- 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-grc2:7.78.1-7.78.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Athenian army led by Nicias and Demosthenes begins its retreat in a hollow square, forced to fight its way across the river Anapus, but faces relentless harassment from Syracusan cavalry and the blocking of their path at the Acraean cliff.
ὁ μὲν Νικίας τοιάδε παρακελευόμενος ἅμα ἐπῄει τὸ στράτευμα, καὶ εἴ πῃ ὁρῴη διεσπασμένον καὶ μὴ ἐν τάξει χωροῦν ξυνάγων καὶ καθιστάς, καὶ ὁ Δημοσθένης οὐδὲν ἧσσον τοῖς καθ’ ἑαυτὸν τοιαῦτά τε καὶ παραπλήσια λέγων.1
Nicias, while giving such encouragement, at the same time led the army forward, and if he saw it anywhere separated and not marching in order, he gathered and rallied them; and Demosthenes did no less, saying similar and nearly identical things to those under his command.
τὸ δὲ ἐχώρει ἐν πλαισίῳ τεταγμένον, πρῶτον μὲν ἡγούμενον τὸ Νικίου,2 ἐφεπόμενον δὲ τὸ Δημοσθένους· τοὺς δὲ σκευοφόρους καὶ τὸν πλεῖστον ὄχλον ἐντὸς εἶχον οἱ ὁπλῖται.
The army marched drawn up in a hollow square, first indeed with the division of Nicias leading, and that of Demosthenes following; and the hoplites kept the baggage-bearers and the greater part of the crowd inside.
καὶ ἐπειδή [τε] ἐγένοντο ἐπὶ τῇ διαβάσει τοῦ Ἀνάπου ποταμοῦ, ηὗρον ἐπ’ αὐτῷ παρατεταγμένους τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ ξυμμάχων,3 καὶ τρεψάμενοι αὐτοὺς καὶ κρατήσαντες τοῦ πόρου ἐχώρουν ἐς τὸ πρόσθεν· οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι παριππεύοντές τε προσέκειντο καὶ ἐσακοντίζοντες οἱ ψιλοί.
And when they reached the crossing of the river Anapus, they found a body of Syracusans and allies drawn up at it, and having routed them and secured the passage, they marched forward; but the Syracusan cavalry rode alongside and pressed upon them, and the light-armed troops showered them with javelins.
καὶ ταύτῃ μὲν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ προελθόντες σταδίους ὡς τεσσαράκοντα ηὐλίσαντο πρὸς λόφῳ τινὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι· τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ πρῲ ἐπορεύοντο καὶ προῆλθον ὡς εἴκοσι σταδίους, καὶ κατέβησαν ἐς χωρίον ἄπεδόν τι καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐστρατοπεδεύσαντο, βουλόμενοι ἔκ τε τῶν οἰκιῶν λαβεῖν τι ἐδώδιμον (ᾠκεῖτο γὰρ ὁ χῶρος) καὶ ὕδωρ μετὰ σφῶν αὐτῶν φέρεσθαι αὐτόθεν· ἐν γὰρ τῷ πρόσθεν ἐπὶ πολλὰ στάδια, ᾗ ἔμελλον ἰέναι, οὐκ ἄφθονον ἦν.
On that day the Athenians advanced about forty stades and bivouacked near a certain hill; on the next day they started early and advanced about twenty stades, and descended into a flat country and encamped there, wishing to get something edible from the houses (for the place was inhabited) and to carry water with them from there, since for many stades ahead, in the direction they were to go, it was not abundant.
οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι ἐν τούτῳ προελθόντες τὴν δίοδον τὴν ἐν τῷ πρόσθεν ἀπετείχιζον· ἦν δὲ λόφος καρτερὸς καὶ ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτοῦ χαράδρα κρημνώδης, ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ Ἀκραῖον λέπας.
In the meantime, the Syracusans went ahead and blocked the pass in front with a wall; and it was a steep hill, with a precipitous ravine on each side, called the Acraean cliff.
τῇ δ’ ὑστεραίᾳ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι προῇσαν, καὶ οἱ τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ ξυμμάχων αὐτοὺς ἱππῆς καὶ ἀκοντισταὶ ὄντες πολλοὶ ἑκατέρωθεν ἐκώλυον καὶ ἐσηκόντιζόν τε καὶ παρίππευον. καὶ χρόνον μὲν πολὺν ἐμάχοντο οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι, ἔπειτα ἀνεχώρησαν πάλιν ἐς τὸ αὐτὸ στρατόπεδον. καὶ τὰ ἐπιτήδεια οὐκέτι ὁμοίως εἶχον· οὐ γὰρ ἔτι ἀποχωρεῖν4 οἷόν τ’ ἦν ὑπὸ τῶν ἱππέων.
On the next day the Athenians advanced, and the cavalry and javelin-men of the Syracusans and their allies, being numerous, hindered them on both sides, throwing javelins and riding along. For a long time the Athenians fought, and then retreated back to the same camp. And they no longer had provisions in the same way; for it was no longer possible to go out to forage because of the cavalry.
- 7.78.1καὶ ὁ Δημοσθένης οὐδὲν ἧσσον τοῖς καθ’ ἑαυτὸν τοιαῦτά τε καὶ παραπλήσια λέγων.
The present participle λέγων (saying) lacks a finite main verb in this clause. One may supply the verb ἐπῄει (advanced) from the preceding clause, reading 'and Demosthenes no less [advanced], saying...', or interpret the participle as functioning historically as a finite verb.
- 7.78.2πρῶτον μὲν ἡγούμενον τὸ Νικίου
The combination of article and genitive τὸ Νικίου is an elliptical expression for 'τὸ [στράτευμα] τοῦ Νικίου' (the division of Nicias). The present participle ἡγούμενον (leading) agrees in gender, number, and case with the implied neuter noun, functioning either appositively or adverbially.
- 7.78.3τῶν Συρακοσίων καὶ ξυμμάχων
This is a partitive genitive serving as the object of the verb ηὗρον, meaning they found '[some] of the Syracusans and allies' drawn up in battle array, without a explicit accusative noun.
- 7.78.6ἀποχωρεῖν
Although the verb usually means 'to retreat,' in this context of securing provisions (τὰ ἐπιτήδεια) and in connection with the hostile cavalry, it means 'to venture out' or 'go away' from the camp to forage.