The Library, Books 16-20 by Diodorus Siculus & Robin Waterfield

Author:Diodorus Siculus & Robin Waterfield
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780191078064
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Published: 2019-03-28T16:00:00+00:00

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55. At the beginning of the following year, Praxibulus became Archon in Athens, and in Rome Nautius Spurius and Marcus Popillius were elected consuls. In this year:

Antigonus decided to take all the money down to the coast personally, so he left a local man, Aspisas, as satrap of Susiane, while he equipped himself with carts and camels and set out with the army for Babylonia. [2] He reached Babylon twenty-two days later, and Seleucus, who was satrap there, honoured him with gifts fit for a king and feasted his entire army. [3] But when Antigonus demanded an accounting of his revenues, Seleucus refused, saying that he was not obliged to submit to an audit when the land concerned had been given to him by the Macedonians in recognition of the services he had undertaken during Alexander’s lifetime.* [4] Day by day, the quarrel became more acerbic, and Seleucus, bearing in mind what had happened to Pithon,* was terrified that Antigonus would find some pretext for doing away with him, since it looked as though he wanted to get rid of every man of worth who had the potential to take power.* [5] To be on the safe side, then, he fled, accompanied by only fifty horsemen, with the intention of making his way to Ptolemy in Egypt, because word had spread of Ptolemy’s goodness, and of the warm friendship he extended to all who turned to him for safety.

[6] Antigonus was delighted when he heard of Seleucus’ flight. It was not just that it freed him from the necessity of laying hands on a man who was a friend and who had actively cooperated with him; he was also pleased because Seleucus’ self-enforced exile delivered Babylonia to him without his having to fight or face danger for it. [7] But then the Chaldaeans paid him a visit and warned him of the consequences of letting Seleucus slip out of his grasp—that Seleucus would become the master of all Asia, and that Antigonus himself would lose his life in battle against him*—and Antigonus regretted what he had done. He sent men after Seleucus and they followed him for a while, but then came back empty-handed.

[8] Although Antigonus generally despised such prophetic warnings, this one disturbed him a great deal. What troubled him was the reputation the Chaldaeans had as men of real expertise whose observation of the heavenly bodies was particularly accurate. The Chaldaeans claim, in fact, to have been devoting themselves to these matters for thousands upon thousands of years. They are also supposed to have warned Alexander that he would die if he entered Babylon,* [9] and the outcome of the prophecy about Seleucus was the same as the one about Alexander: in both cases, the Chaldaeans’ assertions turned out to be true. I shall go into more detail about this when we come to the relevant period of time.*

56. Seleucus reached Egypt safely and met with nothing but kindness from Ptolemy. He bitterly denounced Antigonus, accusing him of

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