- 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-grc2:2.15.1-2.15.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-22
Explains the historical process by which Theseus unified the cities of Attica to make Athens the single political center (synoecism), and presents evidence that the acropolis and its southern vicinity originally constituted the city.
ξυνεβεβήκει δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ πάνυ ἀρχαίου ἑτέρων μᾶλλον Ἀθηναίοις τοῦτο. ἐπὶ γὰρ Κέκροπος καὶ τῶν πρώτων βασιλέων ἡ Ἀττικὴ ἐς Θησέα1 αἰεὶ κατὰ πόλεις ᾠκεῖτο πρυτανεῖά τε ἐχούσας καὶ ἄρχοντας, καὶ ὁπότε μή τι δείσειαν,2 οὐ ξυνῇσαν βουλευσόμενοι ὡς τὸν βασιλέα, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτοὶ ἕκαστοι ἐπολίτευον καὶ ἐβουλεύοντο· καί τινες καὶ ἐπολέμησάν ποτε αὐτῶν, ὥσπερ καὶ Ἐλευσίνιοι μετ’ Εὐμόλπου πρὸς Ἐρεχθέα.
This had been the case with the Athenians more than with others from very early times. For under Cecrops and the first kings, Attica was always inhabited in various cities, which had their own prytaneums and rulers; and unless they were in some fear, they did not come together to consult with the king, but each governed and consulted for themselves; and some of them even waged war at times, as the Eleusinians did under Eumolpus against Erechtheus.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ Θησεὺς ἐβασίλευσε, γενόμενος μετὰ τοῦ ξυνετοῦ καὶ δυνατὸς3 τά τε ἄλλα διεκόσμησε τὴν χώραν καὶ καταλύσας τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων τά τε βουλευτήρια καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἐς τὴν νῦν πόλιν οὖσαν, ἓν βουλευτήριον ἀποδείξας καὶ πρυτανεῖον, ξυνῴκισε πάντας, καὶ νεμομένους τὰ αὑτῶν ἑκάστους ἅπερ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ ἠνάγκασε μιᾷ πόλει ταύτῃ χρῆσθαι, ἣ ἁπάντων ἤδη ξυντελούντων ἐς αὐτὴν μεγάλη γενομένη παρεδόθη4 ὑπὸ Θησέως τοῖς ἔπειτα· καὶ ξυνοίκια ἐξ ἐκείνου Ἀθηναῖοι ἔτι καὶ νῦν τῇ θεῷ ἑορτὴν δημοτελῆ ποιοῦσιν.
But when Theseus became king, being a man of intelligence as well as power, he reorganized the country in various ways, and having abolished the council chambers and offices of the other cities, established a single council chamber and prytaneum in what is now the city, and united them all; and while each continued to enjoy their own property just as before, he compelled them to use this single city, which, now that all contributed to it, became great and was handed down by Theseus to posterity; and from that time to this, the Athenians celebrate a public festival to the goddess called the Synoecia.
τὸ δὲ πρὸ τοῦ ἡ ἀκρόπολις ἡ νῦν οὖσα πόλις ἦν, καὶ τὸ ὑπ’ αὐτὴν πρὸς νότον μάλιστα τετραμμένον.
Before this, what is now the acropolis was the city, along with the district beneath it, looking chiefly towards the south.
τεκμήριον δέ· τὰ γὰρ ἱερὰ ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἀκροπόλει † καὶ ἄλλων θεῶν ἐστὶ καὶ τὰ ἔξω πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος τῆς πόλεως μᾶλλον ἵδρυται, τό τε τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Ὀλυμπίου καὶ τὸ Πύθιον καὶ τὸ τῆς Γῆς καὶ τὸ 〈τοῦ〉 ἐν Λίμναις Διονύσου, ᾧ τὰ ἀρχαιότερα Διονύσια [τῇ δωδεκάτῃ] ποιεῖται ἐν μηνὶ Ἀνθεστηριῶνι, ὥσπερ καὶ οἱ ἀπ’ Ἀθηναίων Ἴωνες ἔτι καὶ νῦν νομίζουσιν. ἵδρυται δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἱερὰ ταύτῃ ἀρχαῖα.
This is proved by the fact that the sanctuaries of the other gods as well are in the acropolis itself, and those that are outside are situated chiefly in this quarter of the city: namely, that of Olympian Zeus, the Pythium, that of Ge, and that of Dionysus in the Marshes, in whose honor the older Dionysia are celebrated on the twelfth day of the month Anthesterion, a custom which the Ionians of Athenian descent still retain to this day. Other ancient sanctuaries are also situated in this quarter.
καὶ τῇ κρήνῃ τῇ νῦν μὲν τῶν τυράννων οὕτω σκευασάντων Ἐννεακρούνῳ καλουμένῃ, τὸ δὲ πάλαι φανερῶν τῶν πηγῶν οὐσῶν Καλλιρρόῃ ὠνομασμένῃ, ἐκεῖνοί τε ἐγγὺς οὔσῃ τὰ πλείστου ἄξια ἐχρῶντο,5 καὶ νῦν ἔτι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρχαίου πρό τε γαμικῶν καὶ ἐς ἄλλα τῶν ἱερῶν νομίζεται τῷ ὕδατι χρῆσθαι·
And the spring which, now that the tyrants have decorated it, is called Enneacrunus, but of old, when the sources were open, was named Callirrhoe, being near, was used by them for the most important purposes; and still now, from ancient custom, it is the rule to use its water before marriages and for other sacred rites.
καλεῖται δὲ διὰ τὴν παλαιὰν ταύτῃ κατοίκησιν καὶ ἡ ἀκρόπολις μέχρι τοῦδε ἔτι ὑπ᾽ Ἀθηναίων πόλις.
And because of this ancient residence in it, the acropolis is still called ‘the city’ by the Athenians even to this day.
- 2.15.1ἐς Θησέα
The preposition ἐς (= εἰς) is used temporally to mean "until the time of Theseus."
- 2.15.1ὁπότε μή τι δείσειαν
The optative of indefinite frequency introduced by ὁπότε, meaning "whenever they were not in fear of anything."
- 2.15.2γενόμενος μετὰ τοῦ ξυνετοῦ καὶ δυνατὸς
The prepositional phrase μετὰ τοῦ ξυνετοῦ (with intelligence) and the adjective δυνατός (powerful) are coordinated to describe Theseus's qualities.
- 2.15.2ἣ ἁπάντων ἤδη ξυντελούντων ἐς αὐτὴν μεγάλη γενομένη παρεδόθη
ἁπάντων ... ξυντελούντων is a genitive absolute. ξυντελούντων ἐς αὐτήν means "contributing to it (the city) together" or "belonging to the same political body."
- 2.15.5καὶ τῇ κρήνῃ... ἐκεῖνοί τε... ἐχρῶντο
Hyperbaton. The dative τῇ κρήνῃ at the beginning of the sentence is governed by the verb ἐχρῶντο located further down, separated by a long parenthetical description (τῇ νῦν μὲν ... ὠνομασμένῃ).