← Thucydides

History of the Peloponnesian War

§6.27.1-6.27.3

The Mutilation of the Hermae and Political Alarm

During preparations for the expedition, the stone Herms in Athens are mysteriously mutilated overnight. The citizens view this as a bad omen and a democratic conspiracy, initiating a public investigation and calling for informants.

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§6.27.1

ἐν δὲ τούτῳ, ὅσοι Ἑρμαῖ ἦσαν λίθινοι ἐν τῇ πόλει τῇ Ἀθηναίων (εἰσὶ δὲ κατὰ τὸ ἐπιχώριον, ἡ τετράγωνος ἐργασία, πολλοὶ καὶ ἐν ἰδίοις προθύροις καὶ ἐν ἱεροῖς), μιᾷ νυκτὶ οἱ πλεῖστοι περιεκόπησαν τὰ πρόσωπα.1

​In the meantime, of all the stone Herms in the city of the Athenians (which, according to local custom, are of square workmanship, and are numerous both in private doorways and in temples), most had their faces mutilated in a single night.

§6.27.2

καὶ τοὺς δράσαντας ᾔδει οὐδείς, ἀλλὰ μεγάλοις μηνύτροις δημοσίᾳ οὗτοί τε ἐζητοῦντο καὶ προσέτι ἐψηφίσαντο, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλο τι οἶδεν ἀσέβημα γεγενημένον, μηνύειν2 ἀδεῶς τὸν βουλόμενον καὶ ἀστῶν καὶ ξένων καὶ δούλων.

​And no one knew the perpetrators, but these were sought after publicly with large rewards for information, and they furthermore voted that if anyone knew of any other sacrilege having been committed, anyone who wished, whether of citizens, resident aliens, or slaves, might inform without fear.

§6.27.3

καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα μειζόνως ἐλάμβανον· τοῦ τε γὰρ ἔκπλου οἰωνὸς ἐδόκει εἶναι καὶ ἐπὶ ξυνωμοσίᾳ ἅμα νεωτέρων πραγμάτων καὶ δήμου καταλύσεως γεγενῆσθαι.3

​And they took the matter very seriously; for it seemed to be an omen for the voyage, and to have been done at the same time as part of a conspiracy for a revolution and the overthrow of the democracy.

Syntax notes3 items
  1. 6.27.1περιεκόπησαν τὰ πρόσωπα

    The accusative τὰ πρόσωπα is an accusative of respect (specification), used with the passive verb περιεκόπησαν ('were mutilated') to specify which part of the subject (οἱ πλεῖστοι, 'most of them') was affected.

  2. 6.27.2μηνύειν

    This infinitive depends on the preceding verb ἐψηφίσαντο ('they voted'), expressing the content of the decree. Its subject accusative is τὸν βουλόμενον ('anyone who wished'), which is further modified by the partitive genitives at the end (καὶ ἀστῶν...).

  3. 6.27.3γεγενῆσθαι

    This perfect infinitive, like εἶναι in the first part of the sentence, depends on the main verb ἐδόκει. The structure is [ἐδόκει] ... γεγενῆσθαι ('it seemed to have been done...').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
  • 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.27.1-6.27.3