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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §7.7.1-7.7.5

Return of Aristodemus and Slaughter of the Senate

Passage 509 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Aristodemus returns to Cumae with his accomplices and freed prisoners, welcomed by the citizens. He then calls a senate meeting, where his men slaughter the aristocrats, and after arming released prisoners as his guard, he declares to the assembly the overthrow of the oligarchy and the promise of freedom.

§7.7.1οὓς συνεργοὺς καὶ συναγωνιστὰς λαβὼν καὶ ἃ δεήσει πράττειν ἑκάστοις ὑποθέμενος τοῖς τʼ αἰχμαλώτοις, οὓς ἐπήγετο, προῖκα δοὺς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, ἵνα καὶ τὴν ἐκείνων εὔνοιαν προσλάβῃ, κατέπλει κεκοσμημέναις ταῖς ναυσὶν εἰς τοὺς τῶν Κυμαίων λιμένας.
taken them as helpers and fellow-combatants, and having instructed each as to what they must do, and having given freedom without charge to the prisoners whom he was bringing, in order that he might also win over their goodwill, he sailed into the harbors of the Cumaeans with decorated ships.
οἱ δὲ τῶν στρατευομένων πατέρες τε καὶ μητέρες καὶ πᾶσα ἡ ἄλλη συγγένεια, παιδία τε καὶ γαμεταὶ γυναῖκες, ὑπήντων ἐξιοῦσιν αὐτοῖς μετὰ δακρύων περιπλεκόμενοι καὶ καταφιλοῦντες καὶ ταῖς ἡδίσταις ἕκαστον ἀνακαλούμενοι προσηγορίαις. §7.7.2καὶ ἡ ἄλλη δὲ πληθὺς ἡ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἅπασα χαρᾷ καὶ κρότῳ δεξιουμένη τὸν ἡγεμόνα προὔπεμπεν εἰς οἶκον ἀπιόντα.
And the fathers and mothers of those who had served in the army, and all the rest of their kindred, both children and wedded wives, met them as they came out, weeping, embracing, kissing, and calling each by the sweetest names. indeed all the rest of the multitude throughout the city, receiving the general with joy and applause, escorted him as he went home.
ἐφʼ οἷς οἱ προεστηκότες τῆς πόλεως ἀνιώμενοι, μάλιστα δʼ οἱ τὴν στρατηγίαν αὐτῷ παραδόντες καὶ τἆλλα τὰ πρὸς τὸν ὄλεθρον μηχανησάμενοι, πονηροὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μέλλοντος εἶχον διαλογισμούς. §7.7.3ὁ δὲ διαλιπὼν ὀλίγας τινὰς ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς τὰς εὐχὰς ἀπεδίδου τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ τὰς ὑστεριζούσας ὁλκάδας ἀνεδέχετο, ἐπειδὴ καιρὸς ἦν, ἔφη βούλεσθαι τὰ πραχθέντα κατὰ τὸν ἀγῶνα πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν ἀπαγγεῖλαι καὶ τὰ ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου λάφυρα ἀποδεῖξαι.
At this, the leaders of the city were grieved, and especially those who had handed over the generalship to him and had devised the other things for his destruction, and they had troubled thoughts concerning the future. he, after waiting a few days, during which he paid his vows to the gods and received the merchant vessels that were lagging behind, when the opportunity was ripe, said that he wished to report to the senate what had been done in the battle, and to display the spoils of the war.
συνελθόντων δὲ τῶν ἐν τέλει κατὰ πλῆθος εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον ὁ μὲν ἐδημηγόρει παρελθὼν καὶ πάντα τὰ γενόμενα κατὰ τὴν μάχην διεξῄει, οἱ δὲ παρασκευασθέντες ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ συνεργοὶ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως ἔχοντες ὑπὸ τοῖς ἱματίοις ξίφη κατὰ πλῆθος εἰσδραμόντες εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον ἀποσφάττουσιν ἅπαντας τοὺς ἀριστοκρατικούς. §7.7.4φυγὴ δʼ ἐγένετο μετὰ τοῦτο τῶν κατʼ ἀγορὰν καὶ δρόμος, τῶν μὲν ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας, τῶν δʼ ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, πλὴν τῶν συνειδότων τὴν ἐπίθεσιν· οὗτοι δὲ τὴν ἄκραν καὶ τὰ νεώρια καὶ τοὺς ἐρυμνοὺς τόπους τῆς πόλεως κατελάμβανον.
When the magistrates had assembled in great numbers in the council chamber, he came forward to harangue them and went through everything that had happened during the battle, while the accomplices of the attack, prepared by him, holding swords under their cloaks, rushed in great numbers into the council chamber and slaughtered all the aristocrats. this, there was flight and running among those in the marketplace, some to their houses and others outside the city, except for those who were privy to the attack; and these occupied the citadel, the shipyards, and the fortified places of the city.
τῇ δʼ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ λύσας ἐκ τῶν δεσμωτηρίων τοὺς ἐπιθανατίους πολλοὺς ὄντας καὶ καθοπλίσας ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις φίλοις, ἐν οἷς ἦσαν καὶ οἱ τῶν Τυρρηνῶν αἰχμάλωτοι, φυλακὴν ἐκ τούτων καθίσταται περὶ τὸ σῶμα. §7.7.5ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης συγκαλέσας τὸν δῆμον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν καὶ πολλὴν κατηγορίαν διαθέμενος τῶν φονευθέντων ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πολιτῶν, ἐκείνους μὲν ἔφη τετιμωρῆσθαι σὺν δίκῃ πολλάκις ἐπιβουλευθεὶς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, τοῖς δʼ ἄλλοις πολίταις ἐλευθερίαν φέρων παρεῖναι καὶ ἰσηγορίαν καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ ἀγαθά.
On the following night, releasing the condemned men from the prisons, who were many, and arming them together with his other friends, among whom were also the prisoners of the Tyrrhenians, he established from these a guard around his person. day came, having called the people together to an assembly, and having delivered a long accusation against the citizens who had been slain by him, he said that those men had been punished with justice, since he had been plotted against many times by them, but that he was present bringing to the rest of the citizens freedom, equal speech, and many other blessings.

Notes

  1. 1326οὓς — A relative pronoun of connection ("relative connection"), referring to the "most unprincipled but bravest" individuals corrupted at the end of the previous section (§7.6.5). Literally, "having taken whom as..."
  2. 1326ὑπήντων ἐξιοῦσιν αὐτοῖς — The verb ὑπαντάω takes the dative case (ἐξιοῦσιν αὐτοῖς). The participle ἐξιοῦσιν (dative plural present participle of ἔξειμι) refers to the returning soldiers disembarking from the ships.
  3. 1327τῶν ἐν τέλει — An idiomatic expression referring to "those in authority," "magistrates," or "officials," here meaning the aristocratic leaders of Cumae.
  4. 1327ἐν οἷς ἦσαν καὶ οἱ τῶν Τυρρηνῶν αἰχμάλωτοι — The relative pronoun οἷς refers to the entire plural group containing both "the condemned men (τοὺς ἐπιθανατίους)" and "the other friends (τοῖς ἄλλοις φίλοις)" as its antecedent. It indicates that Aristodemus included the Tyrrhenian prisoners (brought from Aricia in the previous chapter) in his personal guard.
  5. 1328ἐπιβουλευθεὶς — A passive participle agreeing in the nominative case with the implied subject of the main clause (Aristodemus, the subject of ἔφη). It is interpreted as an adverbial participle of cause ("since he had been plotted against many times by them").

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §7.7.1-7.7.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.7.1-7.7.5

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