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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.113.1-1.113.4

Battle of Coronea and Boeotian Independence

Passage 113 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The Athenian army made an expedition against the Boeotian exiles but suffered a defeat at the Battle of Coronea. In exchange for the recovery of their captured men, the Athenians evacuated Boeotia, allowing it to regain its independence.

§1.113.1καὶ χρόνου ἐγγενομένου μετὰ ταῦτα Ἀθηναῖοι, Βοιωτῶν τῶν φευγόντων ἐχόντων Ὀρχομενὸν καὶ Χαιρώνειαν καὶ ἄλλ’ ἄττα χωρία τῆς Βοιωτίας, ἐστράτευσαν ἑαυτῶν μὲν χιλίοις ὁπλίταις, τῶν δὲ ξυμμάχων ὡς ἑκάστοις ἐπὶ τὰ χωρία ταῦτα πολέμια ὄντα, Τολμίδου τοῦ Τολμαίου στρατηγοῦντος.
Some time after this, since the Boeotian exiles held Orchomenus, Chaeronea, and certain other places in Boeotia, the Athenians, under the command of Tolmides, son of Tolmaeus, made an expedition against these places which were hostile, with a thousand hoplites of their own and contingents of their allies as each provided.
καὶ Χαιρώνειαν ἑλόντες καὶ ἀνδραποδίσαντες ἀπεχώρουν φυλακὴν καταστήσαντες.
And having captured Chaeronea and enslaved the inhabitants, they were withdrawing after having established a garrison.
§1.113.2πορευομένοις δ’ αὐτοῖς ἐν Κορωνείᾳ ἐπιτίθενται οἵ τε ἐκ τῆς Ὀρχομενοῦ φυγάδες Βοιωτῶν καὶ Λοκροὶ μετ’ αὐτῶν καὶ Εὐβοέων φυγάδες καὶ ὅσοι τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης ἦσαν, καὶ μάχῃ κρατήσαντες τοὺς μὲν διέφθειραν τῶν Ἀθηναίων, τοὺς δὲ ζῶντας ἔλαβον.
But as they were on their march, they were attacked at Coronea by the Boeotian exiles from Orchomenus, and with them the Locrians, and Euboean exiles, and all who were of the same mind; and having defeated them in battle, they put some of the Athenians to death and took others alive.
§1.113.3καὶ τὴν Βοιωτίαν ἐξέλιπον Ἀθηναῖοι πᾶσαν, σπονδὰς ποιησάμενοι ἐφ’ ᾧ τοὺς ἄνδρας κομιοῦνται.
The Athenians then evacuated all Boeotia, having made a treaty on condition that they should recover their men.
§1.113.4καὶ οἱ φεύγοντες Βοιωτῶν κατελθόντες καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι πάντες αὐτόνομοι πάλιν ἐγένοντο.
And the Boeotian exiles having returned, they and all the others became independent again.

Notes

  1. 1.113.1Βοιωτῶν τῶν φευγόντων ἐχόντων — Genitive absolute construction, expressing the cause or ground for the Athenians' military decision.
  2. 1.113.1ὡς ἑκάστοις — An elliptical expression with ὡς, where a verb of providing (like παρέσχον) is omitted: 'as each [contingent of allies provided]'.
  3. 1.113.1ἀπεχώρουν — Imperfect tense, describing an action in progress ('they were withdrawing') that was interrupted by the attack at Coronea in the following section.
  4. 1.113.2πορευομένοις δ’ αὐτοῖς — Dative plural participle of interest or reference, functioning as the direct object of the verb ἐπιτίθενται, which governs the dative.
  5. 1.113.3ἐφ’ ᾧ τοὺς ἄνδρας κομιοῦνται — The prepositional phrase ἐφ' ᾧ followed by the future indicative (here, κομιοῦνται) is an idiomatic construction expressing the condition of an agreement: 'on condition that they should recover'.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.113.1-1.113.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.113.1-1.113.4

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