- 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-grc2:5.50.1-5.50.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-02
The Eleans offered the Lacedaemonians access to the temple if they would swear to pay the fine later, but the offer was refused. Tension arose during the Olympic games over fears of Lacedaemonian intervention and the incident of Lichas being struck, but the festival passed off quietly, and subsequent alliance negotiations in Corinth ended without result before the summer closed.
ὡς δ’ οὐκ ἐσήκουον, αὖθις τάδε ἠξίουν, Λέπρεον μὲν μὴ ἀποδοῦναι, εἰ μὴ βούλονται, ἀναβάντας δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Ὀλυμπίου, ἐπειδὴ προθυμοῦνται χρῆσθαι τῷ ἱερῷ, ἐπομόσαι1 ἐναντίον τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἦ μὴν ἀποδώσειν ὕστερον τὴν καταδίκην.
When they would not listen, the Eleans made a further proposal: they need not restore Lepreum if they did not wish to, but since they were eager to have access to the temple, they should go up to the altar of Olympic Zeus and swear in the presence of the Greeks that they would surely pay the fine later.
ὡς δὲ οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἤθελον, Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν εἴργοντο τοῦ ἱεροῦ [θυσίας καὶ ἀγώνων] καὶ οἴκοι ἔθυον, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι Ἕλληνες ἐθεώρουν πλὴν Λεπρεατῶν.
But when they refused this as well, the Lacedaemonians were excluded from the temple [from the sacrifices and the games] and sacrificed at home, while the other Greeks attended the festival, with the exception of the Lepreans.
ὅμως δὲ οἱ Ἠλεῖοι δεδιότες μὴ βίᾳ θύσωσι, ξὺν ὅπλοις τῶν νεωτέρων φυλακὴν εἶχον· ἦλθον δὲ αὐτοῖς καὶ Ἀργεῖοι καὶ Μαντινῆς, χίλιοι ἑκατέρων, καὶ Ἀθηναίων ἱππῆς, οἳ ἐν Ἁρπίνῃ ὑπέμενον τὴν ἑορτήν.
Nevertheless, the Eleans, fearing that they might offer sacrifice by force, kept a guard of their younger men under arms; and they were joined by the Argives and Mantineans, a thousand from each, and by the Athenian cavalry, who remained at Harpina during the festival.
δέος δ’ ἐγένετο τῇ πανηγύρει μέγα μὴ ξὺν ὅπλοις ἔλθωσιν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐπειδὴ καὶ Λίχας ὁ Ἀρκεσιλάου Λακεδαιμόνιος ἐν τῷ ἀγῶνι ὑπὸ τῶν ῥαβδούχων πληγὰς ἔλαβεν, ὅτι νικῶντος τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ ζεύγους καὶ ἀνακηρυχθέντος Βοιωτῶν δημοσίου2 κατὰ τὴν οὐκ ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἀγωνίσεως3 προελθὼν ἐς τὸν ἀγῶνα ἀνέδησε τὸν ἡνίοχον, βουλόμενος δηλῶσαι ὅτι ἑαυτοῦ ἦν τὸ ἅρμα· ὥστε πολλῷ δὴ μᾶλλον ἐπεφόβηντο πάντες καὶ ἐδόκει τι νέον ἔσεσθαι. οἱ μέντοι Λακεδαιμόνιοι ἡσύχασάν τε καὶ ἡ ἑορτὴ αὐτοῖς οὕτω διῆλθεν.
A great fear arose in the assembly lest the Lacedaemonians should come with arms, especially after Lichas, the son of Arcesilaus, a Lacedaemonian, received blows from the rod-bearers in the course of the games. For when his chariot won and was proclaimed as belonging to the Boeotian state, because of the ban on his competing, he came forward into the course and bound a fillet on the charioteer, wishing to show that the chariot was his own; so that everyone was much more afraid and expected some revolution. The Lacedaemonians, however, remained quiet, and the festival passed off for them in this manner.
ἐς δὲ Κόρινθον μετὰ τὰ Ὀλύμπια Ἀργεῖοί τε καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι ἀφίκοντο δεησόμενοι αὐτῶν παρὰ σφᾶς ἐλθεῖν. καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων πρέσβεις ἔτυχον παρόντες, καὶ πολλῶν λόγων γενομένων τέλος οὐδὲν ἐπράχθη, ἀλλὰ σεισμοῦ γενομένου διελύθησαν ἕκαστοι ἐπ’ οἴκου. καὶ τὸ θέρος ἐτελεύτα.
After the Olympic games, the Argives and their allies went to Corinth to request them to join their alliance. It happened that Lacedaemonian envoys were also present, and after many discussions, nothing was achieved in the end, but on the occurrence of an earthquake they dispersed to their several homes. And the summer ended.
- 5.50.1ἀναβάντας δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν βωμὸν τοῦ Διὸς τοῦ Ὀλυμπίου... ἐπομόσαι
The accusative participle ἀναβάντας agrees with the omitted accusative subject of the following infinitive ἐπομόσαι, referring to the Lacedaemonians.
- 5.50.4νικῶντος τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ ζεύγους καὶ ἀνακηρυχθέντος Βοιωτῶν δημοσίου
Two genitive absolute constructions are coordinate; in the second one, Βοιωτῶν δημοσίου functions predicatively ("as belonging to the Boeotian state").
- 5.50.4κατὰ τὴν οὐκ ἐξουσίαν τῆς ἀγωνίσεως
Meaning "because of the lack of the right to compete." The preposition κατά indicates the cause or reason, and the negative οὐκ directly negates the noun ἐξουσία, meaning "lack of authority."