Textus Originalis
XLIV ARGUMENTUM
Cap. 42. Nili ostia describuntur, quae ipsa hostium aditum difficilem reddunt. Persae praetervecti ostium Pelusium ad Mendesium appellunt, ubi expositis copiis Aegyptios in fugam agunt et castellum occupant. 43. Iphicratis consilium usque ad Memphin penetrandi impedit Pharnabazus. Amissa occasione Persae infecta re domum redire coguntur. Iphicrates Pharnabazi insidias metuens clam Athenas aufugit. 44. Iphicratis ingenium et de re militari merita describuntur. 45. In Graecis civitatibus multae seditiones oriuntur. Zacynthii in partes duas divulsi, alteri ab Atheniensibus, alteri ab Lacedaemoniis auxilium impetrant. 46. Corcyraei seditione laborantes idem faciunt. Plataeae urbs Atheniensibus amica a Thebanis diruitur. Thespiae ab iisdem devastantur. 47. Classes Lacedaemoniorum et Atheniensium de occupanda Corcyra certant. — In Cypro Nicocles regno potitus est. Romani Praenestinos vincunt. Ol. 101, 4 : 373 a. Chr. 48. Ingentes terrae motus et inundationes Peloponnesum vastant, praesertim Helicen et Buram. Cuius rei quae sint causae, quaeritur. 49. Helices incolae impie fecerant in Neptunum. Praeterea Peloponnesus ingentes habet cavernas et subterranea flumina. Ol. 102, 1 : 372 a. Chr. 50. Fax ingens in caelo visa portendit Lacedaemoniorum cladem. Chaldaei vero rationes astronomicas afferunt. Artaxerxes iterum pacem inter Graecos firmat. Thebani soli obstant; quorum superbiam Lacedaemonii frangere constituunt. Ol. 102, 2 : 371 a. Chr. 51. Thebani a sociis deserti, tamen postulata Lacedaemoniorum recusant. Itaque eis bellum infertur duce Cleombroto. 52. Cleombrotus ad Coroneam castra ponit. Thebani belli 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63.
Traduzione
English — scholarly
ARETHE Knowledge Engineering DivisionXLIV ARGUMENT
Ch. 42. The mouths of the Nile are described, which themselves make the approach difficult for enemies. The Persians, sailing past the Pelusiac mouth, put in at the Mendesian mouth, where, having landed their forces, they put the Egyptians to flight and occupy a stronghold. 43. Pharnabazus hinders Iphicrates' plan of penetrating as far as Memphis. With the opportunity lost, the Persians are compelled to return home with their mission unaccomplished. Iphicrates, fearing the treachery of Pharnabazus, secretly flees to Athens. 44. The character of Iphicrates and his merits in military affairs are described. 45. Many seditions arise in the Greek cities. The Zacynthians, split into two factions, obtain aid, the one from the Athenians, the other from the Lacedaemonians. 46. The Corcyraeans, suffering from sedition, do the same. The city of Plataea, friendly to the Athenians, is destroyed by the Thebans. Thespiae is devastated by the same. 47. The fleets of the Lacedaemonians and Athenians contend for the possession of Corcyra. — In Cyprus, Nicocles gained power. The Romans defeat the Praenestians. Ol. 101, 4 : 373 BC 48. Great earthquakes and floods devastate the Peloponnese, especially Helice and Bura. What the causes of this event are, is investigated. 49. The inhabitants of Helice had acted impiously towards Neptune. Moreover, the Peloponnese has huge caverns and subterranean rivers. Ol. 102, 1 : 372 BC 50. A huge fireball seen in the sky portends the disaster of the Lacedaemonians. The Chaldaeans, however, offer astronomical explanations. Artaxerxes again establishes peace among the Greeks. The Thebans alone oppose it; the Lacedaemonians decide to crush their arrogance. Ol. 102, 2 : 371 BC 51. The Thebans, deserted by their allies, nevertheless refuse the demands of the Lacedaemonians. Therefore war is brought upon them under the command of Cleombrotus. 52. Cleombrotus pitches his camp near Coronea. The Thebans entrust the supreme command of the war to Epaminondas. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63.
Commentario Arethe
Ingentes terrae motus et inundationes... Helicen et Buram
Diodorus XV 48–49 records the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami of 373 BC that destroyed the cities of Helice and Bura on the southern shore of the Corinthian Gulf. Helice was submerged entirely — it became the 'Greek Atlantis' of ancient literature. Diodorus provides a rationalizing account of the causes, mentioning subterranean rivers and caverns. Modern seismology confirms this was a major tectonic event along the Helice Fault (part of the Corinth Rift). The site of Helice was rediscovered by archaeologists in 2001 in the Helike Delta plain. This passage exemplifies Diodorus' interest in natural phenomena and proto-scientific explanations.