Diodorus Siculus, Library

Contents of the Twelfth Book of Diodorus

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XLVIII. During the same time Phormio, the Athenian general, with twenty triremes fell in with forty-seven Lacedaemonian warships. And engaging them in battle he sank the flag-ship of the enemy and put many of the rest of the ships out of action, capturing twelve together with their crews and pursuing the remaining as far as the land.¹ The Lacedaemonians, after having suffered defeat contrary to their expectations, fled for safety with the ships which were left them to Patrae in Achaea. This sea battle took place off Rhium,² as it is called. The Athenians set up a trophy, dedicated a ship to Poseidon at the strait,³ and then sailed off to the city of Naupactus, which was in their alliance. [2] The Lacedaemonians sent other ships to Patrae. These ships joined to themselves the triremes which had survived the battle and assembled at Rhium, and also the land force of the Peloponnesians met them at the same place and pitched camp near the fleet. [3] And Phormio, having become puffed up with pride over the victory he had just won, had the daring to attack the ships of the enemy, although they far outnumbered his⁴ ; and some of them he sank, though losing ships of his own, so that the victory he won was equivocal. After this, when the Athenians had dispatched twenty triremes,⁵ the Lacedaemonians sailed off in fear to Corinth, not daring to offer battle.

These, then, were the events of this year.

¹ Phormio's famous manoeuvring in this battle is described in Thuc. 2.83-84.

² A cape at the entrance of the Corinthian Gulf.

³ The Greek, which reads "at the Isthmus," must be defective, for Thucydides' account makes it certain that the ship was dedicated near the scene of the battle (Thuc. 2.84.4); the emendation of Wurm would have the dedication made "to Poseidon the patron god of the Isthmus."

⁴ Thuc. 2.86.4 states that there were seventy-seven ships against Phormio's twenty.

⁵ These were reinforcements from Athens.

Cross references from Perseus Sculpture Catalog:
Athens, NM 1467 [Athens, NM 1467]

This text is based on the following book(s):
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.
OCLC: 24758311
ISBN: 0674994132, 0674994221, 0674994396, 0674994280, 0674994647

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