- 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-grc2:6.51.1-6.51.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-07
While negotiations were ongoing at the assembly in Catana, Athenian soldiers secretly entered the city, causing the pro-Syracusan faction to flee and leading Catana to ally with Athens and receive their entire army.
καὶ ἐκκλησίας γενομένης τὴν μὲν στρατιὰν οὐκ ἐδέχοντο οἱ Καταναῖοι, τοὺς δὲ στρατηγοὺς ἐσελθόντας ἐκέλευον, εἴ τι βούλονται, εἰπεῖν. καὶ λέγοντος τοῦ Ἀλκιβιάδου, καὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει πρὸς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τετραμμένων, οἱ στρατιῶται πυλίδα τινὰ ἐνῳκοδομημένην κακῶς ἔλαθον διελόντες,1 καὶ ἐσελθόντες ἠγόραζον2 ἐς τὴν πόλιν.
And when an assembly was held, the Catanaeans did not receive the army, but they invited the generals, if they wished to say anything, to enter and speak. While Alcibiades was speaking, and those in the city were intent upon the assembly, the soldiers secretly broke through a small, poorly walled-up postern-gate, and entering the city, began to gather in the marketplace.
τῶν δὲ Καταναίων οἱ μὲν τὰ τῶν Συρακοσίων φρονοῦντες, ὡς εἶδον τὸ στράτευμα ἔνδον, εὐθὺς περιδεεῖς γενόμενοι ὑπεξῆλθον οὐ πολλοί τινες, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ἐψηφίσαντό τε ξυμμαχίαν τοῖς Ἀθηναίοις καὶ τὸ ἄλλο στράτευμα ἐκέλευον ἐκ Ῥηγίου κομίζειν.
Of the Catanaeans, those who favored the Syracusan interest, when they saw the army inside, were immediately seized with panic and secretly slipped away, though only a few; but the rest voted for an alliance with the Athenians and invited them to bring the rest of the army from Rhegium.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο διαπλεύσαντες οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐς τὸ Ῥήγιον, πάσῃ ἤδη τῇ στρατιᾷ ἄραντες3 ἐς τὴν Κατάνην, ἐπειδὴ ἀφίκοντο, κατεσκευάζοντο τὸ στρατόπεδον.
After this, the Athenians sailed over to Rhegium, and now setting out with their entire army for Catana, when they arrived, they established their camp.
- 6.51.1ἔλαθον διελόντες
The verb ἔλαθον (aorist of λανθάνω, 'to escape notice') with the participle διελόντες (from διαιρέω, 'to tear down, break through') forms an idiomatic construction meaning 'they secretly broke through' or 'they broke through without being noticed.'
- 6.51.1ἠγόραζον
The imperfect form of the verb ἀγοράζω, which can mean 'to frequent the marketplace, lounge around' or 'to buy.' Here it describes the continuous state of the soldiers entering the city and occupying or gathering in the marketplace (agora), rather than merely making purchases.
- 6.51.3ἄραντες
The aorist active participle of αἴρω ('to lift, raise'), used intransitively in military and nautical contexts with the omission of objects like τὰς ναῦς ('ships') or τὸν στρατόν ('army'), meaning 'setting sail' or 'setting out.'