- 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-grc2:5.54.1-5.54.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
The Lacedaemonians withdraw after unfavorable border-sacrifices, allowing the Argives to manipulate the calendar to avoid the sacred month and invade Epidaurus.
ἐξεστράτευσαν δὲ καὶ οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι κατὰ τοὺς αὐτοὺς χρόνους πανδημεὶ ἐς Λεῦκτρα τῆς ἑαυτῶν μεθορίας1 πρὸς τὸ Λύκαιον, Ἄγιδος τοῦ Ἀρχιδάμου βασιλέως ἡγουμένου· ᾔδει δὲ οὐδεὶς ὅποι στρατεύουσιν, οὐδὲ αἱ πόλεις ἐξ ὧν ἐπέμφθησαν.
At the same time, the Lacedaemonians also marched out with their whole force under the command of King Agis, son of Archidamus, to Leuctra, which is on their own frontier near Mount Lycaeum; but no one knew whither they were marching, not even the cities from which the contingent had been sent.
ὡς δ’ αὐτοῖς τὰ διαβατήρια θυομένοις οὐ προυχώρει, αὐτοί τε ἀπῆλθον ἐπ’ οἴκου καὶ τοῖς ξυμμάχοις περιήγγειλαν μετὰ τὸν μέλλοντα2 (Καρνεῖος δ’ ἦν μήν, ἱερομηνία Δωριεῦσι) παρασκευάζεσθαι ὡς στρατευσομένους.
Since the border-sacrifices did not prove favorable to them, they returned home, and sent word to their allies to make preparations to march after the coming month (which was the month of Carneius, a sacred month among the Dorians).
Ἀργεῖοι δ’ ἀναχωρησάντων αὐτῶν τοῦ πρὸ τοῦ Καρνείου μηνὸς ἐξελθόντες τετράδι φθίνοντος, καὶ ἄγοντες τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην3 πάντα τὸν χρόνον, ἐσέβαλον ἐς τὴν Ἐπιδαυρίαν καὶ ἐδῄουν.
But upon their retreat, the Argives, having marched out on the twenty-seventh day of the month preceding the Carneian, and keeping this same day throughout the whole time, invaded the territory of Epidaurus and began to ravage it.
Ἐπιδαύριοι δὲ τοὺς ξυμμάχους ἐπεκαλοῦντο· ὧν τινὲς οἱ μὲν τὸν μῆνα προυφασίσαντο, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἐς μεθορίαν τῆς Ἐπιδαυρίας ἐλθόντες ἡσύχαζον.
The Epidaurians appealed to their allies; of whom some excused themselves on the ground of the sacred month, while others, though they advanced to the frontier of Epidaurus, remained inactive.
- 5.54.1τῆς ἑαυτῶν μεθορίας
Partitive genitive modifying the place-name Λεῦκτρα, meaning '(Leuctra) within their own border territory.'
- 5.54.2μετὰ τὸν μέλλοντα
The noun μῆνα ('month') is omitted after the articular adjective, meaning 'after the coming [month]' (referring to the month of Carneius).
- 5.54.3ἄγοντες τὴν ἡμέραν ταύτην
Literally 'keeping this day.' It refers to the Argives' manipulation of the calendar, keeping the date at the 27th of the month preceding the Carneian sacred month, in order to avoid the mandatory truce of the festival while continuing their invasion.