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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.101.1-1.101.3

Spartan Earthquake, Helot Revolt, and the Fall of Thasos

Passage 101 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Thasians appeal to the Lacedaemonians for aid, but the Spartans are prevented from invading Attica by a major earthquake and a Helot revolt at Ithome, leading to the eventual surrender of Thasos.

§1.101.1Θάσιοι δὲ νικηθέντες μάχῃ καὶ πολιορκούμενοι Λακεδαιμονίους ἐπεκαλοῦντο καὶ ἐπαμύνειν ἐκέλευον ἐσβαλόντας ἐς τὴν Ἀττικήν.
The Thasians, having been defeated in battle and being besieged, appealed to the Lacedaemonians and urged them to come to their aid by invading Attica.
§1.101.2οἱ δὲ ὑπέσχοντο μὲν κρύφα τῶν Ἀθηναίων καὶ ἔμελλον, διεκωλύθησαν δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ γενομένου σεισμοῦ, ἐν ᾧ καὶ οἱ Εἵλωτες αὐτοῖς καὶ τῶν περιοίκων Θουριᾶταί τε καὶ Αἰθαιῆς ἐς Ἰθώμην ἀπέστησαν.
They promised to do so secretly from the Athenians and were about to do so, but were prevented by the earthquake that occurred, during which both the Helots and, of the Perioeci, the Thuriatae and Aethaeans, revolted to Ithome.
πλεῖστοι δὲ τῶν Εἱλώτων ἐγένοντο οἱ τῶν παλαιῶν Μεσσηνίων τότε δουλωθέντων ἀπόγονοι· ᾗ καὶ Μεσσήνιοι ἐκλήθησαν οἱ πάντες.
Most of the Helots were the descendants of the ancient Messenians who had been enslaved at that time; wherefore they were all called Messenians.
§1.101.3πρὸς μὲν οὖν τοὺς ἐν Ἰθώμῃ πόλεμος καθειστήκει Λακεδαιμονίοις, Θάσιοι δὲ τρίτῳ ἔτει πολιορκούμενοι ὡμολόγησαν Ἀθηναίοις τεῖχός τε καθελόντες καὶ ναῦς παραδόντες, χρήματά τε ὅσα ἔδει ἀποδοῦναι αὐτίκα ταξάμενοι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν φέρειν, τήν τε ἤπειρον καὶ τὸ μέταλλον ἀφέντες.
So the Lacedaemonians were engaged in war against those in Ithome; but the Thasians, in the third year of the siege, came to terms with the Athenians, on condition of demolishing their walls, surrendering their ships, agreeing to pay immediately what money was required and to pay tribute for the future, and giving up the mainland and the mine.

Notes

  1. §1.101.1ἐσβαλόντας — Accusative plural of the active aorist participle, agreeing with the unexpressed subject of the infinitive ἐπαμύνειν or the accusative object of ἐκέλευον (the Lacedaemonians), expressing the means ("by invading").
  2. §1.101.2αὐτοῖς — Dative of disadvantage (dativus incommodi) referring to the Lacedaemonians, indicating the party from whom they revolted.
  3. §1.101.2 — Relative adverb (derived from the dative of manner or cause), meaning "wherefore" or "for which reason," linking the origin of the Helots to why they were called Messenians.
  4. §1.101.3χρήματά τε ὅσα ἔδει ἀποδοῦναι αὐτίκα ταξάμενοι καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν φέρειν — The middle aorist participle ταξάμενοι ("having agreed/assessed") governs the object infinitives ἀποδοῦναι (to pay immediately) and φέρειν (to bear/pay in the future).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.101.1-1.101.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.101.1-1.101.3

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