Diodorus on the battle of Chaeronea

Diodorus of Sicily: Greek historian, author of the Library of World History. His activities can be dated between 60 and 30 BCE.

Map of the battle of Chaeronea

In August 338, the Macedonian king Philip defeated an army of Athenians and Thebans on the plain of Chaeronea, a town in Central Greece. While the Macedonian right wing pretended to retreat and lured the Athenians (the Greek left wing) to advance, a gap was created between the Athenians and the Thebans on the Greek right wing. The decisive charge was led by Philip's son Alexander, who sped with the Macedonian through the gap and broke the Greek line.

The Macedonian victory meant the end of the independence of the Greek towns and marks the beginning of the career of Alexander. The following account is by Diodorus of Sicily, World history, 16.85.5-86.6.

The translation was made by Michael Crawford and David Whitehead.

Book
16
Chapter
85
86
Section
5
6
7

The battle of Chaeronea

[16.85.5] So Philip, having failed to get the alliance of the Boeotians, nevertheless decided to fight both of the Athenians and Boeotians together. So he waited for the last of his allies to arrive and then marched into Boeotia, with more than 30,000 infantry and no less than 2,000 cavalry.

[16.85.6] Both sides were eager for the battle and were well matched in intention, zeal and courage, but the king had the advantage in numbers and in generalship.

[16.85.7] For henote had fought many battles of different sorts and had been victorious in most cases, so that he had wide experience of military operations. On the Athenian side, the best of their commanders were dead, Iphicrates, Chabrias and Timotheus too; and the best of those who were left, Chares, was no better than any soldier in the activity and counsel required of a commander.