- 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-grc2:4.31.1-4.31.2
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
Describes the Athenians' night landing on the island to advance on the first guard-post, and the three-part military disposition of the Spartans.
οὐ προσδεξαμένων δὲ αὐτῶν μίαν μὲν ἡμέραν ἐπέσχον, τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ ἀνηγάγοντο μὲν νυκτὸς ἐπ’ ὀλίγας ναῦς τοὺς ὁπλίτας πάντας ἐπιβιβάσαντες, πρὸ δὲ τῆς ἕω ὀλίγον ἀπέβαινον τῆς νήσου ἑκατέρωθεν, ἔκ τε τοῦ πελάγους καὶ πρὸς τοῦ λιμένος, ὀκτακόσιοι μάλιστα ὄντες ὁπλῖται, καὶ ἐχώρουν δρόμῳ ἐπὶ τὸ πρῶτον φυλακτήριον τῆς νήσου.
When they did not accept the proposal, the Athenians waited for one day, and on the next day, having embarked all their hoplites on a few ships, they put out to sea by night, and a little before dawn, landed on both sides of the island, from the open sea and from the harbor. They were about eight hundred hoplites, and they advanced at a run against the first guard-post of the island.
ὧδε γὰρ διετετάχατο·1 ἐν ταύτῃ μὲν τῇ πρώτῃ φυλακῇ ὡς τριάκοντα ἦσαν ὁπλῖται, μέσον δὲ καὶ ὁμαλώτατόν τε καὶ περὶ τὸ ὕδωρ οἱ πλεῖστοι αὐτῶν καὶ Ἐπιτάδας ὁ ἄρχων εἶχε,2 μέρος δέ τι οὐ πολὺ αὐτὸ τὸ ἔσχατον ἐφύλασσε τῆς νήσου τὸ πρὸς τὴν Πύλον, ὃ ἦν ἔκ τε θαλάσσης ἀπόκρημνον καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἥκιστα ἐπίμαχον· καὶ γάρ τι καὶ ἔρυμα αὐτόθι ἦν παλαιὸν λίθων λογάδην πεποιημένον, ὃ ἐνόμιζον σφίσιν ὠφέλιμον ἂν εἶναι, εἰ καταλαμβάνοι3 ἀναχώρησις βιαιοτέρα. οὕτω μὲν τεταγμένοι ἦσαν.
For they had been posted in the following manner: in this first guard-post there were about thirty hoplites; the center, which was the flattest part and around the water, was held by the majority of them and Epitadas the commander; and a small division guarded the very extremity of the island facing Pylos, which was precipitous on the sea side and least assailable from the land. For there was also an ancient fort there, made of picked stones, which they thought would be useful to them if a more forced retreat should overtake them. In this way, then, they were posted.
- 4.31.2διετετάχατο
The third-person plural pluperfect passive in the Ionic dialect, corresponding to the Attic διετεταγμένοι ἦσαν.
- 4.31.2οἱ πλεῖστοι αὐτῶν καὶ Ἐπιτάδας ὁ ἄρχων εἶχε
Although there is a plural subject οἱ πλεῖστοι alongside the singular Ἐπιτάδας, the verb εἶχε is in the singular, agreeing with the closer subject Ἐπιτάδας.
- 4.31.2ὠφέλιμον ἂν εἶναι, εἰ καταλαμβάνοι
A conditional construction with the optative καταλαμβάνοι and the infinitive εἶναι with ἄν (representing the optative with ἄν in direct speech), expressing a potential projection from a past perspective ('would be of use if a retreat should overtake them').