- 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-grc2:2.57.1-2.57.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
While the Peloponnesians ravaged Attica and the Athenians were on their naval expedition, the plague devastated Athens, prompting the enemy to withdraw earlier out of fear; this invasion was their longest, lasting about forty days.
ὅσον δὲ χρόνον οἵ τε Πελοποννήσιοι ἦσαν ἐν τῇ γῇ τῇ Ἀθηναίων καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐστράτευον ἐπὶ τῶν νεῶν, ἡ νόσος ἔν τε τῇ στρατιᾷ τοὺς Ἀθηναίους ἔφθειρε καὶ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ὥστε καὶ ἐλέχθη τοὺς Πελοποννησίους δείσαντας τὸ νόσημα, ὡς ἐπυνθάνοντο τῶν αὐτομόλων ὅτι ἐν τῇ πόλει εἴη1 καὶ θάπτοντας ἅμα ᾐσθάνοντο,2 θᾶσσον ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐξελθεῖν.3
During all the time that the Peloponnesians were in the land of the Athenians and the Athenians were campaigning on the ships, the plague was destroying the Athenians both in the army and in the city, so that it was even said that the Peloponnesians, fearing the disease—when they learned from deserters that it was in the city and at the same time perceived them burying the dead—departed from the land more quickly.
τῇ δὲ ἐσβολῇ ταύτῃ4 πλεῖστόν τε χρόνον ἐνέμειναν καὶ τὴν γῆν πᾶσαν ἔτεμον· ἡμέρας γὰρ τεσσαράκοντα μάλιστα ἐν τῇ γῇ τῇ Ἀττικῇ ἐγένοντο.
In this invasion they remained for the longest time and ravaged the whole land; for they were in the Attic land for about forty days.
- 2.57.1ὅτι ἐν τῇ πόλει εἴη
The optative εἴη in the dependent clause is used in indirect discourse instead of the indicative present ἐστί, because the leading verb is in a past tense (imperfect ἐπυνθάνοντο). It represents the fact that the plague was in the city.
- 2.57.1θάπτοντας ἅμα ᾐσθάνοντο
The present participle θάπτοντας is used as the complement of the verb of perception ᾐσθάνοντο (αἰσθάνομαι). The implied subject of the participle (the Athenians burying their dead) is omitted as it is obvious from the context.
- 2.57.1ἐλέχθη τοὺς Πελοποννησίους ... ἐξελθεῖν
The accusative with infinitive construction (with the subject accusative τοὺς Πελοποννησίους and the infinitive ἐξελθεῖν) functions as the subject of the impersonal passive verb ἐλέχθη (it was said), meaning 'it was said that the Peloponnesians departed'.
- 2.57.2τῇ δὲ ἐσβολῇ ταύτῃ
Dative of time, expressing the period within which the action occurred: 'during this invasion' or 'in this invasion'.