Thucydides · History of the Peloponnesian War §1.4.1

Minos Building the First Navy and Dominating the Aegean

Passage 4 of 917 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that King Minos was the earliest to establish a navy, dominating the Aegean Sea and the Cyclades, colonizing the islands, and clearing piracy to secure his revenues.

§1.4.1Μίνως γὰρ παλαίτατος ὧν ἀκοῇ ἴσμεν ναυτικὸν ἐκτήσατο καὶ τῆς νῦν Ἑλληνικῆς θαλάσσης ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐκράτησε καὶ τῶν Κυκλάδων νήσων ἦρξέ τε καὶ οἰκιστὴς πρῶτος τῶν πλείστων ἐγένετο, Κᾶρας ἐξελάσας καὶ τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ παῖδας ἡγεμόνας ἐγκαταστήσας·

For Minos is the earliest of whom we know by hearsay to have acquired a navy, and he came to rule over most of what is now the Hellenic sea, and governed the Cyclades islands and was the first founder of most of them, after driving out the Carians and establishing his own sons as governors.

τό τε λῃστικόν, ὡς εἰκός, καθῄρει ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης ἐφ’ ὅσον ἐδύνατο, τοῦ τὰς προσόδους μᾶλλον ἰέναι αὐτῷ.

And he also, as was natural, cleared piracy from the sea as far as he was able, in order that his revenues might the better come in to him.

Notes

§1.4.1ὧν ἀκοῇ ἴσμεν — ὧν is a relative pronoun in the genitive, limiting the omitted antecedent ἐκείνων (of those). It has attracted into the genitive from the accusative οὕς which the verb ἴσμεν would otherwise govern. ἀκοῇ is a dative of means meaning 'by hearsay' or 'by tradition'.
§1.4.1τοῦ τὰς προσόδους μᾶλλον ἰέναι αὐτῷ — The infinitive clause introduced by τοῦ represents a genitive of purpose (τοῦ + infinitive). τὰς προσόδους is the subject accusative of the infinitive ἰέναι (to go, to come in). αὐτῷ is a dative of advantage referring to Minos ('to him').

Cite this passage

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War §1.4.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0003.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:1.4.1

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