§952ἀλλὰ τάδε μὲν ἐντελῶς ἐν τῇ Παρθικῇ συγγραφῇ λέξω· τῆς δὲ βίβλου τῆσδε οὔσης Συριακῆς, ὅπως μὲν ἔσχον Συρίαν Ῥωμαῖοι καὶ συνέστησαν ἐς τὰ νῦν ὄντα, εἴρηται, οὐκ ἀπεικὸς δὲ τὰ Μακεδόνων ἐπιδραμεῖν.
However, I shall describe these matters fully in my Parthian history; but as this book is Syrian history, how the Romans acquired Syria and organized it into its present state has been told, and it is not inappropriate to run over the history of the Macedonians who ruled Syria before the Romans.
οἳ πρὸ Ῥωμαίων Συρίας ἐβασίλευον. Ἀλέξανδρος μὲν δὴ βασιλεὺς ἦν ἐπὶ Πέρσαις Σύρων, ὁ καὶ πάντων βασιλεὺς ὅσων εἶδεν·
Indeed, Alexander was king of the Syrians after the Persians, and also king of all things that he saw.
Ἀλεξάνδρου δʼ ἀποθανόντος ἐπὶ παισὶ τῷ μὲν βραχεῖ πάνυ τῷ δὲ ἔτι κυϊσκομένῳ, οἱ μὲν Μακεδόνες, πόθῳ τοῦ Φιλιππείου γένους, εἵλοντο σφῶν βασιλεύειν Ἀριδαῖον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἀλεξάνδρου, καίπερ οὐκ ἔμφρονα νομιζόμενον εἶναι, μετονομάσαντες δὴ Φίλιππον ἀντὶ Ἀριδαίου, τρεφομένων ἔτι τῶν παίδων Ἀλεξάνδρου ἐφύλαξαν γὰρ δὴ καὶ τὴν κύουσαν), οἱ φίλοι δʼ ἐς σατραπείας ἐνείμαντο τὰ ἔθνη, Περδίκκου διανέμοντος αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τῷ βασιλεῖ Φιλίππῳ.
When Alexander died, leaving children, one very small and the other still in the womb, the Macedonians, out of affection for the house of Philip, chose Arrhidaeus, the brother of Alexander, to rule over them, although he was not considered of sound mind, renaming him Philip instead of Arrhidaeus, while Alexander's children were still being reared (for they indeed protected the pregnant woman). Meanwhile, his friends divided the nations into satrapies, Perdiccas distributing them under King Philip.
καὶ οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον τῶν βασιλέων ἀποθανόντων βασιλεῖς ἐγένοντο οἱ σατράπαι.
Not long afterward, when the kings died, the satraps became kings.
Σύρων δὴ πρῶτος γίγνεται σατράπης Λαομέδων ὁ Μιτυληναῖος ἔκ τε Περδίκκου καὶ ἐξ Ἀντιπάτρου τοῦ μετὰ τὸν Περδίκκαν προστατεύσαντος τῶν βασιλέων.
Indeed, Laomedon of Mitylene became the first satrap of the Syrians, appointed by Perdiccas and by Antipater, who took charge of the kings after Perdiccas.
Λαομέδοντα δʼ ἐπιπλεύσας Πτολεμαῖος ὁ τῆς Αἰγύπτου σατράπης ἔπειθε πολλοῖς χρήμασιν ἐγχειρίσαι οἱ τὴν Συρίαν, προβολήν τε οὖσαν Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἐπιχείρημα κατὰ Κύπρου.
But Ptolemy, the satrap of Egypt, having sailed against Laomedon, tried to persuade him with a large sum of money to hand over Syria to him, as it was a bulwark for Egypt and a starting-point against Cyprus.
καὶ οὐ πειθόμενον συλλαμβάνει· ὁ δὲ τοὺς φύλακας διαφθείρας πρὸς Ἀλκέταν ἔφυγεν ἐς Καρίαν.
When Laomedon would not comply, Ptolemy captured him; but he, having bribed his guards, escaped to Alcetas in Caria.
καί τινα χρόνον ὁ Πτολεμαῖος ἦρχε Συρίας, καὶ φρουρὰς ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι καταλιπὼν ἐς Αἴγυπτον ἀπέπλει.
For some time, Ptolemy ruled Syria, and leaving garrisons in the cities, sailed back to Egypt.
