- 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-grc2:5.116.1-5.116.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-05
The Lacedaemonians abort their Argive expedition, leading to internal arrests in Argos, while the Melians recapture another wall section; eventually, Athens sends reinforcements, forcing Melos to surrender unconditionally, resulting in the massacre, enslavement, and colonization of the island.
τοῦ δ’ ἐπιγιγνομένου χειμῶνος Λακεδαιμόνιοι μελλήσαντες1 ἐς τὴν Ἀργείαν στρατεύειν, ὡς αὐτοῖς τὰ διαβατήρια2 [ἱερὰ ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις ] οὐκ ἐγίγνετο, ἀνεχώρησαν. καὶ Ἀργεῖοι διὰ τὴν ἐκείνων μέλλησιν τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει τινὰς ὑποπτεύσαντες τοὺς μὲν ξυνέλαβον, οἱ δ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ διέφυγον.
In the following winter, the Lacedaemonians, intending to make an expedition into the Argive territory, withdrew because the border-crossing sacrifices [sacred rites at the borders] did not prove favorable to them. And the Argives, suspecting some of those in the city on account of that intention of theirs, arrested some of them, while others actually escaped them.
καὶ οἱ Μήλιοι περὶ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους αὖθις καθ’ ἕτερόν τι τοῦ περιτειχίσματος εἷλον τῶν Ἀθηναίων, παρόντων οὐ πολλῶν τῶν φυλάκων.
And about the same time the Melians again took another part of the Athenian wall of circumvallation, since there were not many guards present.
καὶ ἐλθούσης στρατιᾶς ὕστερον ἐκ τῶν Ἀθηνῶν ἄλλης, ὡς ταῦτα ἐγίγνετο, ἧς ἦρχε Φιλοκράτης ὁ Δημέου, καὶ κατὰ κράτος ἤδη πολιορκούμενοι, γενομένης καὶ προδοσίας τινός, ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν ξυνεχώρησαν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις ὥστε ἐκείνους περὶ αὐτῶν βουλεῦσαι.3
When another army subsequently came from Athens in consequence of these events, under the command of Philocrates son of Demeas, and when they were now vigorously besieged and some treachery also occurred, they surrendered to the Athenians on their own initiative, on the condition that the latter should decide their fate.
οἱ δὲ ἀπέκτειναν Μηλίων ὅσους ἡβῶντας ἔλαβον,4 παῖδας δὲ καὶ γυναῖκας ἠνδραπόδισαν· τὸ δὲ χωρίον αὐτοὶ ᾤκισαν, ἀποίκους ὕστερον πεντακοσίους πέμψαντες.
The Athenians put to death all the grown men of the Melians whom they took, and enslaved the women and children; and they themselves colonized the place, sending five hundred colonists thither later.
- 5.116.1μελλήσαντες
The aorist participle μελλήσαντες here expresses an intention or an unaccomplished attempt ('having intended but not carried out').
- 5.116.1τὰ διαβατήρια
Meaning 'sacrifices for crossing the border.' In some manuscript traditions, the bracketed words ἱερὰ ἐν τοῖς ὁρίοις ('sacred rites at the borders') are added as an explanatory gloss.
- 5.116.3ὥστε ἐκείνους περὶ αὐτῶν βουλεῦσαι
A construction of ὥστε with the infinitive, here expressing the condition or terms of the agreement ('on the condition that...'). The subject of the infinitive βουλεῦσαι is the accusative ἐκείνους (the Athenians), deciding the fate of αὐτῶν (the Melians).
- 5.116.4ὅσους ἡβῶντας ἔλαβον
The participle ἡβῶντας ('having reached manhood') agrees with ὅσους, designating 'all the grown men whom they captured.' This marks the tragic and famous climax of the Melian episode.