Demolition of Panactum and Athenian Anger at Lacedaemon — Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War Book 5 (5.42.1–5.42.2), Greek & English

§5.42.1

ἐν δὲ τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ᾧ οἱ Ἀργεῖοι ταῦτα ἔπρασσον, οἱ πρέσβεις τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων Ἀνδρομένης καὶ Φαίδιμος καὶ Ἀντιμενίδας, οὓς ἔδει τὸ Πάνακτον καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας τοὺς παρὰ Βοιωτῶν παραλαβόντας¹ Ἀθηναίοις ἀποδοῦναι, τὸ μὲν Πάνακτον ὑπὸ τῶν Βοιωτῶν αὐτῶν καθῃρημένον ηὗρον, ἐπὶ προφάσει ὡς ἦσάν ποτε Ἀθηναίοις καὶ Βοιωτοῖς ἐκ διαφορᾶς περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅρκοι παλαιοὶ μηδετέρους οἰκεῖν τὸ χωρίον, ἀλλὰ κοινῇ νέμειν, τοὺς δ’ ἄνδρας οὓς εἶχον αἰχμαλώτους Βοιωτοὶ Ἀθηναίων παραλαβόντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἀνδρομένη ἐκόμισαν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ ἀπέδοσαν, τοῦ τε Πανάκτου τὴν καθαίρεσιν ἔλεγον αὐτοῖς, νομίζοντες καὶ τοῦτο ἀποδιδόναι·² πολέμιον γὰρ οὐκέτι ἐν αὐτῷ Ἀθηναίοις οἰκήσειν οὐδένα.

During this time when the Argives were negotiating these matters, the Lacedaemonian envoys, Andromenes, Phaedimus, and Antimenidas, who were to receive Panactum and the prisoners from the Boeotians and restore them to the Athenians, found Panactum demolished by the Boeotians themselves, on the pretext that there had once been an old oath between the Athenians and Boeotians, arising from a dispute over it, that neither side should inhabit the place but should pasture it in common. On the other hand, Andromenes and his colleagues, having received the Athenian prisoners whom the Boeotians held, brought them to the Athenians and restored them, and also told them of the demolition of Panactum, thinking that in this way too they were restoring it; for they believed that no enemy of the Athenians would henceforth inhabit it.

§5.42.2

λεγομένων δὲ τούτων οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι δεινὰ ἐποίουν, νομίζοντες ἀδικεῖσθαι ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων τοῦ τε Πανάκτου τῇ καθαιρέσει, ὃ ἔδει ὀρθὸν παραδοῦναι,³ καὶ πυνθανόμενοι ὅτι καὶ Βοιωτοῖς ἰδίᾳ ξυμμαχίαν πεποίηνται, φάσκοντες⁴ πρότερον κοινῇ τοὺς μὴ δεχομένους τὰς σπονδὰς προσαναγκάσειν. τά τε ἄλλα ἐσκόπουν ὅσα ἐξελελοίπεσαν τῆς ξυνθήκης καὶ ἐνόμιζον ἐξηπατῆσθαι, ὥστε χαλεπῶς πρὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις ἀποκρινάμενοι ἀπέπεμψαν.

When these things were said, the Athenians were indignant, thinking themselves wronged by the Lacedaemonians by the demolition of Panactum, which ought to have been delivered standing, and learning that they had also made a private alliance with the Boeotians, though they had previously declared that they would jointly compel those who did not accept the treaty. They also examined all the other points in which the Lacedaemonians had departed from the treaty, and, believing they had been deceived, they gave a harsh answer to the envoys and sent them away.

Syntax notes4 items

5.42.1παραλαβόντας
An accusative participle indicating the subject of the infinitive ἀποδοῦναι in the accusative-and-infinitive construction following the impersonal verb ἔδει, agreeing with the preceding relative pronoun οὓς.
5.42.1νομίζοντες καὶ τοῦτο ἀποδιδόναι
The object of the infinitive ἀποδιδόναι, καὶ τοῦτο (this too), refers to the demolition of Panactum. It shows that the Lacedaemonians considered returning the site of Panactum in a demolished state as still constituting a restoration of it.
5.42.2ὃ ἔδει ὀρθὸν παραδοῦναι
The adjective ὀρθόν (upright, intact) functions as a predicative accusative referring to the relative pronoun ὅ (Panactum) as the object of παραδοῦναι, expressing the Athenian complaint that it ought to have been delivered intact and not demolished.
5.42.2φάσκοντες
A nominative participle agreeing with the subject of the main clause (the Athenians), meaning "alleging" or "pointing out" (that the Lacedaemonians had previously promised). The following future infinitive προσαναγκάσειν represents the content of the Lacedaemonian's previous declaration.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:5.42.1-5.42.2