§953Ἀντίγονος δʼ ἦν Φρυγίας μὲν καὶ Λυκίας καὶ Παμφυλίας σατράπης, ἐπίσκοπος δʼ εἶναι τῆς ὅλης Ἀσίας ἐξ Ἀντιπάτρου περῶντος ἐς τὴν Εὐρώπην ἀπολελειμμένος Εὐμένη τὸν Καππαδοκίας σατράπήν, ψηφισαμένων εἶναι πολέμιον τῶν Μακεδόνων, ἐπολιόρκει.
Now Antigonus was satrap of Phrygia, Lycia, and Pamphylia, and having been left by Antipater, when the latter crossed into Europe, to be overseer of all Asia, he besieged Eumenes, the satrap of Cappadocia, whom the Macedonians had voted to be a public enemy.
ὁ δὲ αὐτὸν ἐκφεύγει, καὶ τὴν Μηδικὴν ἐκρατύνετο ἑαυτῷ.
But Eumenes escaped from him and secured Media for himself.
ἀλλʼ Εὐμένη μὲν κτείνει καταλαβὼν ὁ Ἀντίγονος, καὶ ἐπανιὼν ὑπεδέχθη λαμπρῶς ὑπὸ Σελεύκου σατραπεύοντος ἐν Βαβυλῶνι.
Nevertheless, Antigonus captured and killed Eumenes, and on his return was received sumptuously by Seleucus, who was acting as satrap in Babylon.
ὑβρίσαντος δέ τινα τῶν ἡγεμόνων τοῦ Σελεύκου, καὶ οὐ κοινώσαντος Ἀντιγόνῳ παρόντι, χαλεπήνας ὁ Ἀντίγονος ᾔτει λογισμοὺς χρημάτων τε καὶ κτημάτων.
But when one of Seleucus's officers committed an insult and did not consult Antigonus who was present, Antigonus in anger demanded an accounting of his money and property.
ὁ δὲ ἀσθενέστερος ὢν Ἀντίγονου πρὸς Πτολεμαῖον ἐς Αἴγυπτον ὑπεχώρει.
Seleucus, being weaker than Antigonus, withdrew to Ptolemy in Egypt.
καὶ ὁ Ἀντίγονος εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τῇ φυγῇ τοῦ Σελεύκου Βλίτορά τε, Μεσοποταμίας ἡγούμενον, παρέλυσε τῆς ἀρχῆς, ὅτι Σέλευκον μεθῆκεν ἀπιόντα, καὶ τὴν Βαβυλωνίαν καὶ τὴν Μεσοποταμίαν καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἐκ Μήδων ἐπὶ τὸν Ἑλλήσποντον ἔθνη, καθίστατο ἑαυτῷ, ἤδη καὶ Ἀντιπάτρου τεθνεῶτος.
And Antigonus, immediately upon the flight of Seleucus, removed Blitor, the governor of Mesopotamia, from his office because he had let Seleucus go, and established his own authority over Babylonia, Mesopotamia, and all the other nations from Media to the Hellespont, as Antipater was already dead.
ἐπίφθονός τε εὐθὺς ἐκ τῶνδε τοῖς ἄλλοῖς σατράπαις ἐγίγνετο, γῆς ἄρχων τοσῆσδε.
Thus he immediately became an object of jealousy to the other satraps on account of ruling so much land.
διὸ καὶ μάλιστα τῷ Σελεύκῳ παρακαλοῦντι συνέθεντο Πτολεμαῖός τε καὶ Λυσίμαχος ὁ Θρᾴκης σατράπης καὶ Κάσσανδρος ὁ Ἀντιπάτρου, Μακεδόνων ἐπὶ τῷ πατρὶ ἡγούμενος·
Therefore, especially at the invitation of Seleucus, Ptolemy, Lysimachus (the satrap of Thrace), and Cassander (the son of Antipater, who had succeeded his father in leading the Macedonians) formed an alliance.
καὶ ὁμοῦ πρεσβευσάμενοι τὸν Ἀντίγονον ἠξίουν τὴν ἐπίκτητον αὐτῷ γενομένην γῆν τε καὶ χρήματα πρός τε σφᾶς νείμασθαι καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους Μακεδόνας, οἳ τῶν σατραπειῶν ἐξεπεπτώκεσαν.
Sending a joint embassy, they demanded that Antigonus divide the land and money he had acquired both with them and with the other Macedonians who had been driven out of their satrapies.
