- Source
- Thucydides. Historiae, Vol 1-2. Jones, Henry Stuart, editor. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1910. (1942 printing).
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.62.1-1.62.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-26
The Athenian and allied forces face each other at the isthmus of Potidaea, where Aristeus plans a pincer movement. The Athenians block the reinforcements from Olynthus and advance to victory, forcing the majority of the allied army to retreat behind the city walls.
Ποτειδεᾶται δὲ καὶ οἱ μετὰ Ἀριστέως Πελοποννήσιοι προσδεχόμενοι τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο πρὸς Ὀλύνθου ἐν τῷ ἰσθμῷ, καὶ ἀγορὰν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐπεποίηντο.
The Potidaeans and the Peloponnesians with Aristeus, expecting the Athenians, were encamped on the side of Olynthus on the isthmus, and had established a market outside the city.
στρατηγὸν μὲν οὖν τοῦ πεζοῦ παντὸς οἱ ξύμμαχοι ᾕρηντο Ἀριστέα, τῆς δὲ ἵππου Περδίκκαν· ἀπέστη γὰρ εὐθὺς πάλιν τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ ξυνεμάχει τοῖς Ποτειδεάταις, Ἰόλαον ἀνθ’ αὑτοῦ καταστήσας ἄρχοντα.
Now the allies had chosen Aristeus as general of all the infantry, and Perdiccas of the cavalry; for he had immediately revolted again from the Athenians and was fighting on the side of the Potidaeans, having appointed Iolaus as commander in his stead.
ἦν δὲ ἡ γνώμη τοῦ Ἀριστέως τὸ μὲν μεθ’ ἑαυτοῦ στρατόπεδον ἔχοντι1 ἐν τῷ ἰσθμῷ ἐπιτηρεῖν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, ἢν ἐπίωσι, Χαλκιδέας δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἔξω ἰσθμοῦ ξυμμάχους καὶ τὴν παρὰ Περδίκκου διακοσίαν ἵππον ἐν Ὀλύνθῳ μένειν, καὶ ὅταν Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπὶ σφᾶς χωρῶσι, κατὰ νώτου βοηθοῦντας ἐν μέσῳ ποιεῖν αὑτῶν τοὺς πολεμίους.
The plan of Aristeus was to keep his own force on the isthmus and watch for the Athenians in case they advanced, while the Chalcidians, the allies outside the isthmus, and the two hundred cavalry from Perdiccas were to remain in Olynthus; and when the Athenians advanced against his own troops, these were to bring help from behind and place the enemy between them.
Καλλίας δ’ αὖ ὁ τῶν Ἀθηναίων στρατηγὸς καὶ οἱ ξυνάρχοντες τοὺς μὲν Μακεδόνας ἱππέας καὶ τῶν ξυμμάχων ὀλίγους ἐπὶ Ὀλύνθου ἀποπέμπουσιν, ὅπως εἴργωσι τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπιβοηθεῖν,2 αὐτοὶ δὲ ἀναστήσαντες τὸ στρατόπεδον ἐχώρουν ἐπὶ τὴν Ποτείδαιαν.
Callias, on the other hand, the Athenian general, and his colleagues sent the Macedonian cavalry and a few of the allies towards Olynthus, to prevent those from that quarter from coming to help, while they themselves broke camp and advanced towards Potidaea.
καὶ ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τῷ ἰσθμῷ ἐγένοντο καὶ εἶδον τοὺς ἐναντίους παρασκευαζομένους ὡς ἐς μάχην, ἀντικαθίσταντο καὶ αὐτοί, καὶ οὐ πολὺ ὕστερον ξυνέμισγον.
And when they arrived at the isthmus and saw the enemy preparing for battle, they also drew up in opposition, and not long afterwards they joined battle.
καὶ αὐτὸ μὲν τὸ τοῦ Ἀριστέως κέρας καὶ ὅσοι περὶ ἐκεῖνον ἦσαν Κορινθίων τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων λογάδες ἔτρεψαν τὸ καθ’ ἑαυτοὺς3 καὶ ἐπεξῆλθον διώκοντες ἐπὶ πολύ· τὸ δὲ ἄλλο στρατόπεδον Ποτειδεατῶν καὶ Πελοποννησίων ἡσσᾶτο ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ ἐς τὸ τεῖχος κατέφυγεν.
And Aristeus’ own wing and those around him, consisting of Corinthian and other select troops, routed the force opposite them and pursued them to a great distance; but the rest of the army of the Potidaeans and Peloponnesians was defeated by the Athenians and fled for refuge inside the wall.
- 1.62.3ἔχοντι
The dative participle ἔχοντι agrees with the logical subject (Aristeus), despite the grammatical subject of the main clause being in the genitive (τοῦ Ἀριστέως). This construction arises because the phrase ἦν δὲ ἡ γνώμη τοῦ Ἀριστέως ('the plan of Aristeus was...') is semantically equivalent to an impersonal construction with a dative, resulting in an anacoluthon.
- 1.62.4τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν ἐπιβοηθεῖν
This infinitive clause functions as the object of the verb εἴργω ('prevent'). τοὺς ἐκεῖθεν ('those from there') acts as the subject accusative of the infinitive ἐπιβοηθεῖν ('to come to help'), meaning 'to prevent those from Olynthus from coming to assist.'
- 1.62.6τὸ καθ’ ἑαυτούς
The prepositional phrase καθ’ ἑαυτούς ('opposite themselves') is substantivized by the neuter article τὸ and functions as the direct object of ἔτρεψαν ('they routed'). It refers to the specific division of the Athenian army that was stationed directly opposite Aristeus' wing.