Megabyzus' Campaign in Egypt and Siege of the Athenians — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 1 (1.109.1–1.109.4), Greek & English

§1.109.1

οἱ δ’ ἐν τῇ Αἰγύπτῳ Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἐπέμενον, καὶ αὐτοῖς πολλαὶ ἰδέαι πολέμων κατέστησαν.

The Athenians and their allies in Egypt remained there, and many forms of warfare arose for them.

§1.109.2

τὸ μὲν γὰρ πρῶτον ἐκράτουν τῆς Αἰγύπτου οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, καὶ βασιλεὺς πέμπει ἐς Λακεδαίμονα Μεγάβαζον ἄνδρα Πέρσην χρήματα ἔχοντα, ὅπως ἐς τὴν Ἀττικὴν ἐσβαλεῖν πεισθέντων τῶν Πελοποννησίων¹ ἀπ’ Αἰγύπτου ἀπαγάγοι² Ἀθηναίους.

For at first the Athenians were masters of Egypt, and the King sent Megabazus, a Persian, to Lacedaemon with money, so that, if the Peloponnesians could be persuaded to invade Attica, he might draw the Athenians away from Egypt.

§1.109.3

ὡς δὲ αὐτῷ οὐ προυχώρει καὶ τὰ χρήματα ἄλλως ἀνηλοῦτο, ὁ μὲν Μεγάβαζος καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν χρημάτων πάλιν ἐς τὴν Ἀσίαν ἀνεκομίσθη, Μεγάβυζον δὲ τὸν Ζωπύρου πέμπει ἄνδρα Πέρσην μετὰ στρατιᾶς πολλῆς·

But when the matter did not progress for him and the money was being spent in vain, Megabazus returned to Asia with the rest of the money, and the King sent Megabyzus, son of Zopyrus, a Persian, with a large army;

§1.109.4

ὃς ἀφικόμενος κατὰ γῆν τούς τε Αἰγυπτίους καὶ τοὺς ξυμμάχους μάχῃ ἐκράτησε καὶ ἐκ τῆς Μέμφιδος ἐξήλασε τοὺς Ἕλληνας καὶ τέλος ἐς Προσωπίτιδα τὴν νῆσον κατέκλῃσε καὶ ἐπολιόρκει ἐν αὐτῇ ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ ἓξ μῆνας, μέχρι οὗ³ ξηράνας τὴν διώρυχα καὶ παρατρέψας ἄλλῃ τὸ ὕδωρ τάς τε ναῦς ἐπὶ τοῦ ξηροῦ ἐποίησε καὶ τῆς νήσου τὰ πολλὰ ἤπειρον,⁴ καὶ διαβὰς εἷλε τὴν νῆσον πεζῇ.

who, having arrived by land, defeated the Egyptians and their allies in battle, drove the Greeks out of Memphis, and finally shut them up in the island of Prosopitis, where he besieged them for a year and six months, until he dried up the canal and diverted the water elsewhere, thereby leaving the ships on dry land and turning most of the island into mainland, and crossing over, captured the island on foot.

Syntax notes4 items

1.109.2πεισθέντων τῶν Πελοποννησίων
A genitive absolute construction with the passive participle πεισθέντων, expressing a conditional force ("if the Peloponnesians could be persuaded to invade Attica") within the purpose clause introduced by ὅπως. The infinitive ἐσβαλεῖν depends on the participle.
1.109.2ἀπαγάγοι
Optative in a purpose clause introduced by ὅπως. Although the main verb πέμπει is formally present, it functions as a historical present, which licenses the secondary sequence (optative) in the subordinate clause.
1.109.4μέχρι οὗ
A temporal conjunctional phrase meaning "until," consisting of the preposition/adverb μέχρι and the genitive neuter of the relative pronoun οὗ.
1.109.4ἤπειρον
Part of a double accusative construction (object and predicate accusative) governed by the verb ἐποίησε. It serves as the predicate accusative to the direct object τῆς νήσου τὰ πολλά ("most of the island"), with the verb [ἐποίησε] understood from the previous clause.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.109.1-1.109.4