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1

When Nicophemus was archon at Athens, the consular office at Rome was assumed by Gaius Sulpicius and Gaius Licinius. During their term of office Alexander, tyrant of Pherae, sent pirate ships against the Cyclades,2 stormed some and took many captives, then disembarking mercenaries on Peparethos3 put the city under siege. [2] And when the Athenians came to the assistance of the Peparethians and left Leosthenes in command of the mission, Alexander attacked the Athenians. Actually they were blockading such of Alexander's soldiers as were stationed in Panormus. And since the tyrant's men attacked unexpectedly, Alexander won a surprising success. For he not only rescued the detachment at Panormus from the greatest danger, but he also captured five Attic triremes and one Peparethian, and took six hundred captives. [3] The Athenians, enraged, condemned Leosthenes to death as a traitor and confiscated his property, then choosing Chares4 as general in command and giving him a fleet, they sent him out. But he spent his time avoiding the enemy and injuring the allies. For he sailed to Corcyra, an allied city, and stirred up such violent civil strife in it that many murders and seizures took place, with the result that the Athenian democracy was discredited in the eyes of the allies. So it turned out that Chares, who did many other such lawless acts, accomplished nothing good but brought his country into discredit. [4]

The historians Dionysodorus and Anaxis,5 Boeotians, closed their narrative of Greek history with this year. But we, now that we have narrated the events before the time of King Philip, bring this book to a close here in accordance with the plan stated at the beginning.6 In the following book which begins with Philip's accession to the throne, we shall record all the achievements of this king to his death, including in its compass those other events as well which have occurred in the known portions of the world.

1 361/0 B.C.

2 See Dem. 50.4-5; Polyaenus 6.2.

3 An island off Thessaly, north of Scyros. Perhaps Panormus is its harbour town.

4 For Chares and Corcyra see Aeneas Tacticus 11.13 ff. Demosthenes notes the hostility of Corcyra in Dem. 24.202 and Dem. 18.234.

5 These Boeotian historians are to us mere names. No fragments exist.

6 See chap. 1.6.

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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