Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.18.1-1.18.3

Fall of the Tyrants and the Rise of Two Blocs

Passage 18 of 917 · Greek

Summary

Thucydides accounts for the overthrow of tyrants by Lacedaemon, noting their stable constitution, and describes how Athens and Lacedaemon emerged as naval and land powers respectively after the Persian invasions, leading to the division of the Greek world into two armed camps.

§1.18.1ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἵ τε Ἀθηναίων τύραννοι καὶ οἱ ἐκ τῆς ἄλλης Ἑλλάδος ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ πρὶν τυραννευθείσης οἱ πλεῖστοι καὶ τελευταῖοι πλὴν τῶν ἐν Σικελίᾳ ὑπὸ Λακεδαιμονίων κατελύθησαν (ἡ γὰρ Λακεδαίμων μετὰ τὴν κτίσιν τῶν νῦν ἐνοικούντων αὐτὴν Δωριῶν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ὧν ἴσμεν χρόνον στασιάσασα ὅμως ἐκ παλαιτάτου καὶ ηὐνομήθη καὶ αἰεὶ ἀτυράννευτος ἦν· ἔτη γάρ ἐστι μάλιστα τετρακόσια καὶ ὀλίγῳ πλείω ἐς τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου ἀφ’ οὗ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τῇ αὐτῇ πολιτείᾳ χρῶνται, καὶ δι’ αὐτὸ δυνάμενοι καὶ τὰ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις πόλεσι καθίστασαν), μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν τυράννων κατάλυσιν ἐκ τῆς Ἑλλάδος οὐ πολλοῖς ἔτεσιν ὕστερον καὶ ἡ ἐν Μαραθῶνι μάχη Μήδων πρὸς Ἀθηναίους ἐγένετο.

And when the tyrants of the Athenians and those from the rest of Hellas (which had been under tyrant rule for a long time and even before Athens) were, for the most part and the last of them except those in Sicily, put down by the Lacedaemonians—for Lacedaemon, after the settlement of the Dorians who now inhabit it, although it suffered from factional strife for the longest period of time we know of, nevertheless from a very ancient period obtained good laws and was always free from tyrants; for it is about four hundred years and a little more down to the end of this war since the Lacedaemonians have been using the same constitution, and because of this, being powerful, they also settled the affairs in the other cities—after the overthrow of the tyrants from Hellas, not many years later, the battle at Marathon of the Medes against the Athenians also took place.

§1.18.2δεκάτῳ δὲ ἔτει μετ’ αὐτὴν αὖθις ὁ βάρβαρος τῷ μεγάλῳ στόλῳ ἐπὶ τὴν Ἑλλάδα δουλωσόμενος ἦλθεν.

And in the tenth year after it, the barbarian came again with his great fleet against Hellas to enslave it.

καὶ μεγάλου κινδύνου ἐπικρεμασθέντος οἵ τε Λακεδαιμόνιοι τῶν ξυμπολεμησάντων Ἑλλήνων ἡγήσαντο δυνάμει προύχοντες, καὶ οἱ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπιόντων τῶν Μήδων διανοηθέντες ἐκλιπεῖν τὴν πόλιν καὶ ἀνασκευασάμενοι ἐς τὰς ναῦς ἐσβάντες ναυτικοὶ ἐγένοντο.

And when a great danger was hanging over them, the Lacedaemonians led the Greeks who fought together, since they excelled in power, and the Athenians, when the Medes were advancing, having resolved to abandon their city and packing up their belongings, embarked on their ships and became a seafaring people.

κοινῇ τε ἀπωσάμενοι τὸν βάρβαρον, ὕστερον οὐ πολλῷ διεκρίθησαν πρός τε Ἀθηναίους καὶ Λακεδαιμονίους οἵ τε ἀποστάντες βασιλέως Ἕλληνες καὶ οἱ ξυμπολεμήσαντες.

And having in common repulsed the barbarian, not long afterward, both the Greeks who had revolted from the King and those who had fought together split, siding with either the Athenians or the Lacedaemonians.

δυνάμει γὰρ ταῦτα μέγιστα διεφάνη· ἴσχυον γὰρ οἱ μὲν κατὰ γῆν, οἱ δὲ ναυσίν.

For these appeared to be the greatest in power; for the one was strong by land, and the other by ships.

§1.18.3καὶ ὀλίγον μὲν χρόνον ξυνέμεινεν ἡ ὁμαιχμία, ἔπειτα διενεχθέντες οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι καὶ Ἀθηναῖοι ἐπολέμησαν μετὰ τῶν ξυμμάχων πρὸς ἀλλήλους· καὶ τῶν ἄλλων Ἑλλήνων εἴ τινές που διασταῖεν, πρὸς τούτους ἤδη ἐχώρουν.

And for a short time the alliance held together, but then, having fallen out, the Lacedaemonians and the Athenians waged war against each other with their allies; and if any of the other Greeks happened to split anywhere, they now went over to these.

ὥστε ἀπὸ τῶν Μηδικῶν ἐς τόνδε αἰεὶ τὸν πόλεμον τὰ μὲν σπενδόμενοι, τὰ δὲ πολεμοῦντες ἢ ἀλλήλοις ἢ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ξυμμάχοις ἀφισταμένοις εὖ παρεσκευάσαντο τὰ πολέμια καὶ ἐμπειρότεροι ἐγένοντο μετὰ κινδύνων τὰς μελέτας ποιούμενοι.

So that, from the Persian wars down to this very war, constantly, sometimes making peace, sometimes waging war either with each other or with their own revolting allies, they put their military affairs in good order and became more experienced, making their exercises in the midst of dangers.

Notes

1.18.1ἐπειδὴ δὲ οἵ τε Ἀθηναίων τύραννοι — The structural complexity of the long subordinate clause introduced by `ἐπειδὴ`. The main verb of this clause is `κατελύθησαν`, which is immediately followed by a long parenthetical explanation `(ἡ γὰρ Λακεδαίμων...)`. After the parenthesis, the main clause `καὶ ἡ ἐν Μαραθῶνι μάχη ... ἐγένετο` is introduced, prefaced by `μετὰ δὲ τὴν τῶν τυράννων κατάλυσιν`, which resumes the sense of the subordinate clause.
1.18.1ἐπὶ πολὺ καὶ πρὶν τυραννευθείσης — The genitive participle `τυραννευθείσης` modifies `τῆς ἄλλης Ἑλλάδος`. `πρὶν` means "before Athens," indicating that other parts of Hellas had been under tyrant rule for a long time even before the tyranny began in Athens.
1.18.1ἀφ’ οὗ — A temporal relative phrase meaning "since the time when." It points to the specific starting point in time when the Lacedaemonians adopted their stable constitution.
1.18.3τὰ μὲν σπενδόμενοι, τὰ δὲ πολεμοῦντες — `τὰ μὲν ... τὰ δὲ` is an adverbial accusative expressing alternation ("sometimes..., sometimes..."). It modifies the participles `σπενδόμενοι` (making peace) and `πολεμοῦντες` (waging war), contrastively describing the unstable state of relations during the fifty years (Pentecontaetia) between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars.

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.18.1-1.18.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.18.1-1.18.3

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