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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §20.56.1-20.56.4

Defeat of Xenodocus and Campaigns of Agathocles in Sicily

Passage 244 of 301 · Greek

Summary

Xenodocus, the general of the Acragantines, is defeated by Agathocles' generals, shattering hopes for Sicilian freedom. Meanwhile, Agathocles returns to Sicily and successfully subdues or attacks several cities.

§20.56.1ἅμα δὲ τούτοις πραττομένοις Ξενόδοκος ὁ τῶν Ἀκραγαντίνων στρατηγὸς πολλὰς μὲν τῶν πόλεων ἠλευθερωκώς, ἐλπίδας δὲ μεγάλας παρεσχηκὼς τοῖς Σικελιώταις τῆς καθʼ ὅλην τὴν νῆσον αὐτονομίας ἐξήγαγε τὴν δύναμιν ἐπὶ τοὺς Ἀγαθοκλέους στρατηγούς, οὖσαν πεζῶν μὲν πλειόνων ἢ μυρίων, ἱππέων δὲ σχεδὸν χιλίων.
While these things were being done, Xenodocus, the general of the Acragantines, having freed many of the cities and having offered great hopes to the Siceliots for autonomy throughout the whole island, led out his force against the generals of Agathocles, which consisted of more than ten thousand infantry and nearly one thousand cavalry.
§20.56.2οἱ δὲ περὶ Λεπτίνην καὶ Δημόφιλον ἐκ τῶν Συρακουσσῶν καὶ τῶν φρουρίων ἐπιλέξαντες ὅσους ἠδύναντο πλείστους ἀντεστρατοπέδευσαν πεζοῖς μὲν ὀκτακισχιλίοις καὶ διακοσίοις, ἱππεῦσι δὲ χιλίοις καὶ διακοσίοις.
But those around Leptines and Demophilus, having selected as many as they could from Syracuse and the fortresses, encamped against them with eight thousand two hundred infantry and one thousand two hundred cavalry.
γενομένης οὖν παρατάξεως ἰσχυρᾶς ἡττηθεὶς ὁ Ξενόδοκος ἔφυγεν εἰς τὸν Ἀκράγαντα καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀπέβαλεν οὐκ ἐλάττους τῶν χιλίων καὶ πεντακοσίων.
When, therefore, a fierce battle took place, Xenodocus, being defeated, fled to Acragas and lost no fewer than one thousand five hundred of his soldiers.
§20.56.3οἱ μὲν οὖν Ἀκραγαντῖνοι ταύτῃ τῇ συμφορᾷ περιπεσόντες διέλυσαν ἑαυτῶν μὲν τὴν καλλίστην ἐπιβολήν, τῶν δὲ συμμάχων τὰς τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἐλπίδας·
Thus the Acragantines, having fallen into this disaster, ruined their own most noble enterprise, and for their allies their hopes of freedom.
Ἀγαθοκλῆς δὲ τῆς μάχης ἄρτι γεγενημένης καταπλεύσας τῆς Σικελίας εἰς Σελινοῦντα Ἡρακλεώτας μὲν ἠλευθερωκότας τὴν πόλιν ἠνάγκασε πάλιν ὑποτάττεσθαι, παρελθὼν δὲ ἐπὶ θάτερον μέρος τῆς νήσου Θερμίτας μὲν προσαγαγόμενος ὑποσπόνδους ἀφῆκε τῶν Καρχηδονίων φρουρούντων ταύτην τὴν πόλιν, Κεφαλοίδιον δὲ ἐκπολιορκήσας Λεπτίνην μὲν ταύτης ἐπιμελητὴν ἀπέλιπεν, αὐτὸς δὲ διὰ τῆς μεσογείου ποιούμενος τὴν πορείαν ἐπεβάλετο μὲν νυκτὸς εἰς τὰ Κεντόριπα παρεισπεσεῖν εἰσδεχομένων αὐτόν τινων πολιτικῶν ἀνδρῶν, καταφανοῦς δὲ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς γενομένης καὶ τῶν φρουρῶν παραβοηθησάντων ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ἀποβαλὼν τῶν στρατιωτῶν πλείους πεντακοσίων.
But Agathocles, when the battle had just occurred, having sailed down to Selinus in Sicily, forced the Heracleots, who had freed their city, to submit again. And passing over to the other part of the island, having won over the Thermites, he let the Carthaginians who were garrisoning this city depart under a treaty. Having taken Cephaloedium by storm, he left Leptines as its overseer; and he himself, making his march through the interior, attempted to slip into Centuripa by night, as certain citizens were ready to receive him. But when the plot became manifest and the garrison came to help, he was driven out of the city, losing more than five hundred of his soldiers.
§20.56.4μετὰ δὲ ταῦτά τινων ἐκ τῆς Ἀπολλωνίας μεταπεμπομένων αὐτὸν καὶ τὴν πατρίδα προδώσειν ἐπαγγελλομένων ἧκε πρὸς τὴν πόλιν·
After these things, when some from Apollonia sent for him and promised to betray their native city, he came to the city.
τῶν δὲ προδοτῶν καταφανῶν γενομένων καὶ κολασθέντων κατὰ μὲν πρώτην ἡμέραν πολιορκήσας ἄπρακτος ἐγένετο, τῇ δʼ ὑστεραίᾳ πολλὰ κακοπαθήσας καὶ συχνοὺς ἀποβαλὼν μόλις εἷλε τὴν πόλιν καὶ τῶν Ἀπολλωνιατῶν τοὺς πλείστους ἀποσφάξας διήρπασε τὰς κτήσεις.
But when the traitors became manifest and were punished, though on the first day he besieged it and accomplished nothing, on the next day, after suffering many hardships and losing many men, he took the city with difficulty, and having slaughtered most of the Apolloniates, he plundered their possessions.

Notes

  1. 20.56.1οὖσαν πεζῶν μὲν πλειόνων ἢ μυρίων, ἱππέων δὲ σχεδὸν χιλίων — The participle `οὖσαν` is feminine accusative singular, agreeing with the preceding `τὴν δύναμιν` ('the force'). The subsequent genitives `πεζῶν` and `ἱππέων` function as genitives of material or content, indicating what the force consisted of ('consisting of...').
  2. 20.56.3καταπλεύσας τῆς Σικελίας εἰς Σελινοῦντα — The genitive `τῆς Σικελίας` is most naturally taken as modifying the prepositional phrase `εἰς Σελινοῦντα` ('to Selinus in Sicily'). Alternatively, it could be construed with `καταπλεύσας` as a partitive genitive of place ('having sailed to a part of Sicily, namely to Selinus').
  3. 20.56.3ὑποσπόνδους ἀφῆκε — The predicative adjective `ὑποσπόνδους` ('under a treaty / truce') modifies the unexpressed direct object of `ἀφῆκε` ('he let go'). Although the object is omitted, it refers to the Carthaginian garrison, which is introduced in the immediately following genitive absolute construction `τῶν Καρχηδονίων φρουρούντων` ('the Carthaginians garrisoning').

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §20.56.1-20.56.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:20.56.1-20.56.4

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