- 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-grc2:8.95.1-8.95.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-09
The Peloponnesian fleet defeated the Athenians in a naval battle off Eretria due to the Athenians' lack of preparation and the betrayal of the Eretrians. Consequently, the Peloponnesians caused almost the entire island of Euboea, which was vital to Athens, to revolt.
αἱ δὲ τῶν Πελοποννησίων νῆες παραπλεύσασαι καὶ περιβαλοῦσαι Σούνιον ὁρμίζονται μεταξὺ Θορικοῦ τε καὶ Πρασιῶν, ὕστερον δὲ ἀφικνοῦνται ἐς Ὠρωπόν.
The Peloponnesian ships, having sailed along and rounded Sunium, anchored between Thoricus and Prasiae, and later arrived at Oropus.
Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ κατὰ τάχος καὶ ἀξυγκροτήτοις πληρώμασιν ἀναγκασθέντες χρήσασθαι, οἷα πόλεώς τε στασιαζούσης καὶ περὶ τοῦ μεγίστου ἐν τάχει βουλόμενοι βοηθῆσαι (Εὔβοια γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀποκεκλῃμένης τῆς Ἀττικῆς πάντα ἦν),1 πέμπουσι Θυμοχάρη στρατηγὸν καὶ ναῦς ἐς Ἐρετρίαν, ὧν ἀφικομένων ξὺν ταῖς πρότερον ἐν Εὐβοίᾳ οὔσαις ἓξ καὶ τριάκοντα ἐγένοντο. καὶ εὐθὺς ναυμαχεῖν ἠναγκάζοντο· ὁ γὰρ Ἀγησανδρίδας ἀριστοποιησάμενος ἐκ τοῦ Ὠρωποῦ ἀνήγαγε τὰς ναῦς· ἀπέχει δὲ μάλιστα ὁ Ὠρωπὸς τῆς τῶν Ἐρετριῶν πόλεως θαλάσσης μέτρον ἑξήκοντα σταδίους.
The Athenians, being forced to use untrained crews in great haste, since their city was in a state of sedition and they wished to bring aid quickly in a matter of the greatest importance (for Euboea was everything to them, now that Attica was blocked off), sent the general Thymochares with some ships to Eretria. When these arrived, they made up thirty-six ships in all, including the six that were previously in Euboea. And they were immediately forced to fight a naval battle; for Hegesandridas, after his men had taken their midday meal, put out with his ships from Oropus; and Oropus is about sixty stades distant from the city of Eretria by sea.
ὡς οὖν ἐπέπλει, εὐθὺς ἐπλήρουν καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι τὰς ναῦς, οἰόμενοι σφίσι παρὰ ταῖς ναυσὶ τοὺς στρατιώτας εἶναι· οἱ δὲ ἔτυχον οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἄριστον ἐπισιτιζόμενοι (οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐπωλεῖτο ἀπὸ προνοίας τῶν Ἐρετριῶν), ἀλλ’ ἐκ τῶν ἐπ’ ἔσχατα τοῦ ἄστεως οἰκιῶν, ὅπως σχολῇ πληρουμένων φθάσειαν οἱ πολέμιοι προσπεσόντες2 καὶ ἐξαναγκάσειαν τοὺς Ἀθηναίους οὕτως ὅπως τύχοιεν3 ἀνάγεσθαι. σημεῖον δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐς τὸν Ὠρωπὸν ἐκ τῆς Ἐρετρίας, ὁπότε χρὴ ἀνάγεσθαι, ἤρθη.
As he was sailing against them, the Athenians also immediately began to man their ships, imagining that their soldiers were close at hand by the vessels. But the men happened to be procuring their meal not from the market-place (for nothing was being sold there by design of the Eretrians), but from the houses at the far end of the city, in order that the enemy might fall upon them and anticipate them while they were slowly manning their ships, and thus force the Athenians to put to sea in whatever state they might happen to be. And a signal was raised for them from Eretria to Oropus, showing when they ought to put to sea.
διὰ τοιαύτης δὴ παρασκευῆς οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἀναγαγόμενοι καὶ ναυμαχήσαντες ὑπὲρ τοῦ λιμένος τῶν Ἐρετριῶν ὀλίγον μέν τινα χρόνον ὅμως καὶ ἀντέσχον, ἔπειτα ἐς φυγὴν τραπόμενοι καταδιώκονται ἐς τὴν γῆν.
Having put to sea after such preparation and fought a battle in front of the harbor of Eretria, the Athenians nevertheless held out for a short time, but then, being turned to flight, they were pursued to the shore.
καὶ ὅσοι μὲν αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν πόλιν τῶν Ἐρετριῶν ὡς φιλίαν καταφεύγουσι, χαλεπώτατα ἔπραξαν φονευόμενοι ὑπ’ αὐτῶν· οἳ δὲ ἐς τὸ τείχισμα τὸ ἐν τῇ Ἐρετρίᾳ, ὃ εἶχον αὐτοί, περιγίγνονται καὶ ὅσαι ἐς Χαλκίδα ἀφικνοῦνται τῶν νεῶν.4
Those of them who fled to the city of Eretria, expecting to find it friendly, suffered most cruelly, being slaughtered by the inhabitants; but those who escaped to the fort in Eretria, which they themselves held, survived, as did also such of the ships as reached Chalcis.
λαβόντες δὲ οἱ Πελοποννήσιοι δύο καὶ εἴκοσι ναῦς τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ ἄνδρας τοὺς μὲν ἀποκτείναντες, τοὺς δὲ ζωγρήσαντες τροπαῖον ἔστησαν. καὶ ὕστερον οὐ πολλῷ Εὔβοιάν [τε] ἅπασαν ἀποστήσαντες πλὴν Ὠρεοῦ (ταύτην δὲ αὐτοὶ Ἀθηναῖοι εἶχον) καὶ τἆλλα τὰ περὶ αὐτὴν καθίσταντο.
The Peloponnesians, having captured twenty-two Athenian ships and having killed some of the men and taken others prisoners, erected a trophy. And not long afterwards they caused the whole of Euboea to revolt except Oreus (which the Athenians themselves held) and settled the other affairs in that region.
- 8.95.2Εὔβοια γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἀποκεκλῃμένης τῆς Ἀττικῆς πάντα ἦν
ἀποκεκλῃμένης τῆς Ἀττικῆς is a genitive absolute expressing the reason ("since Attica was blocked off"). πάντα ἦν is a predicate construction meaning "Euboea was everything to them (their sole source of supply)."
- 8.95.4ὅπως σχολῇ πληρουμένων φθάσειαν οἱ πολέμιοι προσπεσόντες
ὅπως introduces a purpose clause with the optative φθάσειαν. The verb φθάνω with the participle προσπεσόντες means "the enemy might anticipate them by falling upon them." σχολῇ πληρουμένων is a genitive absolute meaning "while they were slowly manning the ships."
- 8.95.4οὕτως ὅπως τύχοιεν
The phrase οὕτως ὅπως τύχοιεν (literally, "in such a way as they might happen to") is an idiomatic expression meaning "at random," "in whatever way they could," or "without preparation."
- 8.95.6ὅσαι ἐς Χαλκίδα ἀφικνοῦνται τῶν νεῶν
This relative clause ("such of the ships as reached Chalcis") functions as an additional subject for the verb περιγίγνονται ("survived"). The meaning is that those who fled to the fort and the crews of the ships that escaped to Chalcis survived.