ἐπιχλευάσαντος δὲ αὐτοὺς τοῦ Ἀντιγόνου οἱ μὲν ἐς πόλεμον καθίσταντο κοινόν, ὁ δὲ ἀντιπαρεσκευάζετο, καὶ ἐξέβαλλε τὰς φρουρὰς ὅσαι ἔτι ἦσαν ἐν τῇ Συρίᾳ Πτολεμαίου, καὶ Φοινίκης τε καὶ τῆς λεγομένης κοίλης τὰ ἔτι ὑπήκοα τοῦ Πτολεμαίου πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀθρόως περιέσπα.
But as Antigonus treated them with mockery, they entered into a common war, while he prepared himself in turn, expelling all the garrisons of Ptolemy that were still in Syria, and quickly drawing to himself the parts of Phoenicia and of Coele, as it is called, which were still subject to Ptolemy.
§954χωρῶν δʼ ὑπὲρ τὰς Κιλικίους πύλας, Δημήτριον τὸν υἱόν, ἀμφὶ δύο καὶ εἴκοσιν ἔτη γεγονότα, ἐν Γάζῃ μετὰ τοῦ στρατοῦ καταλείπει πρὸς τὰς ὁρμὰς Πτολεμαίου τὰς ἀπʼ Αἰγύπτου.
Marching beyond the Cilician Gates, he left his son Demetrius, who was about twenty-two years old, in Gaza with the army to meet the incursions of Ptolemy from Egypt.
τοῦτον ὁ Πτολεμαῖος ἐνίκα περὶ τὴν Γάζαν μάχῃ λαμπρῶς, καὶ τὸ μειράκιον ἐς τὸν πατέρα ἐχώρει.
Ptolemy defeated him in a brilliant battle near Gaza, and the youth retreated to his father.
Πτολεμαῖος δʼ αὐτίκα τὸν Σέλευκον ἐς τῆν Βαβυλῶνα πέμπει, τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀναληψόμενον· καὶ πεζοὺς ἐς τοῦτο ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ χιλίους, καὶ τριακοσίους ἱππέας.
Ptolemy immediately sent Seleucus to Babylon to recover his rule, giving him for this purpose one thousand infantry and three hundred cavalry.
καὶ σὺν οὕτως ὀλίγοις ὁ Σέλευκος τήν τε Βαβυλωνίαν, προθύμως αὐτὸν ἅμα τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκδεχομένων, ἀνέλαβε, καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν μετʼ οὐ πολὺ ἐς μέγα προήγαγεν.
With so few forces, Seleucus recovered Babylonia, as the inhabitants received him eagerly, and not long afterward he advanced his power to a high degree.
ὁ δʼ Ἀντίγονος Πτολεμαῖον ἠμύνετο, καὶ ναυμαχίᾳ περὶ Κύπρον ἐνίκα περιφανεῖ, Δημητρίου τοῦ παιδὸς στρατηγοῦντος· ἐφʼ ὅτῳ λαμπροτάτῳ γενομένῳ ὁ στρατὸς ἀνεῖπεν ἄμφω βασιλέας, Ἀντίγονόν τε καὶ Δημήτριον, ἤδη καὶ τῶν βασιλέων τεθνεώτων, Ἀριδαίου τε τοῦ Φιλίππου καὶ Ὀλυμπιάδος καὶ τῶν υἱῶν Ἀλεξάνδρου.
Meanwhile, Antigonus retaliated against Ptolemy, and defeated him in a famous naval battle near Cyprus, with his son Demetrius commanding; upon which brilliant success, the army proclaimed both Antigonus and Demetrius kings, the former kings, Philip Arrhidaeus, Olympias, and the sons of Alexander, being already dead.
ἀνεῖπε δὲ καὶ Πτολεμαῖον ὁ οἰκεῖος αὐτοῦ στρατὸς βασιλέα, ὡς μή τι διὰ τὴν ἧσσαν μειονεκτοίη τῶν νενικηκότων.
Ptolemy's own army also proclaimed him king, so that he might not be at a disadvantage compared to the victors because of his defeat.
τοῖσδε μὲν δὴ τυχεῖν ὁμοίων συνηνέχθη κατʼ ἐναντίας αἰτίας, εἵποντο δʼ εὐθὺς αὐτοῖς οἱ λοιποί, καὶ βασιλεῖς ἅπαντες ἐκ σατραπῶν ἐγίγνοντο.
Thus it happened that these men obtained similar results from opposite causes, and the rest immediately followed them, and all of them became kings from being satraps.