- 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-grc2:7.84.1-7.84.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
The Athenians, pursued by the Syracusans, hurry to the river Assinarus, where they fall into utter chaos and face a brutal slaughter from the cliffs and the riverbed, as they desperately fight over the muddy and blood-stained water.
Νικίας δ’ ἐπειδὴ ἡμέρα ἐγένετο ἦγε τὴν στρατιάν· οἱ δὲ Συρακόσιοι καὶ οἱ ξύμμαχοι προσέκειντο τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον πανταχόθεν βάλλοντές τε καὶ κατακοντίζοντες.
When day came, Nicias led his army; and the Syracusans and their allies pressed upon them in the same manner, pelting them and showering them with javelins from all sides.
καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἠπείγοντο πρὸς τὸν Ἀσσίναρον ποταμόν, ἅμα μὲν βιαζόμενοι ὑπὸ τῆς πανταχόθεν προσβολῆς ἱππέων τε πολλῶν καὶ τοῦ ἄλλου ὄχλου, οἰόμενοι ῥᾷόν τι σφίσιν ἔσεσθαι, ἢν διαβῶσι τὸν ποταμόν, ἅμα δ’ ὑπὸ τῆς ταλαιπωρίας καὶ τοῦ πιεῖν1 ἐπιθυμίᾳ.
And the Athenians hurried on toward the river Assinarus, partly because they were hard pressed by the attacks on every side of numerous cavalry and the other crowd, and thought that it would be somewhat easier for them if they crossed the river, and partly owing to their exhaustion and their desire to drink.
ὡς δὲ γίγνονται ἐπ’ αὐτῷ, ἐσπίπτουσιν οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ ἔτι, ἀλλὰ πᾶς τέ τις διαβῆναι αὐτὸς πρῶτος βουλόμενος καὶ οἱ πολέμιοι ἐπικείμενοι χαλεπὴν ἤδη τὴν διάβασιν ἐποίουν· ἁθρόοι γὰρ ἀναγκαζόμενοι χωρεῖν ἐπέπιπτόν τε ἀλλήλοις καὶ κατεπάτουν, περί τε τοῖς δορατίοις καὶ σκεύεσιν2 οἱ μὲν εὐθὺς διεφθείροντο, οἱ δὲ ἐμπαλασσόμενοι κατέρρεον.
When they reached it, they rushed in with no longer any discipline, but as every single man wished to cross first himself, and the enemy pressed hard upon them, they now made the crossing difficult; for being compelled to move in a dense mass, they fell upon and trampled one another, and some were immediately killed, impaled upon their spears and baggage, while others, getting entangled, were swept away by the current.
ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ θάτερά τε τοῦ ποταμοῦ παραστάντες οἱ Συρακόσιοι (ἦν δὲ κρημνῶδες) ἔβαλλον ἄνωθεν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους, πίνοντάς τε τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀσμένους καὶ ἐν κοίλῳ ὄντι τῷ ποταμῷ3 ἐν σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ταρασσομένους.
And the Syracusans, taking up positions on the other bank of the river, which was steep, pelted the Athenians from above, while they were greedily drinking, most of them, and were in confusion among themselves in the hollow bed of the river.
οἵ τε Πελοποννήσιοι ἐπικαταβάντες τοὺς ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ μάλιστα ἔσφαζον. καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ εὐθὺς διέφθαρτο, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲν ἧσσον ἐπίνετό τε ὁμοῦ τῷ πηλῷ ᾑματωμένον καὶ περιμάχητον4 ἦν τοῖς πολλοῖς.
And the Peloponnesians, having gone down into the river after them, slaughtered especially those who were in the river. And the water was immediately ruined, but nonetheless it was drunk, muddy and blood-stained as it was, and was fought for by the majority.
- 7.84.2τοῦ πιεῖν
The genitive of the articular infinitive τοῦ πιεῖν (the aorist infinitive of πίνω) functions as an objective genitive modifying the noun ἐπιθυμίᾳ ('desire'). The preposition ὑπό governs both τῆς ταλαιπωρίας ('exhaustion') and τοῦ πιεῖν ἐπιθυμίᾳ (equivalent to 'the desire to drink', where ἐπιθυμίᾳ is in the dative), indicating the external and internal causes that forced the Athenians to hasten.
- 7.84.3περί τε τοῖς δορατίοις καὶ σκεύεσιν
The preposition περί with the dative case expresses close physical contact or entanglement. It means 'falling upon' or 'becoming impaled on their own spears and baggage.' It vividly depicts the chaotic scene in the narrow riverbed where the soldiers tripped over, or were pierced by, their own scattered weapons and gear.
- 7.84.4ἐν κοίλῳ ὄντι τῷ ποταμῷ
The participle ὄντι agrees with τῷ ποταμῷ, literally meaning 'in the river which was hollow.' The adjective κοῖλος describes the riverbed as a deep, sunken channel or ravine. This highlights the geographical disadvantage of the Athenians, who were trapped below in a hollow and became easy targets for the Syracusans attacking from the cliffs above.
- 7.84.5περιμάχητον
The verbal adjective περιμάχητον (derived from περιμάχομαι, 'to fight about') means 'fought for' or 'object of struggle.' When paired with the dative τοῖς πολλοῖς ('by the majority'), it indicates that the muddy, bloody water became something that most of them desperately fought over to survive.