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Diodorus Siculus · Bibliotheca Historica §20.65.1-20.65.2

Carthaginian Sacrifice and the Fatal Camp Fire

Passage 253 of 301 · Greek

Summary

During the Carthaginian victory sacrifice, a sudden gust of wind caused a fire that spread from the sacred tent to the entire camp, burning many soldiers alive as retribution for their cruelty.

§20.65.1τῶν γὰρ Καρχηδονίων μετὰ τὴν νίκην τοὺς καλλίστους τῶν αἰχμαλώτων θυόντων χαριστήρια νυκτὸς τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ πολλοῦ πυρὸς τοὺς ἱεροκαυτουμένους ἄνδρας κατέχοντος ἐξαίφνης πνεύματος ἐπιπεσόντος συνέβη τὴν ἱερὰν σκηνὴν ἀναφθῆναι, πλησίον οὖσαν τοῦ βωμοῦ, ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης τὴν στρατηγικὴν καὶ κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς οὔσας τὰς τῶν ἡγεμόνων, ὥστε πολλὴν ἔκπληξιν γενέσθαι καὶ φόβον κατὰ πᾶν τὸ στρατόπεδον.
For while the Carthaginians, after their victory, were sacrificing the handsomest of the captives by night as thank-offerings to the gods, and a great fire was enveloping the men who were being burned as sacred offerings, a sudden gust of wind fell upon them, and it happened that the sacred tent, which was near the altar, caught fire, and from this the general's tent, and successively those of the officers, so that great panic and fear arose throughout the entire camp.
τινὲς μὲν γὰρ τὸ πῦρ ἐπιχειροῦντες σβέσαι, τινὲς δὲ τὰς πανοπλίας καὶ τὰ πολυτελέστατα τῶν παρεσκευασμένων ἐκκομίζοντες ὑπὸ τῆς φλογὸς ἀπελαμβάνοντο· τῶν γὰρ σκηνῶν ἐκ καλάμου καὶ χόρτου συγκειμένων καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος βιαιότερον ἐκριπισθέντος ἡ παρὰ τῶν στρατιωτῶν βοήθεια κατεταχεῖτο.
For some, while attempting to extinguish the fire, and others, while carrying out their armor and the most precious of their belongings, were cut off by the flames; since the tents were constructed of reeds and thatch, and the fire was fanned more violently by the wind, the assistance of the soldiers was outrun by the speed of the flames.
§20.65.2διὸ καὶ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ταχὺ πάσης φλεγομένης πολλοὶ μὲν ἐν στεναῖς ταῖς διόδοις ἀποληφθέντες ζῶντες κατεκαύθησαν καὶ τῆς εἰς τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ὠμότητος παραχρῆμα τὴν κόλασιν ὑπέσχον, αὐτῆς τῆς ἀσεβείας ἴσην τὴν τιμωρίαν πορισαμένης·
Therefore, as the entire camp was quickly ablaze, many, being caught in the narrow passageways, were burned alive, and immediately suffered the punishment for their cruelty toward the captives, impiety itself having provided an equal retribution.
τοῖς δʼ ἐκ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ἐκπίπτουσι μετὰ θορύβου καὶ κραυγῆς ἕτερος μείζων ἐπηκολούθησε κίνδυνος.
But for those who were escaping from the camp with tumult and clamor, another and greater danger followed.

Notes

  1. 20.65.1τῶν γὰρ Καρχηδονίων ... θυόντων ... καὶ πολλοῦ πυρὸς ... κατέχοντος ... πνεύματος ἐπιπεσόντος — Before the main verb συνέβη, three genitive absolute constructions (Καρχηδονίων θυόντων, πυρὸς κατέχοντος, and πνεύματος ἐπιπεσόντος) are used in succession, layered to describe both the chaotic background of the sacrifice and the immediate cause (the gust of wind) of the fire.
  2. 20.65.1ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης τὴν στρατηγικὴν καὶ κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς οὔσας τὰς τῶν ἡγεμόνων — Part of the accusative and infinitive construction introduced by συνέβη. The singular noun σκηνήν is omitted after τὴν στρατηγικὴν, and the plural σκηνάς is omitted after τὰς τῶν ἡγεμόνων. The participle οὔσας agrees with the omitted feminine plural accusative noun, modified by the adverbial phrase κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς meaning 'successively' or 'contiguously'.
  3. 20.65.1κατεταχεῖτο — Imperfect passive of καταταχέω (or καταταχύνω), meaning 'to be outrun' or 'to be overtaken'. Here it vividly expresses that the soldiers' assistance (βοήθεια) was outrun by the speed of the spreading fire, i.e., their efforts could not catch up with the flames.
  4. 20.65.2αὐτῆς τῆς ἀσεβείας ἴσην τὴν τιμωρίαν πορισαμένης — A genitive absolute construction. The adjective ἴσην (equal) is in the predicative position relative to τὴν τιμωρίαν, implying that 'impiety itself provided the punishment as an equal one (to the crime)', emphasizing the exact causal reciprocity between their cruelty and their disastrous end.

Cite this passage

Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica §20.65.1-20.65.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0060.tlg001.humanitext-grc6:20.65.1-20.65.2

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