Arrival of the Boeotians and Cavalry Battle at Megara — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 4 (4.72.1–4.72.4), Greek & English

§4.72.1

ἅμα δὲ τῇ ἕῳ οἱ Βοιωτοὶ παρῆσαν, διανενοημένοι μὲν καὶ πρὶν Βρασίδαν πέμψαι βοηθεῖν ἐπὶ τὰ Μέγαρα, ὡς οὐκ ἀλλοτρίου ὄντος τοῦ κινδύνου,¹ καὶ ἤδη ὄντες πανστρατιᾷ Πλαταιᾶσιν· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ ἄγγελος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐρρώσθησαν, καὶ ἀποστείλαντες διακοσίους καὶ δισχιλίους ὁπλίτας καὶ ἱππέας ἑξακοσίους τοῖς πλέοσιν ἀπῆλθον πάλιν.

At dawn the Boeotians arrived. Even before Brasidas sent word to bring aid to Megara, they had intended to do so, considering that the danger was not alien to them, and were already at Plataea with all their forces. But when the messenger also arrived, they were much more encouraged, and after sending two thousand two hundred hoplites and six hundred cavalry, they withdrew again with the majority.

§4.72.2

παρόντος δὲ ἤδη ξύμπαντος τοῦ στρατεύματος,² ὁπλιτῶν οὐκ ἔλασσον ἑξακισχιλίων, καὶ τῶν Ἀθηναίων τῶν μὲν ὁπλιτῶν περί τε τὴν Νίσαιαν ὄντων καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐν τάξει, τῶν δὲ ψιλῶν ἀνὰ τὸ πεδίον ἐσκεδασμένων, οἱ ἱππῆς οἱ τῶν Βοιωτῶν ἀπροσδοκήτοις ἐπιπεσόντες τοῖς ψιλοῖς ἔτρεψαν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν (ἐν γὰρ τῷ πρὸ τοῦ οὐδεμία βοήθειά πω τοῖς Μεγαρεῦσιν οὐδαμόθεν ἐπῆλθεν)·

When all the army, numbering no less than six thousand hoplites, was now present, and while the Athenian hoplites were in order of battle about Nisaea and the sea, and their light-armed troops were scattered over the plain, the Boeotian cavalry fell unexpectedly upon the light-armed troops and routed them toward the sea (for in the time before this, no assistance whatsoever had yet come to the Megarians from anywhere).

§4.72.3

ἀντεπεξελάσαντες δὲ καὶ οἱ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐς χεῖρας ᾖσαν, καὶ ἐγένετο ἱππομαχία ἐπὶ πολύ, ἐν ᾗ ἀξιοῦσιν ἑκάτεροι οὐχ ἥσσους γενέσθαι.

The Athenian cavalry also rode out to encounter them and they came to close quarters; a cavalry battle was maintained for a long time, in which both sides claimed to have had the advantage.

§4.72.4

τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἵππαρχον τῶν Βοιωτῶν καὶ ἄλλους τινὰς οὐ πολλοὺς πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν Νίσαιαν προσελάσαντας οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι [καὶ] ἀποκτείναντες ἐσκύλευσαν, καὶ τῶν τε νεκρῶν τούτων κρατήσαντες ὑποσπόνδους ἀπέδοσαν καὶ τροπαῖον ἔστησαν· οὐ μέντοι ἔν γε τῷ παντὶ ἔργῳ βεβαίως οὐδέτεροι τελευτήσαντες ἀπεκρίθησαν,³ ἀλλ’ οἱ μὲν Βοιωτοὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτῶν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν Νίσαιαν.

For the Athenians killed and despoiled the cavalry commander of the Boeotians and some few others who had ridden up to Nisaea itself, and having secured these dead bodies, they returned them under truce and erected a trophy; however, in the action as a whole, neither side parted with a decisive victory at the end, but the Boeotians retired to their own army and the Athenians to Nisaea.

Syntax notes3 items

4.72.1ὡς οὐκ ἀλλοτρίου ὄντος τοῦ κινδύνου
The conjunction ὡς with the genitive absolute οὐκ ἀλλοτρίου ὄντος τοῦ κινδύνου expresses the subjective reason or motive of the Boeotians ("considering that the danger was not alien to them").
4.72.2παρόντος δὲ ἤδη ξύμπαντος τοῦ στρατεύματος
This long sentence features two distinct genitive absolute constructions in succession (παρόντος... τοῦ στρατεύματος indicating the arrival of the Boeotians, and τῶν Ἀθηναίων... ὄντων... ἐσκεδασμένων describing the layout of the Athenian forces) preceding the main clause, where the subject οἱ ἱππῆς governs the main verb ἔτρεψαν.
4.72.4τελευτήσαντες ἀπεκρίθησαν
The aorist participle τελευτήσαντες functions either temporally ("having ended [the battle]") or adverbially ("finally"), modifying the passive verb ἀπεκρίθησαν ("parted," "withdrew"), signifying that they did not part with a decisive result at the end.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.72.1-4.72.4