Postwar Instability in Greece and Later Colonization — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 1 (1.12.1–1.12.4), Greek & English

§1.12.1

ἐπεὶ καὶ μετὰ τὰ Τρωικὰ ἡ Ἑλλὰς ἔτι μετανίστατό τε καὶ κατῳκίζετο, ὥστε μὴ ἡσυχάσασαν αὐξηθῆναι.¹

For even after the Trojan war, Greece was still subject to migrations and resettlement, so that she could not grow through lack of tranquility.

§1.12.2

ἥ τε γὰρ ἀναχώρησις τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐξ Ἰλίου χρονία γενομένη πολλὰ ἐνεόχμωσε, καὶ στάσεις ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ὡς ἐπὶ πολὺ ἐγίγνοντο, ἀφ’ ὧν ἐκπίπτοντες² τὰς πόλεις ἔκτιζον.

Indeed, the return of the Greeks from Ilium, being long delayed, caused many innovations, and factions arose in the cities for the most part, being expelled from which they founded [new] cities.

§1.12.3

Βοιωτοί τε γὰρ οἱ νῦν ἑξηκοστῷ ἔτει μετὰ Ἰλίου ἅλωσιν ἐξ Ἄρνης ἀναστάντες ὑπὸ Θεσσαλῶν τὴν νῦν μὲν Βοιωτίαν, πρότερον δὲ Καδμηίδα γῆν καλουμένην ᾤκισαν (ἦν δὲ αὐτῶν καὶ ἀποδασμὸς πρότερον ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ, ἀφ’ ὧν καὶ ἐς Ἴλιον ἐστράτευσαν),³ Δωριῆς τε ὀγδοηκοστῷ ἔτει ξὺν Ἡρακλείδαις Πελοπόννησον ἔσχον.

For the Boeotians of today, having been driven from Arne by the Thessalians in the sixtieth year after the capture of Ilium, settled the country now called Boeotia, but formerly the Cadmeian land (though there had also been a portion of them in this land previously, from whom indeed they marched against Ilium); and the Dorians in the eightieth year with the Heraclidae occupied the Peloponnese.

§1.12.4

μόλις τε ἐν πολλῷ χρόνῳ ἡσυχάσασα ἡ Ἑλλὰς βεβαίως καὶ οὐκέτι ἀνισταμένη ἀποικίας ἐξέπεμψε, καὶ Ἴωνας μὲν Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ νησιωτῶν τοὺς πολλοὺς ᾤκισαν,⁴ Ἰταλίας δὲ καὶ Σικελίας τὸ πλεῖστον Πελοποννήσιοι τῆς τε ἄλλης Ἑλλάδος ἔστιν ἃ χωρία.⁵ πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ὕστερον τῶν Τρωικῶν ἐκτίσθη.

And at last, after a long time, Greece, having become securely tranquil and being no longer subject to displacement, sent out colonies; the Athenians colonized the Ionians and most of the islanders, while the Peloponnesians colonized the greater part of Italy and Sicily, and certain places in the rest of Greece. All these were founded after the Trojan war.

Syntax notes5 items

1.12.1ὥστε μὴ ἡσυχάσασαν αὐξηθῆναι
The conjunction ὥστε takes the infinitive αὐξηθῆναι to express result. The feminine accusative singular participle ἡσυχάσασαν agrees with τὴν Ἑλλάδα (supplied from ἡ Ἑλλὰς in the main clause as the subject of the infinitive).
1.12.2ἀφ’ ὧν ἐκπίπτοντες
The antecedent of the relative pronoun ὧν can be understood as either the immediately preceding στάσεις (factions) or πόλεσιν (cities). In the former case, it means "being expelled as a result of the factions," and in the latter, "being expelled from the cities." Grammatically, taking στάσεις as the antecedent is more natural and fits the immediate context of political strife.
1.12.3ἀφ’ ὧν καὶ ἐς Ἴλιον ἐστράτευσαν
The relative phrase ἀφ' ὧν refers either to αὐτῶν (of them) or to ἀποδασμὸς (detachment) as a collective noun, meaning "from whom [i.e., this detachment] they also marched against Ilium." The particle καί is emphatic ("indeed"). This parenthetical clause explains the presence of Boeotians in the Homeric Catalogue of Ships.
1.12.4Ἴωνας μὲν Ἀθηναῖοι καὶ νησιωτῶν τοὺς πολλοὺς ᾤκισαν
The verb ᾤκισαν (aorist of οἰκίζω) takes the accusatives Ἴωνας (Ionians) and νησιωτῶν τοὺς πολλοὺς (most of the islanders) as direct objects, carrying the causative sense "to settle them [as colonists]."
1.12.4ἔστιν ἃ χωρία
The phrase ἔστιν ἅ (the neuter plural of the idiom ἔστιν οἵ, "there are those which") functions here as "some" or "certain," modifying χωρία and qualifying τῆς ἄλλης Ἑλλάδος (certain places of the rest of Greece).

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-grc2:1.12.1-1.12.4