- 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-grc2:8.64.1-8.64.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The Athenian envoys disperse to establish oligarchies in Athens and the subject cities, with Dieitrephes overthrowing the democracy in Thasos. However, the Thasians reject the hollow order offered by Athens and immediately seek outright freedom with Lacedaemonian help.
παρακελευσάμενοι οὖν τοιαῦτα τὸν μὲν Πείσανδρον εὐθὺς τότε καὶ τῶν πρέσβεων τοὺς ἡμίσεις ἀπέστελλον ἐπ’ οἴκου πράξοντας τἀκεῖ, καὶ εἴρητο αὐτοῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων πόλεων αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστάναι·1 τοὺς δ’ ἡμίσεις ἐς τἆλλα τὰ ὑπήκοα χωρία ἄλλους ἄλλῃ διέπεμπον, καὶ Διειτρέφη ὄντα περὶ Χίον, ᾑρημένον δὲ ἐς τὰ ἐπὶ Θρᾴκης ἄρχειν, ἀπέστελλον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν. καὶ ἀφικόμενος ἐς τὴν Θάσον τὸν δῆμον κατέλυσεν.
Having thus encouraged one another, they immediately sent Pisander and half of the envoys back home to manage affairs there, and instructions were given to them to establish oligarchies in whatever subject cities they might touch at on their voyage; the other half they dispatched to different places among the other subject territories. They also sent Dieitrephes, who was in the neighborhood of Chios and had been chosen to hold command in the Thracian region, to his post. On arriving at Thasos, he overthrew the democracy.
καὶ ἀπελθόντος αὐτοῦ οἱ Θάσιοι δευτέρῳ μηνὶ μάλιστα τὴν πόλιν ἐτείχιζον, ὡς τῆς μὲν μετ’ Ἀθηναίων ἀριστοκρατίας οὐδὲν ἔτι προσδεόμενοι,2 τὴν δ’ ἀπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων ἐλευθερίαν ὁσημέραι προσδεχόμενοι·
After his departure, the Thasians, in about the second month, began to fortify their city, feeling that they no longer needed the aristocracy offered by the Athenians, but were daily expecting freedom from Lacedaemon.
καὶ γὰρ καὶ φυγὴ αὐτῶν ἔξω ἦν ὑπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων παρὰ τοῖς Πελοποννησίοις, καὶ αὕτη μετὰ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει ἐπιτηδείων κατὰ κράτος ἔπρασσε ναῦς τε κομίσαι καὶ τὴν Θάσον ἀποστῆσαι. ξυνέβη οὖν αὐτοῖς μάλιστα ἃ ἐβούλοντο, τὴν πόλιν τε ἀκινδύνως ὀρθοῦσθαι καὶ τὸν ἐναντιωσόμενον δῆμον καταλελύσθαι.
For indeed their exiles, who had been expelled by the Athenians, were with the Peloponnesians, and these, in concert with their friends in the city, were working with all their might to bring a fleet and make Thasos revolt. It therefore turned out for them exactly as they wished—their city was set on a secure footing without danger, and the opposing democracy was overthrown.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τὴν Θάσον τἀναντία τοῖς τὴν ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστᾶσι τῶν Ἀθηναίων ἐγένετο, δοκεῖν δέ μοι3 καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων· σωφροσύνην γὰρ λαβοῦσαι αἱ πόλεις καὶ ἄδειαν τῶν πρασσομένων ἐχώρησαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄντικρυς ἐλευθερίαν τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν Ἀθηναίων ὑπούλου εὐνομίας4 οὐ προτιμήσαντες.
Thus, in the case of Thasos, the result was the very opposite of what the Athenians who were establishing the oligarchy had intended, and, as it seems to me, the same was true in many other of the subject states; for the cities, having obtained moderate government and security in their actions, proceeded to downright freedom, not preferring the hollow “good order” offered by the Athenians.
- 8.64.1εἴρητο αὐτοῖς τῶν ὑπηκόων πόλεων αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστάναι
The subject of the impersonal passive εἴρητο ("instructions had been given") is the infinitive clause ὀλιγαρχίαν καθιστάναι ("to establish oligarchy"). τῶν ὑπηκόων πόλεων is attracted into the genitive case by the relative clause αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν, functioning equivalent to ἐν ταῖς ὑπηκόοις πόλεσιν αἷς ἂν προσσχῶσιν ("in those of the subject cities at which they might touch").
- 8.64.3ὡς τῆς μὲν μετ’ Ἀθηναίων ἀριστοκρατίας οὐδὲν ἔτι προσδεόμενοι
The particle ὡς with the participles (προσδεόμενοι and προσδεχόμενοι) expresses the subjective motive or ground of the Thasians ("on the ground that they..."). οὐδὲν is used adverbially, meaning "not at all."
- 8.64.5δοκεῖν δέ μοι
The infinitive δοκεῖν is used as an absolute infinitive (infinitive of parenthetical limitation), meaning "as it seems to me" or "in my opinion."
- 8.64.5ὑπούλου εὐνομίας
The adjective ὕπουλος originally means "festering under a scarred surface" in medical terminology. Here, it is used metaphorically to describe the "good order" (εὐνομία) imposed by the Athenians as a deceitful, hollow appearance that concealed their actual subjugation of the subject states.