- 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-grc2:1.7.1
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Explains that newer cities, built after navigation became easier, were established on the coast and on isthmuses with walls for commerce and security, whereas older cities were built inland to avoid piracy and remain there to this day.
τῶν δὲ πόλεων ὅσαι μὲν νεώτατα ᾠκίσθησαν καὶ ἤδη πλωιμωτέρων ὄντων,1 περιουσίας μᾶλλον ἔχουσαι χρημάτων ἐπ’ αὐτοῖς τοῖς αἰγιαλοῖς τείχεσιν ἐκτίζοντο καὶ τοὺς ἰσθμοὺς ἀπελάμβανον2 ἐμπορίας τε ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς πρὸς τοὺς προσοίκους ἕκαστοι ἰσχύος· αἱ δὲ παλαιαὶ διὰ τὴν λῃστείαν ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀντίσχουσαν ἀπὸ θαλάσσης μᾶλλον ᾠκίσθησαν, αἵ τε ἐν ταῖς νήσοις καὶ ἐν ταῖς ἠπείροις (ἔφερον3 γὰρ ἀλλήλους τε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὅσοι ὄντες οὐ θαλάσσιοι κάτω ᾤκουν), καὶ μέχρι τοῦδε ἔτι ἀνῳκισμένοι4 εἰσίν.
Of the cities, those which were founded most recently, when navigation had already become more common, having greater surpluses of wealth, were built with walls right on the shores and walled off the isthmuses, both for the sake of trade and for each city’s own security against their neighbours. But the ancient cities, because piracy had long prevailed, were founded rather away from the sea, both those on the islands and those on the mainland (for they plundered one another and all those who, not being seafaring people, lived down near the coast); and to this day they are still settled inland.
- 1.7.1πλωιμωτέρων ὄντων
An impersonal genitive absolute. The subject (such as "conditions" or "the sea") is omitted, and the comparative adjective πλωιμώτερος (more navigable) is used to mean "when navigation had already become easier/more common".
- 1.7.1ἀπελάμβανον
Imperfect of ἀπολαμβάνω (to cut off, intercept). Here it means "walled off the isthmuses" or "secured them by cutting them off with walls" for defense.
- 1.7.1ἔφερον
Imperfect of φέρω (normally "to carry, bear"). In this context of piracy, it is used in the sense of "to plunder" or "to carry off (people and property)". Although commonly found in the formulaic phrase ἄγω καὶ φέρω, it carries the same meaning of plundering when used alone.
- 1.7.1ἀνῳκισμένοι
Perfect passive participle of ἀνοικίζω (to move inland, settle away from the sea). The prefix ἀνά- denotes the direction "up, inland" (away from the coast), indicating the state of cities being situated in highland or inland areas.