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Contents of the Fifteenth Book of Diodorus
chapter 1chapter 2chapter 3chapter 4chapter 5chapter 6chapter 7chapter 8chapter 9chapter 10chapter 11chapter 12chapter 13chapter 14chapter 15chapter 16chapter 17chapter 18chapter 19chapter 20chapter 21chapter 22chapter 23chapter 24chapter 25chapter 26chapter 27chapter 28chapter 29chapter 30chapter 31chapter 32chapter 33chapter 34chapter 35chapter 36chapter 37chapter 38chapter 39chapter 40chapter 41chapter 42chapter 43chapter 44chapter 45chapter 46chapter 47chapter 48chapter 49chapter 50chapter 51chapter 52chapter 53chapter 54chapter 55chapter 56chapter 57chapter 58chapter 59chapter 60chapter 61chapter 62chapter 63chapter 64chapter 65chapter 66chapter 67chapter 68chapter 69chapter 70chapter 71chapter 72chapter 73chapter 74chapter 75chapter 76chapter 77chapter 78chapter 79chapter 80chapter 81chapter 82chapter 83chapter 84chapter 85chapter 86chapter 87chapter 88chapter 89chapter 90chapter 91chapter 92chapter 93chapter 94chapter 95
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Shortly after, the King of Persia died, having ruled forty-three years, and Ochus, who
now assumed a new name, Artaxerxes, succeeded to the kingdom and ruled twenty-three
years;—for since the first Artaxerxes had ruled well and had shown himself altogether
peace-loving and fortunate, the Persians changed the names of those who ruled after him and
prescribed that they should bear that name.1
[2]
When King Tachos had returned to the army of Agesilaus,2 Nectanebos, who had collected more than a hundred thousand men, came
against Tachos and challenged him to fight a battle for the kingship. Now Agesilaus, observing
that the king was terrified and lacked the courage to risk a battle, bade him take heart.
"For," said he, "it is not those who have the advantage of numbers who win the victory, but
those who excel in valour." But since the king paid no heed to Agesilaus, he was obliged to
withdraw with him to a large city.
[3]
The Egyptians at first
started to assault them once they were shut in it, but when they had lost many men in their
attacks on the walls, they then began to surround the city with a wall and a ditch. As the work
was rapidly nearing completion by reason of the large number of workers, and the provisions in
the city were exhausted, Tachos despaired of his safety, but Agesilaus, encouraging the men and
attacking the enemy by night, unexpectedly succeeded in bringing all the men out safely.
[4]
And since the Egyptians had pursued close on their heels and
the district was now flat, the Egyptians supposed that they had the enemy surrounded by
superior numbers, and would utterly destroy them, but Agesilaus seized a position which had on
each side a canal fed by the river and thus halted the enemy's attack.
[5]
Then having drawn up his force in conformity with the terrain and
protected his army by the river channels, he joined battle. The superior numbers of the
Egyptians had become useless, and the Greeks, who surpassed them in courage, slew many
Egyptians and forced the rest to flee.
[6]
Afterwards Tachos
easily recovered the Egyptian kingship,3 and
Agesilaus, as the one who single-handed had restored his kingdom, was honoured with appropriate
gifts. On his journey back to his native land by way of Cyrene Agesilaus died, and his body
packed in honey4 was conveyed to Sparta where he received kingly burial and
honour.So far did events in Asia progress to the end of the
year.
1 Since Xerxes II and Darius II intervened between Artaxerxes I (465/4-425/4, see Books 11.69.6 and 12.64.1) and Artaxerxes II (405/4-362/1, see Book 13.108.1), this statement is not quite accurate. The name Artaxerxes seems not to have been used for Arses and Darius III.
2 Diodorus's account of Agesilaus in Egypt differs considerably from the other accounts: Xen. Ages. 2.28-31; Plut. Agesilaus 36-40; and Nepos Agesilaus 8. Plutarch appears to be the most reliable. In particular Agesilaus is elsewhere reported to have changed allegiance from Tachos to Nectanebos. According to Olmstead (History of the Persian Empire, 417, 419-420) Agesilaus served in Egypt from 360 to 358.
3 Contrary to Plut. Agesilaus 38.1 and 40.1, who seems more reliable. Tachos fled, Agesilaus established Nectanebos and left with gifts from the latter.
4 Contrary to Plut. Agesilaus 40.3: ". . . enclosed his dead body in melted wax, since they had no honey . . ." (Perrin, L.C.L.). Nepos Agesilaus 8.7 agrees with Plutarch.
Diodorus Siculus. Diodorus of Sicily in Twelve Volumes with an English Translation by C. H. Oldfather. Vol. 4-8. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd. 1989.
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References (11 total)
- Cross-references to this page
(4):
- Smith's Bio, Artaxerxes Ii. or Artaxerxes Mnemon
- Smith's Bio, Cha'brias
- Smith's Bio, Necta'nabis, Necta'nebus
- Smith's Bio, Tacfarinas
- Cross-references in notes to this page
(1):
- Plutarch, Agesilaus, Plut. Ages. 39
- Cross-references in notes from this page (6):
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