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Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.142.1-1.142.9

Athenian Superiority in Fortification and Naval Skill

Passage 142 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Pericles argues that the Peloponnesians cannot effectively oppose Athens due to their lack of funds and inexperience in protracted warfare. In particular, he points out that establishing counter-fortifications and training a navy require high professional expertise and continuous practice, which they cannot acquire under the Athenian blockade.

§1.142.1‘μέγιστον δέ, τῇ τῶν χρημάτων σπάνει κωλύσονται, ὅταν σχολῇ αὐτὰ ποριζόμενοι διαμέλλωσιν· τοῦ δὲ πολέμου οἱ καιροὶ οὐ μενετοί.
'But most important of all, they will be prevented by their lack of money, while they delay by procuring it slowly; and the opportunities of war do not wait.
§1.142.2καὶ μὴν οὐδ’ ἡ ἐπιτείχισις οὐδὲ τὸ ναυτικὸν αὐτῶν ἄξιον φοβηθῆναι.
Furthermore, neither their fortification of counter-posts nor their navy is a cause for fear.
§1.142.3τὴν μὲν γὰρ χαλεπὸν καὶ ἐν εἰρήνῃ πόλιν ἀντίπαλον κατασκευάσασθαι, ἦ που δὴ ἐν πολεμίᾳ τε καὶ οὐχ ἧσσον ἐκείνοις ἡμῶν ἀντεπιτετειχισμένων·
For as to the former, it is difficult to establish a rival city even in time of peace, and surely still more so in a hostile territory, especially when we are no less fortified against them.
§1.142.4φρούριον δ’ εἰ ποιήσονται, τῆς μὲν γῆς βλάπτοιεν ἄν τι μέρος καταδρομαῖς καὶ αὐτομολίαις, οὐ μέντοι ἱκανόν γε ἔσται ἐπιτειχίζειν τε κωλύειν ἡμᾶς πλεύσαντας ἐς τὴν ἐκείνων καί, ᾗπερ ἰσχύομεν, ταῖς ναυσὶν ἀμύνεσθαι·
And if they establish a fort, though they might damage some part of our land by raids and desertions, it will not, however, be sufficient to build an effective counter-fortification or to prevent us from sailing to their land and defending ourselves with our ships, in which our strength lies.
§1.142.5πλέον γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν τοῦ κατὰ γῆν ἐκ τοῦ ναυτικοῦ ἐμπειρίας ἢ ἐκεῖνοι ἐκ τοῦ κατ᾽ ἤπειρον ἐς τὰ ναυτικά.
For we have more experience of land affairs from our naval service than they have of naval affairs from their experience on land.
§1.142.6τὸ δὲ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐπιστήμονας γενέσθαι οὐ ῥᾳδίως αὐτοῖς προσγενήσεται.
And becoming skilled in seamanship will not easily be acquired by them.
§1.142.7οὐδὲ γὰρ ὑμεῖς μελετῶντες αὐτὸ εὐθὺς ἀπὸ τῶν Μηδικῶν ἐξείργασθέ πω· πῶς δὴ ἄνδρες γεωργοὶ καὶ οὐ θαλάσσιοι, καὶ προσέτι οὐδὲ μελετῆσαι ἐασόμενοι διὰ τὸ ὑφ’ ἡμῶν πολλαῖς ναυσὶν αἰεὶ ἐφορμεῖσθαι, ἄξιον ἄν τι δρῷεν;
For not even you, though practicing it ever since the Persian Wars, have yet fully perfected it; how then could men who are farmers and not seamen, and who, moreover, will not even be permitted to practice because they are always blockaded by us with many ships, accomplish anything worthy of mention?
§1.142.8πρὸς μὲν γὰρ ὀλίγας ἐφορμούσας κἂν διακινδυνεύσειαν πλήθει τὴν ἀμαθίαν θρασύνοντες, πολλαῖς δὲ εἰργόμενοι ἡσυχάσουσι καὶ ἐν τῷ μὴ μελετῶντι ἀξυνετώτεροι ἔσονται καὶ δι’ αὐτὸ καὶ ὀκνηρότεροι.
For against a few blockading ships they might perhaps run the risk, emboldening their ignorance by numbers; but when shut out by many, they will remain quiet, and through lack of practice they will be less skilled, and consequently more hesitant.
§1.142.9τὸ δὲ ναυτικὸν τέχνης ἐστίν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἄλλο τι, καὶ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται, ὅταν τύχῃ, ἐκ παρέργου μελετᾶσθαι, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον μηδὲν ἐκείνῳ πάρεργον ἄλλο γίγνεσθαι.
For naval skill is a matter of professional art, just like anything else, and it does not admit of being practiced as a casual hobby when opportunity offers, but rather nothing else must be allowed to become a side-issue to it.

Notes

  1. 1.142.1μέγιστον δέ — The neuter nominative adjective is used adverbially at the beginning of the sentence to modify the entire following clause ("most important of all"). While it can be analyzed as a nominal subject with an omitted ἐστί, it is best understood as a parenthetical formula introducing a logical emphasis.
  2. 1.142.3τὴν μὲν — The feminine accusative singular article τὴν μὲν functions as a pronoun referring back to ἐπιτείχισις ("fortification") in 1.142.2. The phrase πόλιν ἀντίπαλον acts as a predicative accusative with κατασκευάσασθαι ("to construct it as a rival city"). This structure is contrasted with φρούριον δ’ ("on the other hand, a fort") in 1.142.4, distinguishing a permanent rival city-fortress from a mere temporary military outpost.
  3. 1.142.5τοῦ κατὰ γῆν — A genitive modifying ἐμπειρίας ("experience"), which in turn is qualified by the comparative πλέον ("more"). The phrase τοῦ κατὰ γῆν means "experience of land affairs." It stands in strict parallel to the second part of the comparison: ἐκεῖνοι ἐκ τοῦ κατ᾽ ἤπειρον ἐς τὰ ναυτικά ("they [have] of naval affairs from their experience on land"), contrasting the Athenians' ability to gain land experience through naval service with the Peloponnesians' inability to do the reverse.
  4. 1.142.8ἐν τῷ μὴ μελετῶντι — The neuter singular dative article τῷ is combined with the active present participle μὴ μελετῶν ("not practicing") after the preposition ἐν to express an abstract state ("in the condition of not practicing," hence "through lack of practice"). The nominalization of an active participle in the neuter singular is a characteristic feature of Thucydidean style, representing an ongoing situation rather than a single action.
  5. 1.142.9μηδὲν ἐκείνῳ πάρεργον ἄλλο γίγνεσθαι — An accusative-and-infinitive construction where ἐκείνῳ is a neuter dative pronoun referring back to τὸ ναυτικόν ("naval art"). Literally meaning "that nothing else should become a side-issue to it," it emphasizes the total commitment required for naval training: rather than naval training being a hobby, all other activities must instead become mere side-issues compared to it.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.142.1-1.142.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.142.1-1.142.9

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