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1

When this year had elapsed, at Athens Theophilus was archon, and at Rome Gaius Sulpicius and Gaius Quintius were elected as consuls, and the one hundred eighth celebration of the Olympian games was held at which Polycles of Cyrene won the stadion race. [2] During their term of office Philip, whose aim was to subdue the cities on the Hellespont, acquired without a battle Mecyberna2 and Torone3 by treasonable surrender, and then, having taken the field with a large army against the most important of the cities in this region, Olynthus, he first defeated the Olynthians in two battles and confined them to the defence of their walls; then in the continuous assaults that he made he lost many of his men in encounters at the walls, but finally bribed the chief officials of the Olynthians, Euthycrates and Lasthenes,4 and captured Olynthus through their treachery. [3] After plundering it and enslaving the inhabitants he sold both men and property as booty. By so doing he procured large sums for prosecuting the war and intimidated the other cities that were opposed to him. Having rewarded with appropriate gifts such soldiers as had behaved gallantly in the battle and distributed a sum of money to men of influence in the cities, he gained many tools ready to betray their countries. Indeed he was wont to declare that it was far more by the use of gold than of arms that he had enlarged his kingdom.

1 348/7 B.C.

2 Mecyberna was the port of Olynthus, taken by Olynthus from Athens (cp. Book 12.77.5).

3 Torone was probably subject to Olynthus (cp. Book 15.81.6).

4 Euthycrates and Lasthenes became the stock examples of fifth columnists (see Dem. 8.40; Dem. 19.265, 342; also, on Olynthus, Philochorus fr. 132; Suidas, s.v. Κάρανος; Dem. 9.56-66; and Pickard-Cambridge, Cambridge Ancient History, 6.228-233).

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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    • Demosthenes, Philippic 3, 56
    • Demosthenes, On the Chersonese, 40
    • Demosthenes, On the False Embassy, 265
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