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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.104.1-1.104.2

Revolt of Inaros and the Athenian Expedition to Egypt

Passage 104 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Inaros, a Libyan king, instigates a revolt in Egypt against the Persian King Artaxerxes and requests Athenian assistance. The Athenians redirect their fleet from Cyprus, enter the Nile, and, after capturing most of Memphis, besiege the stronghold known as the White Wall.

§1.104.1Ἰνάρως δὲ ὁ Ψαμμητίχου, Λίβυς, βασιλεὺς Λιβύων τῶν πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ, ὁρμώμενος ἐκ Μαρείας τῆς ὑπὲρ Φάρου πόλεως ἀπέστησεν Αἰγύπτου τὰ πλείω ἀπὸ βασιλέως Ἀρταξέρξου, καὶ αὐτὸς ἄρχων γενόμενος Ἀθηναίους ἐπηγάγετο.
Inaros, the son of Psammetichus, a Libyan and king of the Libyans bordering on Egypt, starting from Marea, the city inland from Pharos, caused the greater part of Egypt to revolt from King Artaxerxes, and having himself become ruler, called in the Athenians to help.
§1.104.2οἱ δέ (ἔτυχον γὰρ ἐς Κύπρον στρατευόμενοι ναυσὶ διακοσίαις αὑτῶν τε καὶ τῶν ξυμμάχων) ἦλθον ἀπολιπόντες τὴν Κύπρον, καὶ ἀναπλεύσαντες ἀπὸ θαλάσσης ἐς τὸν Νεῖλον τοῦ τε ποταμοῦ κρατοῦντες καὶ τῆς Μέμφιδος τῶν δύο μερῶν πρὸς τὸ τρίτον μέρος ὃ καλεῖται Λευκὸν τεῖχος ἐπολέμουν· ἐνῆσαν δὲ αὐτόθι Περσῶν καὶ Μήδων οἱ καταφυγόντες καὶ Αἰγυπτίων οἱ μὴ ξυναποστάντες.
And they (for they happened to be campaigning against Cyprus with two hundred ships of their own and of their allies) left Cyprus and came, and sailing up from the sea into the Nile, and getting control of the river and of two parts of Memphis, they pressed the war against the third part, which is called the White Wall; and there were in it those of the Persians and Medes who had fled thither for refuge, and those of the Egyptians who had not joined in the revolt.

Notes

  1. §1.104.2ἔτυχον ... στρατευόμενοι — The construction of the verb τυγχάνω combined with a nominative participle, meaning "happened to be doing" or "were just then doing." Here it explains the background situation where the Athenian fleet happened to be on a campaign against Cyprus.
  2. §1.104.2τῶν δύο μερῶν πρὸς τὸ τρίτον μέρος — A classical Greek idiom for expressing fractions. "τὰ δύο μέρη" (two parts) means "two-thirds" of the whole, while "τὸ τρίτον μέρος" (the third part) signifies the remaining "one-third." In this expression, the total number of divisions (the denominator) is indicated by the ordinal number (τρίτος).

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.104.1-1.104.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.104.1-1.104.2

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