- 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-grc2:6.102.1-6.102.4
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Syracusans attempt to attack the Athenian circle wall on Epipolae, but Nicias, who was left behind due to illness, thwarts them by burning the siege engines and timber, forcing the Syracusans to retreat as Athenian reinforcements and the fleet arrive.
ἐν τούτῳ δὲ οἱ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν αὐτῶν τὸ πρῶτον καταφυγόντες ὡς ἑώρων ταῦτα γιγνόμενα, αὐτοί τε πάλιν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ἀναθαρσήσαντες ἀντετάξαντο πρὸς τοὺς κατὰ σφᾶς Ἀθηναίους, καὶ μέρος τι αὑτῶν πέμπουσιν ἐπὶ τὸν κύκλον τὸν ἐπὶ ταῖς Ἐπιπολαῖς, ἡγούμενοι ἐρῆμον1 αἱρήσειν.
In the meantime, those of the Syracusans who had at first fled into the city, when they saw what was happening, took courage again from the city and drew up in battle array against the Athenians opposite them, and also sent a part of their forces against the circle wall on Epipolae, thinking they would capture it empty.
καὶ τὸ μὲν δεκάπλεθρον προτείχισμα αὐτῶν αἱροῦσι καὶ διεπόρθησαν, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν κύκλον Νικίας διεκώλυσεν· ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐν αὐτῷ δι’ ἀσθένειαν ὑπολελειμμένος. τὰς γὰρ μηχανὰς καὶ ξύλα ὅσα πρὸ τοῦ τείχους ἦν καταβεβλημένα, ἐμπρῆσαι τοὺς ὑπηρέτας ἐκέλευσεν, ὡς ἔγνω ἀδυνάτους ἐσομένους2 ἐρημίᾳ ἀνδρῶν ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ περιγενέσθαι.
And they captured and destroyed their ten-plethron outwork, but Nicias prevented them from taking the circle wall itself; for he happened to have been left behind in it because of illness. Indeed, when he realized that they would otherwise be unable to survive owing to the lack of men, he ordered the servants to set fire to the siege engines and all the timber that had been laid down in front of the wall.
καὶ ξυνέβη οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι προσῆλθον οἱ Συρακόσιοι διὰ τὸ πῦρ, ἀλλὰ ἀπεχώρουν πάλιν. καὶ γὰρ πρός τε τὸν κύκλον βοήθεια ἤδη κάτωθεν τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἀποδιωξάντων τοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐπανῄει, καὶ αἱ νῆες ἅμα αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς Θάψου, ὥσπερ εἴρητο, κατέπλεον ἐς τὸν μέγαν λιμένα.
And so it turned out; for the Syracusans, because of the fire, did not advance any further, but withdrew again. For, on the one hand, reinforcements for the circle wall were already coming back up from below, the Athenians having routed the enemy there, and at the same time their fleet, as has been said, was sailing from Thapsus into the Great Harbor.
ἃ ὁρῶντες οἱ ἄνωθεν κατὰ τάχος ἀπῇσαν καὶ ἡ ξύμπασα στρατιὰ τῶν Συρακοσίων ἐς τὴν πόλιν, νομίσαντες μὴ ἂν ἔτι ἀπὸ τῆς παρούσης σφίσι δυνάμεως ἱκανοὶ γενέσθαι3 κωλῦσαι τὸν ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν τειχισμόν.
Seeing these things, those on the heights and the entire army of the Syracusans retreated in haste into the city, thinking that with their present strength they would no longer be able to prevent the wall of circumvallation from being built to the sea.
- 6.102.1ἐρῆμον
The accusative masculine singular adjective ἐρῆμον functions as a predicative accusative qualifying the omitted object of the infinitive αἱρήσειν (which is τὸν κύκλον). It means 'thinking they would capture it [the circle] empty.'
- 6.102.2ὡς ἔγνω ἀδυνάτους ἐσομένους
The clause is introduced by ὡς (here causal, 'since/as'). The future participle ἀδυνάτους ἐσομένους (accusative plural) serves as the supplementary participle after ἔγνω, indicating indirect discourse: 'when he realized that they would be unable.'
- 6.102.4μὴ ἂν ἔτι ἀπὸ τῆς παρούσης σφίσι δυνάμεως ἱκανοὶ γενέσθαι
This infinitive clause depends on the participle νομίσαντες. The combination of ἂν with the infinitive γενέσθαι represents an original potential optative with ἂν or an indicative past with ἂν in indirect discourse, expressing potentiality: 'thinking that they would no longer be able.' The negative μὴ negates the infinitive.