isthmus, he received Sicyon and Corinth from Cratesipolis.
τὰς δὲ αἰτίας διʼ ἃς ἐκυρίευσε πόλεων ἐπιφανῶν προδεδηλωκότες ἐν ταῖς πρὸ ταύτης βίβλοις τὸ διλογεῖν ὑπὲρ τῶν αὐτῶν παρήσομεν.
Since we have already set forth in the preceding books the reasons why she was in possession of these famous cities, we shall omit repeating the same things.
§20.37.2ἐπεβάλετο μὲν οὖν καὶ τὰς ἄλλας Ἑλληνίδας πόλεις Πτολεμαῖος ἐλευθεροῦν, μεγάλην προσθήκην ἡγούμενος ἔσεσθαι τοῖς ἰδίοις πράγμασι τὴν τῶν Ἑλλήνων εὔνοιαν· ἐπεὶ δὲ οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι συνταξάμενοι χορηγήσειν σῖτον καὶ χρήματα τῶν ὡμολογημένων οὐδὲν συνετέλουν, ἀγανακτήσας ὁ δυνάστης πρὸς μὲν Κάσανδρον εἰρήνην ἐποιήσατο, καθʼ ἣν ἑκατέρους ἔδει κυριεύειν τῶν πόλεων ὧν εἶχον, τὴν δὲ Σικυῶνα καὶ Κόρινθον ἀσφαλισάμενος φρουρᾷ διῆρεν εἰς τὴν Αἴγυπτον.
Ptolemy, therefore, undertook to free the other Greek cities also, thinking that the goodwill of the Greeks would be a great asset to his own affairs; but when the Peloponnesians, although they had agreed to contribute grain and money, contributed nothing of what had been promised, the ruler, being vexed, made peace with Cassander, according to which each of them was to rule over the cities which they held, and having secured Sicyon and Corinth with a garrison, he sailed away to Egypt.
§20.37.3ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Κλεοπάτρα τῷ μὲν Ἀντιγόνῳ προσκόπτουσα, τῇ δʼ αἱρέσει πρὸς τὸν Πτολεμαῖον ἀποκλίνουσα προῆγεν ἐκ Σάρδεων, ὡς διακομισθησομένη πρὸς ἐκεῖνον.
While these things were being done, Cleopatra, being at variance with Antigonus and inclining in her preference toward Ptolemy, set out from Sardis, in order to cross over to him.
ἦν δὲ ἀδελφὴ μὲν Ἀλεξάνδρου τοῦ Πέρσας καταπολεμήσαντος, θυγάτηρ δὲ Φιλίππου τοῦ Ἀμύντου, γυνὴ δὲ γεγενημένη τοῦ εἰς Ἰταλίαν στρατεύσαντος Ἀλεξάνδρου.
She was the sister of Alexander who had conquered the Persians, daughter of Philip, son of Amyntas, and had been the wife of Alexander who had made an expedition into Italy.
§20.37.4διὰ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν οὖν τοῦ γένους οἱ περὶ Κάσανδρον καὶ Λυσίμαχον, ἔτι δὲ Ἀντίγονον καὶ Πτολεμαῖον καὶ καθόλου πάντες οἱ μετὰ τὴν Ἀλεξάνδρου τελευτὴν ἀξιολογώτατοι τῶν ἡγεμόνων ταύτην ἐμνήστευον· ἕκαστος γὰρ τούτῳ τῷ γάμῳ συνακολουθήσειν Μακεδόνας ἐλπίζων ἀντείχετο τῆς βασιλικῆς οἰκίας, ὡς τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν περιστήσων εἰς ἑαυτόν.
Because of the prestige of her birth, therefore, Cassander and Lysimachus, and also Antigonus and Ptolemy, and in general all the most prominent leaders after Alexander's death, sought her in marriage; for each of them, hoping that the Macedonians would follow him as a result of this marriage, clung to the royal house, intending to bring the supreme power over the whole empire to himself.
§20.37.5ὁ δὲ ἐπιμελητὴς τῶν Σάρδεων ἔχων παράγγελμα παρʼ Ἀντιγόνου τηρεῖν τὴν Κλεοπάτραν, διεκώλυεν αὐτῆς τὴν ἔξοδον· ὕστερον δὲ προστάξαντος τοῦ δυνάστου διά τινων γυναικῶν ἐδολοφόνησεν.
But the governor of Sardis, having instructions from Antigonus to keep watch on Cleopatra, prevented her departure; and later, at the command of the ruler, he had her assassinated by means of certain women.
§20.37.6ὁ δʼ Ἀντίγονος οὐ βουλόμενος λέγεσθαι κατʼ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως, τῶν γυναικῶν τινας ἐκόλασεν ὡς ἐπιβεβουλευκυίας καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν ἐκφορὰν βασιλικῶς ἐφιλοκάλησεν.
But Antigonus, not wishing accusations of the murder to be made against him, punished some of the women on the ground that they had plotted against her, and conducted her funeral with royal splendor.
Κλεοπάτρα μὲν οὖν περιμάχητος γενομένη παρὰ τοῖς ἐπιφανεστάτοις ἡγεμόσι πρὸ τοῦ συντελεσθῆναι τὸν γάμον τοιαύτης ἔτυχε καταστροφῆς.
Cleopatra, then, after having been fought over by the most illustrious leaders, met with such an end before her marriage could be consummated.
§20.37.7ἡμεῖς δὲ διεληλυθότες τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν καὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα μεταβιβάσομεν τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα μέρη τῆς οἰκουμένης.
And we, having gone through the affairs of Asia and Greece, will transfer our narrative to the other parts of the inhabited world.

Notes

  1. 20.37.1διʼ ἃς ἐκυρίευσε — The verb ἐκυρίευσε (ruled/held) following the relative phrase διʼ ἃς is in the third person singular, and its subject is the female ruler Cratesipolis (Κρατησιπόλεως) mentioned just before. Diodorus refers to the events of Book 19 where her acquisition of control over these cities was detailed.
  2. 20.37.3τοῦ εἰς ¦p.v.5.p.227¦ Ἰταλίαν στρατεύσαντος Ἀλεξάνδρου — Refers to Alexander I of Epirus (the one who campaigned in Italy), Cleopatra's husband. This modifying phrase is added to distinguish him from her brother Alexander the Great (the conqueror of the Persians, τοῦ Πέρσας καταπολεμήσαντος) mentioned in the same sentence. The genitive depends on γυνὴ.
  3. 20.37.4ὡς τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν περιστήσων εἰς ἑαυτόν — The conjunction ὡς combined with the future participle περιστήσων expresses the subjective purpose, intention, or expectation of each suitor ("intending to transfer the supreme power over the whole empire to himself").

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §20.37.1-20.37.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:20.37.1-20.37.7

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